College Crisis, please help, its wrecking my brain.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>I am considering applying as a Public Policy Major. I guess, to clarify, I want to be a PP major and do pre-med. I hope it is applicable to apply with the following info. Other than my ECs, grades, and everything else, this is the ONLY thing bothering me:</p>

<p>As for my current plans, I just graduated from high school. I went to a pretty good boarding high school, but I only took the basic sciences for the first three years. At my school, we were only limited to taking 5 classes a year, but I did not take any AP Science courses. I wanted to pursue AP Latin and Dance in my senior year, and since AP science is double-period (taking twice the amount of time as a normal course), I had some course issues. I have, however, taken the basic sciences -bio,chem, physics during freshman, soph, and junior years.
-I am actually submitting reccs from my latin teacher and dance teacher (dance supplement).</p>

<p>Thus I decided that I was going to take my year off right now to go to India, my birthplace, where I had not actually been there in over 10 years.. and do several things:</p>

<p>1.) Volunteer in a hospital everyday (3 hours)
2.) Take 3 science classes at a biomedical science college.. particularly AP bio, physics C, and chemistry. (4 hours)
3.) On part-time do reserach with a professor. This is where I may plan on submitting the paper. My fear is that my one year of science may not produce anything spectacular, but I still would like to submit something. (two days a week)</p>

<p>I feel anxiety and concern that Duke may see that I did not take any AP science classes in high school and that I am racking up all these classes in my year off. This is my biggest concern. Usually, people who take gap years do something unique- intern at NY Times, or do a heavy work of community service- but not academic work.</p>

<p>Overall, this year off will help me serve to connect both academically in learning a solid science background and also personally as these expereriences of community service will be things that I have not experienced before. Community service is definitely my biggest EC with experiences ranging from both local to international. In addition, I have held leadership positions in many other clubs. So I want to come off that beyond academic, my other work in India which occupies my time is of great desire and that its definetely a quality I would like to bring to the college atmosphere.</p>

<p>Thus, I am struggling with how to come off to Duke to really understand why I am taking this year off instead of the attitude from adcoms, "Well, why didn't he just take those courses in high school."</p>

<p>Now, my concern is that, I am taking these classes in preparation for science in college, or premed. When I apply as a major, I do not wish to put a major such as "biology" because I think that it may draw too much attention on the issue of why I took the gap year in the first place.</p>

<p>If I put science major, then the thought will arise as to why im racking up science in a year, an impression I do not wish to give. I rather want adcoms to see me using this time to build up my science knowledge and for the learning enrichment.</p>

<p>What is also really important is that, I want colleges to recognize that I am taking these AP science courses in Bio, Chem, and Physics- because ultimately I will take the AP exams on May 2006, but I also want them to acknowledge these AP courses in the sense that it is for my own learning not just a kid who is using this gap year for more college credits. In addition, I do not even plan on transferring these college credits to any US university, but rather, it is only for my learning pleasure.</p>

<p>One important thing- I do not plan on majoring in a science, but still do the pre-med track.</p>

<p>-If i say classics major- I have an excellent recc from my latin teacher- the classics and premed perhaps is a unique blend.
-If I say PP major, my community service experiences are what will truly define my character and my overall academic background.</p>

<p>Thus, I really want to come off to adcoms that my year has been productive, but yet, I fear that attitude of adcoms about why I am taking these courses in my year off in the first place. So any inputs on how to resolve this issue would really help me. As I have to make a report on what I have done, I need to come off with my best foot forward.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot. I really appreciate any thoughts.</p>

2

<p>First off, Duke is a great choice for public policy and pre-med. There's also a certificate program in health policy that might interest you. </p>

<p>Don't worry about "racking up" sciences. I took IB Biology, IB Chemistry, and AP Physics C all in my senior year, which didn't hurt me at all (I applied as a biology major, but not pre-med). People take gap years for many reasons-often enough, working to raise money for college. Also, a year of classes/research should be more than enough to produce an outstanding research paper. </p>

<p>Classics and pre-med is not exactly a unique mix (most classics majors go into medicine or law), so apply as a public policy major if that's what you want to do-I doubt your choice of major will matter too much. </p>

<p>One more word of advice: Duke does not offer a "classics major" per se. They offer a classical civilization major and a classical languages major (both of which are very strong, by the way). If you want to use your Latin experience in your application, you probably want the classical languages major.</p>

3

<p>thanks a lot, perhaps PP major sounds like the right path to go while also doing Pre-med. Maybe, I will change into a classics major.</p>

<p>But I guess, do you think I justify my reasons to take a gap year based on what you see above or will it strike concern for adcoms?</p>

4

<p>any other thoughts?</p>

5

<p>other thoughts?</p>

6

<p>You're posting this SAME message in more than one place. What's your assurance that you'll even get into Duke after your gap year? What does the counselor at the prep school advise you to do?</p>

7

<p>Token, he's a troll with many stories on many boards.</p>

8

<p>ok..........</p>

9

<p>ok........................</p>