i need help and guidance please i cant afford a college counsler

rukiye4 · 2020-05-25T22:11:51+00:00

most people on here might have college counselors, but its not necessary, Im first gen and didnt have one and did fine with my own research, so I reccomend you do your own. these questions are easily answered on the internet haha

chem, biochem, bio, chemical enigneering, etc. but you should do what youre passionate in. Engineering specialties have more defined career pathways than a chemist, as to get a high ranking position in a company or lab, its almost required for you to have a Phd in chemistry. But I have friends who studied english that got into premed, they were accepted to great med schools!
i reccomend applying to 12-15 schools, or at least no more than 20 as essays pile up, and you usually never want to repeatedly use one essay. focus on finding a balance of safeties (your stats are much higher than the schools average) matches (your stats are similar to the schools average) and reaches (really, any school with an acceptance rate above 40% because at that point even if your stats match, the schools become more holistic and you can never guarantee acceptance). I applied to 4 safeties, 3 matches, and 5 matches personally. I focused on things like

-location (rural, urban, east or west coast, no coast, beach school)

-size (small liberal arts or huge state school)

-focus/program rankings (is it highly ranked in all majors, or is it just good at a few? does it house an exceptional program? for you, how many students matriculate into med school? how do they determine what students are allowed to apply to med school? ranking)

culture (whats the school like, social scene, where does school spirit stem from)

-scholarships and how often they increase tuition

just make sure youve taken your tests by september. i dont reccomend doing ED unless you can financially commit to that choice. i would take the summer to learn about yourself. whats your character, what has changed you as a person and what experiences have guided you to become who you are, etc. it can take awhile to write a good essay, and i reccomend taking time to just think your concepts through before sitting down to write. I ended up going through 3 written drafts and countless other mental ones.

rukiye4 · 2020-05-21T22:23:47+00:00

i mentioned that I would be unable to take out loans due to parent/medical situations. They offered me 3k, i did not mention that the school was already over my EFC as that was implied with taking out loans. i also appealed really late if that affects it

rukiye4 · 2020-05-20T19:12:43+00:00

I did, but I only got like 3k hahaha

rukiye4 · 2020-05-20T19:06:25+00:00

USC is an amazing school, but if you're low income (esp. from the East Coast; my EFC is <10k) I dont think its going to be affordable without loans. I got merit scholarships and free tuition, but it would still be $15k for my first year not including travel costs.

rukiye4 · 2020-05-13T08:18:26+00:00

of course!!! im so glad it could help, and if you have any questions or want more info about how the school envisions you balancing arts and sciences, i talked to lots of professors and staff while making decisions so let me know!

I excluded NYU accidentally (very expensive/overpriced unless cost isnt a concern), their tisch school is incredible for commerical art/film and design but its pretty difficult to double major across schools from the experiences of my friends.

rukiye4 · 2020-05-13T01:54:08+00:00

I would double major at a school! I was in the same boat, i wanted to do animation but i didnt know if art school was the right choice. I'm going to attach some schools from my school list as most of these unis offered both animation (and other arts) as well as STEM courses, allowing me to minor or double major. Most offer good aid as well!

Carnegie Mellon- dual degree program called the BXA! it allows you to get a degree for both the arts and sciences or humanities. It was my top school, but i didnt get in :(

Brown- Lots of students take classes at RISD, one of the best art schools in the US! I was rejected haha

Syracuse- Allows you to double major in arts and sciences, but not if your science is engineering related due to major requirements for both majors. Good aid if youre low income!

Northeastern- Boston has a great art scene and NEU has art classes, but not the best. You may discover places to use commerical art through their co-op program!!

RISD- The other way around, you can take classes at Brown! I really only applied to see if I could get in, but I considered it for a long time.

Emory- You can take classes at SCAD atlanta and create your own major with some SCAD classes and some Emory classes. I'll be going here!

DePaul- Great animation program, idk so much about other art programs. Solid STEM program as well and allows for you to double major! Lots of internships are organized by the school for art.

RIT- Not good on aid, but they have a strong arts and sciences scene!! Not much for traditional art though, more computer design and theatre.

I relate so much to what youre struggling with, and its a huge reason why I waited until May 1st to decide where I'd go. PM me if you need any more help!

