College.
I feel like after saying that its necessary to add "The Final Frontier", because honestly, even being launched out an airlock or finding out that Darth Vader is your Father isn't as terrifying as realizing that your next decision will probably be one of the most important you will make in your entire life.
Maybe even the most important.
If I said I wasn't scared, I would be an awful liar.
Junior year was really rough for me, academically as well as emotionally. I finished out the year with a 2.8, I was really hoping for a 3.0. Honestly, I've never been more disappointed with myself as a person.
But anyway. What do I want to do with my life?
I've known since the 3rd grade, with only minor adjustments when I reached High School.
When I reached high school I realized that I adore acting, I'm so at home on the stage that I could live there. So I decided that in college, I'm going to Double Major in Creative Writing and Theater.
I know what your thinking. "You have direction, and your grades aren't terrible. You'll be fine."
Everyone says that, it changes nothing.
I'm still scared out of my mind. I've been worrying about College since about the 4th grade. I'll be on my own, for the first time ever. And nothing anyone can say is going to stop me from stressing out.
Anyway, I suppose I'll tell you my top five colleges and their locations. Maybe you have Advice. In Order:
1. Sarah Lawrence College - Bronxville, New York
2. Emerson College - Boston, Massachusetts
3. University of Southern California - L.A., California
4. Marymount University - Arlington, Virginia
5. James Madison University - Harrisonburg, Virginia
So there's the plan, now to stress out trying to make it work.
~Shattered
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The College Nightmare
Posted by Shattered Star at 8:20 AM
Labels: college, college plans, decisions, gpa, moonlight, stress, top five colleges, worry, zukii
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19 comments:
As someone who just went through this process, I want to tell you NOT to do what I did. I freaked out and waited... and waited... and suddenly it was summer and I hadn't applied for college or financial aid. I'm stuck going to a local community college until I can transfer to my school of choice.
And it's not because I'm dumb, because including the extra points I get for taking an AP class, my GPA is around a 3.5.
Apply for college in the fall. I'm serious. ASAP. The sooner you get that app in, the sooner you get a response and the more likely that response will be positive! And apply for financial aid and as many scholarships as possible. Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships go unused because they come from the silly, boring essay scholarships that no one applies for.
Good luck :) Also, a 2.8 will still get you in a lot of places!
I'm definitely applying in the fall, I'm just panicking about it. I'm probably going to have an application party soon too lol. Thanks for the advice! :D Where do you want to go? And any scholarships you can suggest?
The best scholarships usually come from the colleges you apply to. But if you go to any college or scholarship site for incoming freshmen, they usually have huge lists of assorted scholarships and you can search for certain criteria.
I live in Ohio, and I wanted to go to Miami-Oxford University, but instead I'm going to the Miami-Hamilton campus, which will make transferring MUCH easier since they're both technically the same school.
Oh, trust me, it is far from the final frontier... more like an incredibly busy terminal where you spend your time waiting to be launched into whatever's next. A terminal full of essays and learning and people and, if you are where you want to be, a lot of awesome.
I know what your thinking. "You have direction, and your grades aren't terrible. You'll be fine."
Everyone says that, it changes nothing.
This actually changes a lot, in the sense that having direction and the grades mean that you have two things you DON'T need to worry about. I'm not saying it eliminates all the stress and makes everything totally fine (lolno), but in terms of perspective... there are things you don't have to stress about, there, and that can make it that much easier to deal with. The calmer you deal with stuff, the more solid of a plan you have, the less agonizing it'll be and the less likely you'll give yourself an ulcer. Those are not fun.
Just, you know, plan. Start applying and take it step by step. It is Huge and Awful when you step back and look at everything, but managed bit by bit, it's not all that scary. Stressful and nervewracking and a lot of "hurry up and wait" but don't kill yourself with the panic, 'k? You still gotta enjoy your senior year. :D
As the last person commented, apply in FALL! And don't did like I did either... I waited until the last few days of the fall and I went crazy with writing essays and running errands. And REMEMBER the hardest part of writing an essay is getting started, so just choose a date and start writing. I left all my essays for the end because I was nervous, but once I started writing them, they came out nicely.
As for being scared. I just went through all this. In fact I'm still going through it. Next week I have to move to Boston University. A place where everything will be different from Puerto Rico (especially the weather, oh God. From tropical weather to snow in the winter...). I'm excited, yet scared out of my mind.
Relax about the grades. Grades just strengthen your chances. They are not the most important thing. When people tell you they are fine, people are right. What matters is that you are oriented and GOOD essays. Trust me, I'm only repeating the same things others are because of personal experience.
Also, I will tell you another truth. Even if you don't get into the college you want, you can still do great. I realized that the college I ended enrolling to is incredible. Yet it's not the college I'd planned to go to. I hadn't even done much research on it. Besides, when you want to write, what mostly matters is what you discover by writing, not what college you go to. ;)
On other notes... I read about Emerson while doing my college research. Nice option!
I understand the stress. I'm going through pretty much the same thing as you. And, my junior year was pretty stressful as well, demanding in every way.
