@tutumom2001 How can I do that?
@bodangles Idk but it is worth a try.
I don’t know if it is, though. You mentioned astronomy and astrophysics in the past; assuming that’s still your plan, here are the Entrance to Major requirements and links to four-year academic plans:
http://astro.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/astronomy-and-astrophysics-major
You’ll be taking (at a minimum) calculus 1-3, differential equations, gen chem 1-2, and extensive amounts of physics. These aren’t easy classes. They require time and effort. And you need to pass them or you won’t get into the major.
Edited to add: if you’re interested in a different major now, you can find the recommended academic plan from https://dus.psu.edu/recommended-academic-plans . I’d still be wary of taking on two jobs regardless of what the major is, personally.
If you are attending college full time, it is reasonable for you to work 10-12 hours a week…maybe…maybe 15. So let’s say you earned $10 an hour…you could earn $150 a week…but you would not be taking home $150 a week.
In addition, there will be times when you won’t want to be working that much…like during exams.
It is realistically a commuter campus even now by the look of it? What do you think you are going to get out of living at such a school? 20 mins commute to live at home for free is a no brainer. Your stats are 780/3.4? And Undergrad studies? I really think that paying to dorm is a huge waste of your parents money.
@Andrew2018 go to the grocery store with a pad and a pen. Write down the price of everything you eat. Or go over the grocery receipts with your parents. In my house, only one person drinks coffee so they get all of the coffee credits, my youngest daughter is a candy freak, my oldest eats bizarre healthy stuff, I’m a sucker for ice cream, we all eat different breakfasts and lunches, but we all eat equal portions of whatever we eat for dinner so I can divide the costs of spaghetti, hamburgers, etc.
Every parent handles things differently. My neighbor kids both went to local schools. In both instances the parents did not allow them to take the car, dropped them off in August and said “see you at Thanksgiving.” And they where serious. Neither kid came home during the year, for laundry, a meal, home sick – nothing, nada. That was their trade off for staying so close to home.
@bodangles I was interested in it a while ago,but not really anymore.
@thumper1 I could take days off,if I found myself with enough time to do so.
@Sybylla First off, do not even go there,I will do what I want to do. I want to make friends, and be part of the study groups because I want to make every year a great one. Lastly,obviously you have not been on the Penn State threads recently,because I posted that I got an 860 on the SAT w/ Essay and my GPA is a 87.37 out of 100.
@yourmomma I honestly would be happy if my parents were to do that,but I know they won’t. The reason being is because I would get tired of coming home every single weekend,because they usually treat me like a child when I am here,but I am a legal adult/
Maybe. Some employers will be less than enthusiastic about giving a part time worker days off. YMMV as they say.
@thumper1 What is YMMV
Your Mileage May Vary
An issue is that Brandywine IS a commuter campus and there wasn’t a single dorm there till this year - the one dorm is just opening. So, it’s hard to justify not commuting when you chose a school that isn’t residential. Have you been admitted to any residential college (Elizabethtown, Juniata, Albright, Arcardia, any PASSHE…?) Another campus than Brandywine? What if you asked to switch to another branch that is more residential, such as Harrisburg, would your parents agree?
In any case, time to get a job and save. You need to start right now and save everything if you want to have a shot at paying for room/board. You’re on break so you can start trying to work 40h+, then when school opens again work 15-20hours (it’s MUCH, MUCH easier to do as a second semester senior than it’ll be in college). As a first semester freshman you can probably work up to 10 hours without affecting your grades too much if you’re good with time management, moving to 12 hours in the Spring and working two jobs in the summer. Start looking for these jobs because they’re not easy to find.
@MYOS1634 No my parents will not agree to let me switch to another residential branch. The only “residential” college that I have been accepted into was Immaculata University.
@Andrew2018 You could commute the first year or two. save money and then look for an apartment. Cheaper to make your own food anyway.
Have you applied to any residential college beside Immaculata?
(I agree that Brandywine is better than Immaculata).
If your choice is dorm at a residential college (such as Elizabethtown or Lebanon Valley) or commute to Brandywine which would you prefer?
It’ll be difficult to argue about office hours in the dorms etc, since those don’t exist.
However you can look up everything about Orchard Hall and see whether that can show your parents your goal isn’t to party away their hard-earned money, but study better (as living on campus can mean). You must also show initiative and responsibility to prove to them you can handle living on your own: waking early on your own, doing your own laundry, handling your part time job and your homework without any grade slippage, keeping your nose clean at school…
I’m sure the student paper will have info and articles about it. I also found
http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Penn-State-Brandywine-Debuts-First-Residence-Hall/
However, remember that only 250 students will be living there, both freshmen and upper level students, out of 1,700+students.
@gearmom I probably should however I do not really want to if I can avoid it. I can always bring food with me to make, so I will not worry about that part quite yet.
@MYOS1634 I have applied to UPitt,Saint Joseph’s University,Temple University,and Hofstra University. Hofstra already denied me. Out of both of those options, I would choose to commute to Penn State Brandywine,however it would definitely not be my first choice. I would hope my parents know by now that I am not a big partier.
You still have time to apply to a few colleges (Juniata, Susquehanna, Elizabethtown, and Ursinus are low reaches as long as you apply test optional - out of reach if you send your test scores-, Lebanon Valley, Lycoming, and Arcadia are good matches). You can try and see what happens there.
TO convince your parents it’s going to be very important to demonstrate what you’re able to do: find a job and keep it, wake up on your own, do your own laundry, etc.
While living on campus during frosh year can be advantageous in many situations, it may not be so in your case:
a. Seems like the cost is a significant issue with living on campus.
b. PSU Brandywine is largely a commuter campus, so the advantages of living on campus are likely to be less there if your commuting situation is not difficult.
How it being only around 20 minutes commute a reason for dorm?
The sentence would be more correct, at least grammatically, if it was “since it is only around 20 minutes from my house, I would like to commute.”
Sounds as if you are begging it so that you can have party and a girlfriend. Not saying that you do. But your explanation sounds like it.
You don’t become “independent” by asking your parents to pay you to live separately so that you can enjoy more social life. You become independent by acting like a responsible adult. Your parents are not paying for your college for you to have a better social life. The correct word you should use is “carefree” and not “independent.”
Really “independent” kids I know would voluntarily choose to commute from home even if it the college is mostly residential because they consider family finance as if they are adult members. Even if the parents can afford it, there might be better things to buy.
Probably they want you to focus on studying so your life won’t be ruined.
Since it is a commute college, you won’t miss the meetings because of 20 minutes commute. The only thing you could miss is inviting them to your parents paid residence for party.
Based on your expressed “wishes,” I would be concerned what you are hoping to make from your college experience, and therefore insist at least the first year to be commute and see how it goes.
Sounds like a wise decision at this point.
@SculptorDad Stop belittling me over the tiniest things, I am a legal adult and can make decisions for myself,what I want to do. I DO NOT NEED you dictating my grammar, since you cannot even write it perfectly. I meant that I want to be more independent in the sense,that I do not rely upon my parents for everything.Why would they worry about me focusing studying,when I can live in the dorms and study in a group setting. I actually do hope to get multiple clubs started,not including the ones that they already have,that I will most likely join. The meetings could occasionally overlap, which is why it will be easier to get to both,if there is more than one scheduled for the same time.