Hello, it is been over four months since I have last updated this thread. I’m not sure if anyone will still look at this, but I though I’d stop in with an update. I didn’t leave for college yet, since UW’s move in day is the 21st, but I fly out on the 14th. My parents are flying with us to Seattle, even though I really tried to tell them they didn’t have to, so we could save money, but they insisted that we needed help buying furniture for our dorm. My sister and I are assigned to the same dorm, in one of the newer halls, so we are happy about that, even though it’s a little more expensive. We get a private bathroom, and two fully equipped kitchens on each floor, so we’ll cook for some meals, since we opted for the lowest dining plan available.
My IB scores were released in July, and I received the diploma, and scored high enough to receive credit for my Psychology and English. Since UW gives addition credit for the diploma, plus my AP class from sophomore year, I will be entering with 30 credits total. This includes 5 Natural World Credits, 10 Visual, Literature, or Performance Art Credits, and 15 Individuals & Societies Credits. To meet my General Ed requirements, I still need 5 VPLA or I&S credits, 3 Diversity Credits, and 5 English Comp Credits. The 45 Natural World credits left will most likely be easily fulfilled by all the math and science classes I will be taking as prerequisites for my major. I will most likely apply to Industrial engineering and Human Centered Design & Engineering, and I’ll look into some other majors too. If possible, I would like to also minor in Business-Entrepreneurship (the only business minor available to me).
Over the summer, I worked more hours at my job, so now I currently have $5k for personal expenses. My sister and I have been studying for the math placement test, and we should be able to test into the first of the calc series (Math 124).
A small issue that came up is that, since I have the very last Advising and Orientation session, I am also among the last to sign up for classes. I was planning to take Art 190 (for my VPLA credit), CSE 142, and Math 124, but CSE 142 and Math 124 might be full. I’ll have to talk to the advisor to see what other options are available for me.
I’m going to be looking for more scholarships to apply to this year, and once I get settled in I will probably get a part time job in the winter or spring quarter. As for paying tuition, my mom’s savings should be enough for the fall and spring quarter, and from that point on we will be taking out loans. My parents think the interest rate for the parent plus loan is too high, so we might loan from our bank instead. We have to option of taking out a student loan or a personal loan, so we’ll will look into which one is better for my family.
I know this probably wasn’t the most financially optimal decision, but I’m very excited to be going to Seattle soon. If it comes to it, I could look into what my former teacher and UW alumni did, which was move back in with her parents, and work as a teacher for a couple years in a program (Teachers for America or something? I can’t remember the name), that allows her to get her masters degree for free. She also put all her earning towards paying off her debt so she is basically debt free two years after graduation. Oh, and this teacher is also moving back to Seattle in September, so it’s nice that I’ll know somebody there.
Ad uhm, as of right now, I’m just packing and such. Probably should be looking into raincoats or something. Lol
