Because you could go to schools out of state - the equivalent of a Va Tech - for $20,000, $30000, $40,000 - but you have some on the list at $85K+.
The questions are:
What can they afford (i.e. will you qualify for aid)
And then more importantly
What do they want to afford?
Many full pay families, including mine, can afford anything but set a hard number to question 2.
Don’t say flexible - that doesn’t mean much.
The flagship programs are your best bet for language and the Critical Language Scholarship is something else that is worth looking into later.
I do think the lack of tenure is an issue with most on your list- with lots that you list likely not a lot of activity/engagement - so it will be up to you to show that maybe they had.
Wow that’s awesome! I got interested in Russian primarily because of my teacher. When I was in middle school he came to my class and tried to inspire us to join the curriculum and I thought he was really funny so why not lol. I’ve had so much fun in his class, and I’ve just become super excited to learn Russian, which was really refreshing after being required to take Spanish for 9 years. Recently, I’ve got into Russian fiction, which has also sparked my interest even more.
Not sure how I’m going to package it, but since its a touchy subject I think I’ll emphasize that I’m really more a fan of their culture, history, and language and less of their politics.
Yeah, I’m kind of making a story with my ECs in my personal statement essay and I think it’s going well so far. I’ve talked to my parents about cost, and we have it figured out, just don’t really want to talk about it here.
It’s not touchy. We need people who understand other cultures and languages, whether they are our friends or otherwise.
The issue is finding a school with the curriculum to make it happen - which is why I like the flagship programs. Many schools will have a couple years but not full offerings for later on. My daughter has this at her school with Chinese - it’s in the catalogue but the classes not available. So you want to check not just the offerings of Russian 3rd year etc. but to see if the school actually offers it.
While I certainly agree with the usefulness of learning languages, Russian studies is going through something of a reckoning these days. It is touchy, especially as language and culture are so closely intertwined, and because language has been at the center of war rhetoric (one of Putin’s early justifications for the war was to protect Russian-speakers). You may agree or disagree, but as someone very closely connected with the field, I can assure you that many departments have struggled a bit in redefining both their purpose and, perhaps more importantly, HOW they teach Russian language and culture.
Also, if you don’t mind answering this which of my targets or reach schools could you see me getting into potentially? You seem to know a lot about this and if you’re able to make an estimate I would be interested in that
Sure, we need them more than ever. That’s another interesting thing. For YEARS many of us argued how important language and culture experts are, as these departments continued to lose funding and in some cases close entirely. But we are in fact seeing their importance right now. Yes, we absolutely need experts. But that’s where I think the OP - and other aspiring Russianists and Slavists - need to carefully consider how their describe their interest and goals. It needs to be done with sensitivity as well as demonstrated awareness of the implications of Russian studies in the 21st century.
There are some strong programs there. Chapel Hill used to have an excellent program - although I don’t know the current situation. As a Californian and UC alum, I can say UCLA has a great program. Indiana is also really strong in Slavic.
I think for a student who already has some background in the language, it would be a good idea to look at the course catalog, as others have suggested, to ensure that appropriate classes are offered.
[I have a S majoring in Russian language and literature (as part of a double Major) and when I’m asked by friends and family what he’s studying I often get raised eyebrows or flat out direct question as to why given the world circumstances.
Most, if not all, nod their heads when I then explain the importance of having a critical language such as Russian be learned by US students for govt security among other reasons, but it takes some explaining before their baffled faces become relaxed and their heads then nod.]
Your achievement in Russian will be of interest to admissions committees. You probably already know that you can major in anything, including Slavic languages, and do your premed prereqs too, and go to med school. The Slavic languages major will be of interest to med school admissions committees, too.
You should look into gov’t funded summer Russian study. You’re an excellent candidate for US gov’t funded high school Russian summer and gap year study programs. You need to apply to colleges that have graduate level Slavic language programs, because you’re likely to be at the level by junior year, I think, sooner if you are able to do a US funded gap year program in a Russian speaking former satellite country.
