i think i may be totally *****ed

Transfer Students
1

<p>I'm having a bit of a freakout right now and need some advice and perhaps a little reassurance.</p>

<p>I'm 24, and I dropped out of NYU last year after 8 semesters of college (I had a few incompletes that turned into Fs in my senior year due to personal problems, depression, etc - hence the lack of graduation). </p>

<p>I'm living in a different city now, have been working full-time for the last year, and I want to go back to school for something completely different (I was a film major - now I want to complete my degree in biology or biochemistry - always been interests of mine). </p>

<p>Since I dropped out and failed some classes, I don't really have anyone at NYU that will write references for me, so I can only apply to state schools that don't require letters of recommendation. Since my parents paid for 4 years of college, they aren't willing to pay for any more, so I'm on my own. This would be okay, as I'm 24 and am considered "independent" by the government, but I also have bad credit due to some past mistakes. I have no idea how I'm going to afford to go back to school. </p>

<p>I also want to be able to go somewhere that's halfway decent - somewhere where I could actually get into grad school or med school after I finish my bachelor's.</p>

<p>I also am totally freaked out about applying to science programs as a transfer without having taken any lower-level classes. Also, I technically have 8 semesters of college. Even though I have a decent GPA (I'm still above 3.0 with 4 Fs) and good test scores, I'm convinced no one will take me. </p>

<p>Any words of advice? I'm totally bugging out about what to do next.</p>

2

<p>How about starting out at a solid community college? It's cheap, and if you made fabulous grades and other stuff you could apply for a scholarship to graduate from a 4-year.</p>

3

<p>I've thought about that - but would any of those 4-years take me with 100+ NYU credits and then comm. college credits on top of that?</p>

4

<p>Cheer up Violet,</p>

<p>If you want to persue a career in medicine or law; you're in great shape. You have great potential. </p>

<p>1) Experience - You have learned from your mistakes and realize where you're interests and ambitions really exist. 2) Maturity - Being more mature than most other kids of that will be in your pre-med courses, you will be less tempted to let other things in life bother you. As a result, you'll focus more on what's important this time and you will most likely not screw up like before. 3) FAFSA AID. You, being independent and going back to college will allow critical, essential loan grants given to you by the federal goverment. </p>

<p>As a matter of fact, I've personally known people to be even older than you who come back to state schools; do well and go on to medical school. Let me give you examples of how the prevailed.</p>

<p>There was this guy who was 29. He was a high school teacher for several years (nothing that great) and then went back to a state college (colorado), got a biochem with the basic pre-med requirements and received a 4.0 GPA. Older people tend to much better in pre-med/pre-law courses (this is NOT the case for engineering cirriculum for complex reasons...). What did he do other than study? He was in Colorado!! He went rock-climbing all the time and he worked while he was in school. Some times he did small research and sometimes he worked mediocre jobs part-time to support himself. </p>

<p>I would recommend you try and go to a state college. Apply to few state schools and don't be afraid to apply to metro or even good community colleges. After two years of study in the pre-med curriculum; you can transfer anywhere you want (that is...if you can't make it to a state school right now). You can still finish up in 2 years and be on your way to medical school.</p>

<p>A few things to keep in mind:</p>

<p>1) Get a part-time job while studying
2) Major in something relatively painless but still pre-med focused (biochem/bio/etc... - don't major in physics/engineering/math). You could even major in english/history and then take the critical pre-med courses if english is your specialty.
3) Don't be depressed about NYU. It was a bad experience. Now you want a second chance and you've got one. Focus and you can easily make it to med-school.
5) FAFSA!!! This is what's going to enable you to afford college again. Renew your FAFSA App. with all the new details (independent, etc...).</p>

<p>When you do apply to med school, AMCAS will require you turn in ALL your grades. Don't lie to them and pretend like you never went to NYU to cover up those F's. They'll see the dramatic increase in performance/maturity/responsibility (provided you go to college again, do pre-med and do well which you will!!) and that's something they're impressed by.</p>

<p>There are MANY people who go back to college who are MUCH older than you are who continue pre-med studies and end up kicking ass in college because they're more focused the second time around. They also seem to have much more fun and are less stressed out which is understandable due to increased maturity and confidence. </p>

<p>Good luck,
eternity</p>