Don’t discount the importance of social life. With several more years of college ahead of you, you deserve to be happy. You also deserve to be academically challenged and you can find coursework elsewhere that will meet your interests. Sounds like you are excelling academically where you are but it might be worthwhile considering a transfer to find a better social fit and to stretch your brain more.
Have you looked at Brown? Providence is very close to MA and they have a great environmental science program. Good skiing is a reasonable drive away. No ski team – but perhaps you are now seeking a more stimulating intellectual environment. And Cornell? Their College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has programming that is a good fit for your interests and lots of skiing in upstate New York. I applaud your generosity in posting an update–I hope students who come across your thread read all the way through it. Your original post was one of my favs because of your excitement over your choice but I also wondered what would happen to you once you discovered that your academic promise was not being fully challenged at UNR. I think one aspect of your original post that was not commented on was that you were “relieved” to not get into one of the more competitive schools because it meant you did not have to make a choice against one of those schools. But it sounds like you were also very disappointed to not get into Harvard EA, which means you have great respect (appropriately) for the quality of your mind. You were under a lot of pressure from family and having that lifted was great. But perhaps you were also hoping to be acknowledged for your capacities–I think transferring is the right move for you. I’d encourage you in your transfer applications to under-emphasize forestry management and emphasize environmental science. Forestry management is a technical career and the schools you are targeting are more likely to accept a student who wants to go into science/policy. You can always use your excellent education so far at UNR to pursue forestry management if that’s where you really wish to be. You’ve had time at the school of your dreams, and now your dreams are perhaps evolving – it is again your own decision and having made it once in such an empowered way, you can make a new decision that reflects who you are now. We are rooting for you!
@silversmith I appreciate your comment! Brown actually does have a ski team, but they are pretty good. I would not make the team if I was a student there. I did tour Cornell before my applications, but I was not impressed and therefore did not apply. I would have loved to attend any one of the schools I applied to (except U of I; I applied there to meet a graduation requirement), so much so that I had great difficulty choosing which one I liked best even before decisions came back. Getting in to Harvard would have been a nice validation, but I feel like my waitlists at Yale and MIT provided that adequately without all the weight that comes with an acceptance, especially an acceptance to a school like that.
When I posted in May, I think I was experiencing a bit of a personal unmooring, so to speak. Everything I wrote was true, but the negatives seemed to loom much larger in the aftermath of finals and some other unrelated health issues. I’ve since considered what I have at UNR: a position in a club I love, a major that would be difficult to find on the East Coast, a study abroad trip to Spain planned for next summer, and a healthy scholarship refund 
.
While I considered forestry before I began at UNR, I have since decided on rangeland management and environmental science. My decision to double major was made for two reasons:
- Because I can. I have so many credits from AP tests and so many scholarships that it is no burden. One extra semester is not an issue.
- I want to work in environmental policy, specifically on policy that affects the American West. Environmental science gives me the scientific understanding I will need to be effective. Rangeland management gives me the economic understanding. Woe to the environmental policy maker who does not understand the needs of the ranchers and the environmental benefit cattle can provide when managed properly. They will not fare well.
Right now, transferring seems unappealing. I am taking upper-level classes next semester and will continue to do so for the next 3.5 years. I believe that the best option for me right now is to stay at UNR, continue to excel in my classes, then apply to grad school when and if I am ready.
No, because these circumstances shape people and limit the opportunities they may have to succeed. They are judging them by their merit insofar as they’re looking for applicants who do the best with what they have, but in order to do that, they need to know what candidates have.
@BWill0402 Did you mean to post in this thread? If so, could you clarify? I’m a bit confused.
@ski_racer your situation brings to mind a couple of pieces of insight from a college counselor at my daughter’s school. First, the college search is a match to be made, not a race to be won. Second, the college experience is like a new pair of jeans - once you find the right “fit”, it takes some time for the jeans to become your own (you know how you have to break new jeans in, they never fit quite right when you first put them on). Challenge yourself at UNR. Do well. And, if your career goals require it, seek out a stellar grad program in your field.
Thanks for the great read!
@skiracer, I appreciate your process and your updates. Both reflect your maturity and thoughtfulness about this process. Thank your for sharing!