College, too, I'm stressing about. I know WHAT college I would like to go to, it's just one of those expensive ones and I'm not sure if my parents can afford it. Also, I have no idea what I want to major in or anything. I would love to do Creative Writing but everyone tells me it's impractical- spending so much time and money on something so subjective.
I wish you luck, though.
Creative Writing isn't impractical, writers are ALWAYS needed. Who do you think writes movies, tv shows, commercials, sales pitches, computer manuals, billboards and company slogans? Writers.
And thanks.
That's another thing I'm worried about, essays. I HATE writing essays, and I'm worried that my dislike for them will affect the writing.
And you'll be fine in Boston, Chicago is worse. :)
I'll do my best to enjoy it, if I don't die during it. >.< Agonizing is my middle name. But thanks for the vote of confidence! :)
Hey, coincidence! One of my close friends is attending Emerson this year; she's doing the graduate program in publishing, however.
Here's my advice. I've gone through this college application thing twice now -- once for undergrad and now once for grad -- so I have a little experience with it. I was also worrying about it for years before I actually had to apply, too. I was fretting about college in *middle school*. But I really shouldn't have been.
Because choosing a college isn't actually that important. No, seriously. Unless you picked one that really sucks,(which I'm sure you haven't, because I know a lot of the ones on that list and they're all awesome), you'll be fine.
College is less about where you go than what you make of it. You could go to the crappiest college imaginable, but so long as you get awesome grades, make contacts, get involved with campus, and walk out with that diploma, everything will be fine. Thing is, employers don't care where you went to undergrad.
Example: my father went to two prestigious colleges for his bachelor's and master's degrees. Today he is unemployed and just barely surviving financially. My mother, on the other hand, went to the biggest party schools in the USA. (No, I'm not kidding. The school was actually voted that. It's official.) Now her yearly earnings are twice the national average.
So there's no real reason to worry. As long as you work hard, I'm sure whatever school you get into will be an awesome start to your career.
(And last but not least, another friend of mine was a double major in theater arts and English, so it's definitely doable. He had a great time.)
Oh don't worry. I hate writing essays too. Well, hated, eventually I learned to liked them.
Anyway, the point is that you'll do fine in them if you start writing them early. You'll have more time to read over them and fix whatever you have to fix.
As for the weather, God I hope so. :S
Anything under 70 degrees Fahrenheit is cold for me...
Make sure you by coats, and scarves and gloves and such. Boston's cold.
Yes. But there's a plethora of writers. Not all of them get any of those opportunities. :/
And you're welcome.
College apps can be really stressful. I applied to mine in January and got into everywhere I wanted, but I'd recommend doing them earlier, in the fall. If only to save the stress.
I'm currently going to a community college, because of money related issues. The first year of gen ed courses don't really matter, so I'm doing them cheaply.
Everyone worries about college. I'm sure you'll have a great time. :D And if not, you can comfort yourself with the fact that you're not me and so you don't get panic attacks in places you feel confined, like school. D:
College can be frightening because it's so new and different, but I've been there, and it's not as hard as you think it's going to be. High school classes nowadays are pretty similar to college classes in terms of difficulty and workload, so if you're handling your classes fine now, it won't be too difficult in college.
I go to school twenty minutes from my house and come home every weekend, so I can't give you any advice on going to an out-of-state school. I'd say find a club or group you're interested in and join - get yourself out there and you'll make friends, or at least people you know you can sit by in the cafeteria.
And send off your applications early. Although I had my school picked out and knew I could get into it, I procrastinated on the actual paperwork. I was pretty stressed for a while, thinking I'd be too late, or the school wouldn't have room for me. The sooner you get everything sent off, the more peaceful your mind will be.
Hey Shattered! Just read this and can't help but think you are lucky. I have MET (Michigan Education Trust) which pays tuiton for any school in MICHIGAN and half it out of state.
I wanted so many different careers growing up. (Ex Linguist, Paleotologist, Writer, Game Designer, Programmer, Creative Writing, Journalist.....)
As you can see I had many ideas on what I wanted to be. Now I'm planning on 2-4 years of community college (since my high school royally screwed me over in my senior year) before attending MSU (Michigan State University) or U of M (Univeristy of Michigan) both of which have great game design programs and clubs
I enjoy writing a lot and you get used to the essays. I liked to love certain topics they asked about in HS. Then again I was a 'Teacher's Pet' in the fact that I live to learn new things.
Next year in the spring or summer start a FASFA which is basically finiancial aid from the Government that I am pretty damn sure you never have to pay back. Mind you it takes 6 weeks to process.
Okay enough of my ranting. I wish you and everyone a happy and SUCCESSFUL school life.
Thanks. :)
What kind of writing are you interested in? I started writing fiction when I was in 1st grade (well, dictating stories to my mom), and started getting paid for my non-fiction when I was in my 20's.
There are a huge number of people who have gone through exactly the scary experiences you're going through, and I'll bet a lot of them would be happy to give you advice and encouragement. whatever you do, don't let the fear hold you back.
I love writing fiction of all sorts. :) I've written short film scripts, attempted novels and written over 400 short stories and poems in various places. I do a little bit of non-fiction, I founded and edited my 8th Grade class paper and will be the editor of the Literary Magazine this year. :D
Oh wow, look how humble I am.
(Excuse my bragging. >.<)
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