Yes, that’s what I’m hoping to do. Journalism and another, useful major.
Stats is very useful
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I think so too. My brother did that, and then he’s going to do his residency and fellowship. He won’t get out of school for nearly a decade.
If worst comes to worst, then that’s going to be my argument. I’m trying to dispel the notion of me going to med school in the first place. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try to choose something that satisfies both parties.
You don’t need to dispel it - so pick the major, go pre med, take the classes.
The likelihood of you getting in anyway isn’t great.
Or move out - seriously - get a job for a year or two and go on your own. Easier said than done but - this is no way to live.
I’m not sure why you feel the need to do this. It’s just going to create a scene. Major in something and really anything can be premed. Just take the required courses for med school as needed.
Be done with this convincing thing. It’s not necessary.
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I really don’t want to take the classes, that’s the thing. I want my undergrad years to be enjoyable.
It’s real complicated. I can’t move out just yet. In the future, maybe.
The best way to convince them that you aren’t cut out for medicine is just to stop talking about it. You want to go to law school! And then senior year- your pre-law counselor insists that you take two years off to work and get more experience to make a better law school candidate. And by then you are living on your own somewhere, working as a journalist (and bar tending on the weekends to help pay rent) and nobody needs to worry about you…
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I totally agree with @blossom (who I’m sure meant to reply not to me but to the thread in general).
Stop talking about majors with your parents!
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Your parents undoubtedly love you and want nothing but the best for you. They may have pre conceived beliefs that are based on traditions or experiences that are outdated but they remain your greatest advocates!
None of us know the entirety of your family circumstances but children and parents having opinions that are sometimes at odds is part of growing up.
You should not be considering leaving your family because they love you. Work to find a solution but moving out at this point in your life should not be an option.
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This is a long thread and I haven’t been able to read all the posts, so my apologies if this has already been discussed.
I assume your parents are forcing your choices because they’re paying and therefore want to dictate what you do?
If instead, you get yourself a full ride somewhere, you could go do whatever you want?
p.s. I agree - cutting ties with your family at this age is not a good idea.
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Please…get your bachelors degree. You have the rest of your life after that to move out. The key for you is to get your degree.
Agree with others…cutting ties with your family is short sighted.
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I’m with Thumper. Short sighted and totally unnecessary. They want you to go to college. So do you! They want you to have a fulfilling career. So do you! And it is WAY too early to worry about law school, future jobs, etc.
Do what you have to do to keep law school front and center in the dialogue, since there is no major called “pre-law”, and find a college which is affordable, won’t use up four hours a day in commuting time, and then figure out the rest.
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The comment was made because every suggestion given to OP, there is a - but the parents control everything.
Until that is addressed - and the student needs to address it - there’s really nothing else to discuss.
No matter what anyone says - it seems to come back to strong armed parents.
In the end, the student will register for classes. The parent isn’t doing that.
There are many ways around this situation - but it’s another where - the student is saying - but it won’t work.
Only reason I suggested that - and I noted it’s not realistic.
Agree the less said about majors now, the better. Your parents have their priorities and concerns and today it just doesn’t matter that they don’t know or don’t care about other opportunities available in other majors.
And law profession and others are predicted to decline bc of AI. Your parents could make all kinds of arguments against you.
Just call a truce and revisit in spring, and in meantime keep working hard and grow in maturity so your parents will gain confidence in your judgement.
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Let’s get back to the subject of this thread…NYU.
I honestly don’t think this is realistic in terms of cost and commuting time, but that’s my opinion. There are many other options in NJ where this student won’t have to commute a long time every day…and where she can get a great education at an affordable price…and then move on from there.
I honestly do not see a benefit in spending hours on a commute everyday when there are other options.
Premed and prelaw (since they aren’t really majors at most colleges) can be studied…anywhere. And really, any major works.
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Bigger issuse is to ask parents to listen and consider your ideas.
And vice versa, bc your parents may feel disrespected if you tell them a bunch of outsiders on the internet oppose them.
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Ok, it looks like you cannot go to Rutgers because if you do, your parents will expect you to do the 6 year pharmacy program (BS/BA + Pharmscy).
Will they allow you to go to Rutgers if you tell them that you are pre law (with no mention of major’?
What about Central Michigan? Would they accept you telling them that you are “pre law?”