When I read “interest in pre-med” the first thing that I think of is “you need to budget for a full eight years”, with the understanding that the last four of these will be expensive (likely $100,000+ per year by the time that you get there). I understand that most people who start university thinking “premed” change their mind or do not get accepted to medical school and end up doing something else. However, if you are interested in premed then you do not want to choose an undergraduate school that is going to deplete your savings to the point that medical school is impractical due to the cost. You need to minimize debt as much as you can for the full 8 years.
The next thing that comes up is that there are a lot of universities that are very good for premed (including everything on your list). Thus you can focus on other issues, such as budget and the quality of their Russian program.
Generally the ability to speak multiple languages is valuable for professionals working in health care, including doctors.
In terms of Russian being controversial, to me this is largely because of events of the last 16 months. I expect these will be over (but not forgotten) long before you get a bachelor’s degree, and hopefully before you even start university. I do also see the critical importance of having people in the government who understand other countries very well, particularly major countries including Russia. We need to know our enemies very well, and sometimes enemies become friends over time.
In terms of your list of schools, you do have a lot of reaches. I do wonder why UC San Diego would be worth full pay out of state compared to your excellent public universities in Virginia. BU and NEU would have been full pay for us with a very similar unweighted GPA but lower SAT, and it was doubtful to us that they were worth full pay to us (my daughter went elsewhere with merit aid and did well). You might want to think about whether to trim your list of reaches and out of state schools based on both fit and cost.
Well none of us are AOs - and what I share is simply my opinion - I think you should re-look at your list and include language flagships such as IU, UGA, and Wisconsin - if you do in fact study Russian. You say Russian and/or Chem.
I gave you up top what I thought - in at Pitt, Penn State and likely Va Tech. If you added UGA and Wisconsin, both would likely be high target/low reach. Indiana would be a safety.
Maybe W&M because you are in state but I don’t see you getting into any other.
Doesn’t mean I’m right.
I just don’t like your inability to develop any tenure or impact in any EC.
For admissions purposes, AOs are looking for intellectual curiosity in candidates. Whether Russian - or Latin, or Japanese, or Geology, etc, helps an application depends on the priorities of the school. If they have departments, they need students who will take classes. If they get lots of applications from students with those interests, it will help you less.
As for your interest, you are best presenting it in terms of how your interest evolved. If it started through a connection with a person or community, you can highlight how learning a language opened their world to you, increased understanding, etc. If you loved the literature and want to read it in its original language, that’s fine. If you are trying to better understand the politics of the area and want more historical context, that’s fine. But what’s important is that the essay be about you – how you pursue your interests and how it makes you the person you are. There’s nothing touchy about that. Remember that the essays are the place in your application to show who you are as a person.
Years ago I had a tough assignment to hire an analyst for my company’s compliance department. The spec was about one paragraph (they are typically two pages) and it basically stated “Fluency in Russian”.
This was well before KYC (Know Your Customer) and the various financial penalties were implemented on US financial institutions, and well before the era of the oligarch’s merrily financing world terror (some against the United States) let alone the government of Russia.
Fluency in Russian (and obviously other skills- strong writing skills, the ability to analyze data, knowledge of world history and geopolitics) is a highly prized skill in many types of businesses right now. The current era of sanctions will end but something else will replace it, and the ability to understand blog posts, encrypted communications, chat rooms, text messages etc. will be critical for the global energy, agriculture, infrastructure, etc. industries.
Don’t apologize for your interests in Russian. There are WAY too many young kids graduating from college with a “passionate interest in global affairs” who speak one language- English- and assume that will carry them wherever they want to go. Sure- go negotiate a contract in Amsterdam, where the person on the other side of the table will speak and write better English than you do. But there are dozens of strategically important places around the world where being three steps ahead of the official translator will be your secret sauce.
You probably already know about this program, but if not:
The State Dept considers Russian to be a language of strategic importance to the US. I wouldn’t weigh the opinion that it is suspect too heavily.
ETA one of my sons did this program (for a different language) between high school and college. While it didn’t help him with college admissions, it was helpful when he was graduating college and looking for a job. (A job totally unrelated to languages). It set him apart from other applicants.