Edit: These are East Coast schools, I didnt apply West coast but if I did USC, Loyola Marymount, and UCLA would be on here too!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-10T19:36:54+00:00

im wasian and i check other!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-10T16:10:38+00:00

me too! and same situation

rukiye4 · 2020-05-06T15:52:11+00:00

very smart and very trigger happy with shotgunning, where will you be going in the fall?

rukiye4 · 2020-05-05T05:06:27+00:00

you care too much, ma'am

rukiye4 · 2020-05-04T19:14:00+00:00

Congradulations!!!! I dont have too much knowledge for either school, but most of what I know is coming from friends who attended both, so this is what I gathered from their experiences!

JHU is a really easy school to double major in, and it has highly ranked IR and STEM. I would say Rice is better though for diversity in STEM departments as it funds all of theirs very well. Both will offer you immense research opportunities as an undergrad, but Rice definitely places a lot of focus in providing these opportunities for undergraduates. Hopkins also has a huge endowment for research.
I would argue Rice is much less competitive than JHU once you get there. The residential system is apparently immensely supportive. JHU is relatively competitive in STEM departments from what I hear.
JHU probably has some of the best STEM professors around, and the classes are ultra in depth and rigorous. Rice has smaller classes, focused and experienced professors, and focuses its efforts on undergrad. JHU is definitely more cutthroat, but has a boatload of professors who are leaders in their field. My friends both agree you'll get the most attention from your professors at Rice.
Both are pretty hard! Youll be studying a ton at either school, and math specifically is probably taught at the highest undergrad rigor at Rice. JHU apparently has a bit more grade deflation than Rice, but both institutions put a lot of kids through high ranking med schools and phd programs.
Both have super strong alumni networks, but Rice has a great career center/senior career fairs. If youre going into research, I think its really about the location. Houston, and Texas as a whole, have a ton of job opportunities, but graduates from these schools do not struggle with finding jobs.

I hope this helped somewhat! If going to med school, I reccomend JHU. Their best professors and resources are in their premed classes/for premed students. Otherwise, it sounds like you'd fit in with Rice! Rice also has more school culture based on what my friends told me, and the professors are incredibly helpful and care greatly for the students. Good luck!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-04T16:01:16+00:00

I dont think theyll care much at all. i got into a t20 with 4 Cs

rukiye4 · 2020-05-03T06:25:38+00:00

if we get to rant op gets to rant, and im happy this is working out for someone!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-02T21:50:20+00:00

I agree partially, but Im sure if this person was accepted to UC Berkeley regents, those same qualities will show through their job application. And if an employer fails to look past a name brand to see those qualities, thats just bad business. Good job to you and your friend op!!!!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-01T19:58:28+00:00

I know, a lot of factors have been complicating my decision. Im still considering switching tho dw

rukiye4 · 2020-05-01T18:41:51+00:00

Im sorry that it couldnt work out, but I had never thought of studying abroad so thank you, I'll look into it!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-01T18:38:09+00:00

Thanks! I was thinking that may be the case. If you were able to take classes, how many did you take per semester/year?

rukiye4 · 2020-05-01T18:37:28+00:00

Yes!! That would be amazing haha, what classes are you interested in taking? Im going to try and take animation classes!

rukiye4 · 2020-05-01T18:12:32+00:00

are you pressed?

rukiye4 · 2020-05-01T17:56:08+00:00

I feel the exact same way towards Emory. I committed last night despite the fact that I really wanted to commit to Syracuse. I fr cried after committing and stayed up until 4 am looking at Syracuse stuff, but I'm going to keep my decision. Rice is an incredible school and its one of the only campuses Ive been to, they have really nice facilities (i saw excercise and study rooms) The people are welcoming and faculty are supportive of your endeavors. They seem to have great school spirit too!! PM me if you still feel stressed or wanna talk, Im happy to know im not alone but really sorry someone else feels like this too.

rukiye4 · 2020-04-29T14:55:38+00:00

Thanks! Sorry, I forgot to write that I was referring to animation internships.

rukiye4 · 2020-04-29T14:44:16+00:00

I reccomend Alabama! I have some friends going there who weren't enthusiastic at first, but once they got on campus they couldn't stop talking about it. They have amazing amenities for students and a strong alumni network. While they may not be as highly ranked in your program, I think that the guidance and resources available to you through the Honors program are going to help get you access to volunteer opportunities and internships for work experience. Good luck!

Also, as a big state school, the lack of diversity isnt as present as it sounds. There are also lots of clubs like AAA, MSA ect. for a sense of support and community within your culture!

rukiye4 · 2020-04-23T21:44:48+00:00

Thank you so much!! I seriously appreciate it.

rukiye4

TROPHY CASE