I love your post! You have such a great head on your shoulders. UNR is lucky to have you!
This was an enjoyable read. A nice reminder there is education outside “big name” schools. Plus I like your stand for the western rancher.
These are posts we need to see more of! Great mentality, focused on what you can control and what lies ahead. Be proud of who you are and the perspective you take on the world. Many lose sight of this.
Would love to read more updates from @ski_racer in the future.
This thread was an inspiration last year(except for the part about wanting to transfer).
@EPallazzo I’m hoping to update again around the end of the semester!
End of sophomore year update!
Academically, I completed 30 credits and maintained my 4.0 cumulative GPA. I’m still double majoring in rangeland ecology and environmental science. Although I anticipated graduating in Winter 2022, I might actually end up graduating earlier due to overlapping classes between my two majors. I took my first 400/600-level classes this past semester–I took a very challenging political science class that was really fun! My scholarships for the academic year totaled $21,000.
Athletically, the team once again competed at Nationals. We got a new coach, and although he and I don’t really vibe, he did field a stellar group of freshman this year. I’m looking forward to racing with my teammates even more next year (assuming ski resorts are able to open).
Socially, it’s a little better. I joined a new club to help recruit people into the College of Ag, Biotech, and Natural Resources, and that’s tons of fun. I’ve also gotten to meet lots of new people who are in ag fields, and that’s great. I also feel like I have a much more solid group of core friends who appreciate me for me. However, it does still feel a bit like most of the other students at UNR are always looking for the easy way out. The good news is, it seems like those sorts of people are getting weeded out as I progress into higher-level classes. I am sad that I wasn’t able to give an adequate goodbye to many of my graduating friends, but such is life.
My family is still a little confused about what I’m doing, but that’s okay. Not everyone thinks cattle are endlessly interesting. XD I’ve shown them the job growth numbers for my field and I think that has helped. No one is pressuring me to transfer or change my major anymore. That’s good, because I really love what I’m doing.
As far as the future goes, I’m feeling uncertain, just like everyone else. My study abroad trip was canceled, of course, but I was fortunate enough to find a summer job (full-time landscaping). But beyond that, I don’t know. If UNR goes online for another semester, I’ll have to decide if a gap semester is something I’m interested in. I’m working on finding a new apartment in Reno right now, but at this point, I’m not even sure if I’ll be signing a lease. I want to go back to school, but who knows if it will be safe by then.
I like being a student at UNR but I definitely have a lot of decisions to make moving forward, many of them dependent on the COVID-19 situation. I think I also need to take a long look at my future with the team’s new coach. Although he can be a difficult person, I love skiing for UNR. I will need to weigh the options before making a final choice.
Overall, I had a lot of good things happen over the past year. I made new friends, joined a new club, and skied a lot, all while achieving my academic potential. What’s not to love about that?
@ski_racer
My son (from California) is considering UNR, he wants to do neuroscience. Can you reply if you have a chance? His stats are: UW3.47 or 3.53 (not sure what to do with the 11th grade second semester). His ECs are: School swim team, science Olympiad, research project with a professor, volunteer for a mental health program for the last 1 1/2 years, school neuroscience club. Also, based on the way you wrote, I also would love to read your essay 
- How easy it is to get into that program?
- Does UNR allow you to do minor in CS or statistics?
- He would like to become aa doctor someday. How are the labs?
- How are the research opportunities? Is it easy to get projects/ Are professors easily approachable?
- How diverse UNR is?
Thanks you so much.
Sjcmom
@sjcmom I’m not super familiar with that program, but I’ll do my best!
- I don't think he'll have any issue being accepted to the neuro program, but there may be some prereq classes he'll have to take before ha can officially declare neuro as his major
- Yes
- I've enjoyed all the labs I've taken at UNR, although they are in a different field. I do know that UNR has a cadaver lab, but I'm not 100% sure what they do or how often they let students in
- It depends on how willing a student is to seek out opportunity. I have found all my professors to be approachable. Additionally, my department head sends out announcements with info on lab openings within the department
- UNR is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and serves many lower-income students. There are not very many Black students but there are quite a few Asian students. The student body is more female than male and non-traditional students are not at all unusual.