i’m so glad i got admitted into the honors college honestly; if i didn’t, i would probably not attend tbh. i’m a gifted kid (didn’t apply to the gifted program, but did all honors classes until junior year) and i am constantly frustrated that i don’t feel challenged. i only have two classes that are mentally stimulating for me
honestly, my situation with QB and ED is a bit wonky. my GC retired last year, so i was just sent over to a newer GC who was not as aware of my financial situation. i didn’t find out about QB until it was too late, and i regret it every day :((. on the other hand, i did not want to ED to a college because i wanted to make sure that i could afford that school based on the financial aid package. my school currently is under “construction” and a lot of teachers have been moved around; naturally, a lot of retirees too. i miss my old GC every day, but my new GC is awesome. it’s not necessarily her fault, just a bad combination of factors. also, i use they/he pronouns just to lyk, but tbh any work, i’m not too picky haha! this is all very new to me and my family, so there are a lot of bumps on the road. i was also homeless for some time last year, so we had other worries that took presidence
also, i did genuinely try to vary my colleges and to rack up on safeties so i have options. thanks for defending me; i promise i’m not trying to be hash!! it’s a lot for me to process, and this forum has helped a lot. here’s a list for anyone new to the fun and didn’t see my last post. i have a 1390 sat and 3.9 weighted gpa out of the 4.0 scale. ranks are primarily based on stats btw, not cost etc :))
SAFETY
slippery rock university - accepted
duquesne - accepted and admitted into honors program
indiana university of pennsylvania - accepted and admitted into honors program
seton hill - accepted
california university of pennsylvania/pennwest university - accepted and admitted into honors program TARGET
virginia tech - accepted REACH
university of pennsylvania - declined
carnegie mellon (test opt) - declined
another hallelujah for the honors college admittance lol! i don’t want to bash anyone with a lower sat score, but i wanted to make sure that i chose a school that i loved and could genuinely expand my knowledge on. i want to learn
Not sure which CC you are close to, but you don’t need the microbiology major in CC, you just need to get an Associates in Science with the right courses that map to the first two years of a microbiology major.
So take University of Pittsburgh’s Microbiology major – this is a sample course schedule:
You look at the first 2 years and see what are equivalent classes at your local community college. University of Pittsburgh’s policy for community college transfer is a bit vague I think but it looks like they take them as long as they are “equivalent”. A very cursory look shows that most of the courses that you need for microbiology at pitt have equivalent courses at most community colleges.
Similar for German.
It is more work figuring out all the mappings and so on, but it is possible.
Regardless IUP sounds like a very viable option. Good luck!
yep, that’s the goal. that part is a tiny component, not a huge one. however, i did defer from applying to colleges in red states for this reason (example: berea college, as kentucky’s laws are pretty pitiful)
i am much more worried about my education and future, but i do want to make sure i am safe doing so. seeing so many lgbtq+ people, especially who are trans, passing due to hate crimes is terrifying, and i need to ensure my well-being
yeah, ik pa has been pretty good as of recent. i saw there are actually more protective laws in va, but tbh who is in power is also very important. not a huuuge deciding factor, but definitely one to consider
i am closer to the greensburg campus, and i really didn’t like it there; it felt very suffocating. pitt johnstown does not offer german either. all branched campuses are pretty much off limits at this point
Regarding the subjects of microbiology and German, some schools may not have a specific major in microbiology, but have what you may consider desirable course work under a general biology department or course heading. Some schools may offer German courses to a sufficient level for your interests even if they do not have an official minor in German.
PA is a weird state. The current governor is trying to reorganize the CC&State university system but for now CCs typically lead to state schools (PASSHE) not State-related universities (Pitt, PSU, Temple), whose pathway is branch->main. Since OP already got into a PASSHE university with honors college and scholarships, there’s no point in attending a PA CC. And attending a VA CC OOS would not solve the financial problems…
@bonkistobias
Neither parent can take on debt for you. Even if they’re willing to do it… don’t do it to your mother (based on what you say, your dad is iffy on paying her what he owes already).
However it simplifies things greatly:
You qualify for a maximum Pell Grant- money you don’t have to pay back:$7,395
You qualify for PHEAA grants (also money you don’t have to pay back): ~$3-5k
You got a scholarship from Cook :$2?3?4k?
And you’d qualify for the new PA grant meaning you wouldn’t have to pay more than 1k tuition per semester at IUP.
=> basically IUP would be a full ride.
I can try and compare numbers, benefits, and peer quality in the different honors programs you’ve been admitted to. My gut tells me Cook is the strongest but I am not certain so if you want the data just ask.
Before you visit IUP, contact Cook and ask if they would be willing to let you meet with professors who teach the Honors seminars, with students in the Cook Honors program and also seniors in the Biology honors program (very impt for graduate study), let you see Whitmyre Hall, etc.
If you haven’t already booked your one on one tour, here it is
all of those schools but the two mentioned in the post either did not carry microbiology (carried bio but not with a focus) or did not have german PERIOD. duquesne was on the end of the stick; offered microbiology and i could do german classes through their one program discussed earlier in thread. however, even with 25k in grants/scholarships AND max federal financial aid, it was still about 25k a year which is similar to VT. it’s not really affordable in my case. iup is about 8k per year BEFORE state aid, and vt is about 30k per year
thanks for the clutch on cc, honestly that’s what i was going to say but didn’t have time lol
that’s a fr policy at iup for 1k per year??? where does it say this? i’m genuinely curious, as i didn’t hear about that either
it would be duquesne honors vs iup honors that stats would be nice for, but tbh duquesne is drastically low on the choice list due to cost and not offering a direct german minor. they also accept almost anyone ever, so i can take a solid guess and estimate that the atmosphere won’t exactly be my preferred; i want to be challenged, and i like being around others with similar ideals. i also really like semi tight-knit community settings if that helps. seton hill was awesome with that but no german minor
1x1 tour booked. i planned on calling iup and vt after school for questions anyways :)) i hope the housing scholarship still counts for honors housing!!
Did you apply?
Because there it’s not by invitation, it’s only after you apply (I gave you the link and I’m pretty sure you’d qualify if you actually apply. This way you’d have a proper comparison with IUP.)
Are you sure VT would be 30k total? How much in scholarship did they give you?
It looks like IUP has one microbiology course for biology majors (BIOL 250) and one for non-biology majors (BIOL 241). For comparison, SRU has four microbiology courses (BIOL 210, 330, 357, 430).
Is VT $30,000 after the federal student loans and parent loans are in the package?
I think you need to get a handle on the financial aid packages to compare apples to apples with VT and help weigh the options properly. Did they give you merit as OOS (rare for them)? It is over $50,000, pushing $60,000 with all the add-ons and estimates.
An affordable college you can get to in an hour sounds like a good option given some other health factors and transportation needs mentioned.
i did not know that about the MB courses!! definitely will look into that more
holy german!!! i had no idea. that is a LOT. unfortunately no official german minor though :((. very quick estimates tell me that SRU and IUP are pretty similar, but IUP costs a bit less
honestly, neither college has given me official financial aid packages. i am calling next week to clear that out (i would have yesterday, but i have been recovering from a depressive episode triggered by all this + severe insomnia and i slept 20 hours lol).
i 100% agree with you!! i just don’t have much info on the FA breakdown
definitely agree :)) unfortunately the ADA public transit program i am in at home does not drive there. it’d be easy for mom to take me to and from though since it’s only an hour
you didn’t apply through questbridge or ED to Lafayette.
at uc’s last comment there