Sorry for these questions. I am trying to understand better. Once you graduate you can do what you want, so I agree that for now you just need to get the college degree.
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Hello everyone. I’m just going to reply to all because many of you are saying similar things.
First, I never planned on moving out because it just isn’t possible for me to do so. Not only would it probably crush them and they wouldn’t talk to me for the rest of my life, I don’t have any provisions for living by myself, unless I were to dorm, which my parents adamantly oppose and would 99% say no to. Unless circumstances change drastically, I’m sticking to commuting.
Not mentioning anything to my parents won’t work, either. They’ll just take my silence as an OK to proceed with their med plans for me. I need to hammer in their heads what I want, tell them my plans, my goals, etc., anything I’m willing to negotiate for them to relent even a little bit. Sitting back will not help, it will do the opposite.
Of course I will listen to their opinions- they’re my parents. I’m more worried they won’t listen to mine. They never take me seriously when I tell them I want to go into journalism. Even if it’s a dying job, the world will still need journalists for the foreseeable future. I could always go after other high-paying fields in the future.
As for going to Rutgers, there’s no way I can do anything other than Pharmacy if I go there. Besides, after visiting the campus a few times, I know the college is not right for me. Nothing about it interests me, except maybe for it’s vast and diverse population, but the cons outweigh the pros.
I haven’t even broached the subject of Central Michigan with my parents yet, I was just thinking about applying because my brother goes to med school there. If I were to predict their responses, they would probably want me to do something healthcare-related if I do go there, but since I’ll have to dorm, I wouldn’t mind it as much since I’d have more freedom in choosing courses, getting internships, etc. Most likely I wouldn’t even enroll there because they don’t like any of us dorming- my brother’s the only one, and that’s just because he has to.
Also, in regards to NYU, I’ve changed my outlook a little. It’s still my top college choice, but I realize it might be impractical due to expenses and such. Hopefully I’ll be able to negotiate a beneficial deal for both me and my parents- for example, going to a college they approve of and doing a Humanities-related major. Right now, I’m just focusing on making my senior year as productive as possible and working out the technicalities of the application process.
In addition, I’d like to make a few changes to my information, if that changes anything. My unweighted GPA is actually 3.97 at the moment, not 4.0, and my weighted is 4.64, not 4.63. Should I get all As this year (likely since in my entire high school I’ve only received one B+, and I’m not taking Honors or AP Science senior year, which is difficult for me), my weighted will go from 4.64 to 4.71, and my unweighted will be ~3.98. I’m still hunting for jobs (tutoring, library, etc.) and until I find one, I can’t add it to my credentials. And the acceptance rate for NYU last year was actually 8%, not 12.8%. It went down a lot.
I wanted to ask for advice on some key issues. I only took the SAT once and never took the ACT (I got a 1530 on the SAT), and I was wondering whether I should apply for the SAT again and/or the ACT. Would the cost and time be worth it? I heard most students take the SAT twice, and the average score for those admitted to NYU for Class of 2027 was 1540. Also, how many LORs should I get from teachers? I asked for three so far, should I ask for one from another teacher just in case? And finally, does being fluent in multiple languages really help my chances for selective colleges? In addition to Arabic, Spanish, and Mandarin, I’ve dabbled in German and Italian and am learning to speak Turkish for a family trip in a couple months. Does that do anything, or do I have to take an extra step like translate stuff, make a website, etc. for it to count for anything?
Sorry for the long post, and thank you all for your valuable inputs!
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I think your fluency in multiple languages is something well worth mentioning on your application. There are not that many folks who are fluent in the languages you have listed. I think that IS a plus for you.
Good luck with your discussions. It does sound like a college within a reasonable commute of your home is the only choice…so make a list of those…and figure out what you think is a reasonable commute.
I think you have some decent options nearby…so start there.
Thank you for the nice and entailed response!
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But do you think I could be doing other things that prove my fascination with languages? I’m working to form a World Language Club at my school, is that enough? Should I work at a translation company, or tutor or something? Are there any organizations I could join? Is it too late to think about any of this, since I’m already a Senior?
One problem with that is that any colleges near me are either Safety or Reaches. Not that I would mind going to a Safety school, but I’d like a few Target options since they’re supposed to be the bulk of my college list. NYU is listed as a hard target, but that’s really it. Lots of Safeties and Reaches in my list.