<p>I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet. </p>
<p>I attended the Smeal College of Business of Penn State my freshman and sophomore years of college. After getting caught up in a bad mix of anxiety, depression and drug use, I withdrew from my sophomore year and left school. (I had a 2.7 my freshman year)</p>
<p>I came home, worked, took some time off of school, went to rehab and got back on my feet. I enrolled in community college this past fall without knowing what field interested me or what grades I was capable of achieving. I ended up getting a 4.0 in the fall and I should get another 4.0 this spring. I am planning on retroactively withdrawing from my freshman year at PSU so that the 2.7 won’t weigh my current grades down. I just started looking at articulation agreements that Nassau Community College has with different schools and I was planning on combining that of Hofstra’s b school with Cornell’s CALS program to make up my schedule for next semester. </p>
<p>This is where I need advice. I decided that I want to major in business (finance, business administration, etc.) or economics. Cornell requires that I take biology I and II and they recommend that I take chemistry or physics. I would have no problem taking science classes if I knew I would have a good shot at getting in, but since I don’t think I have that great a chance, I am afraid I will waste my time and credits on courses that will not apply to my major at any other school. Should I scratch the biology and chemistry courses and give up on Cornell or will I be a competitive applicant assuming I can manage a 3.6-3.8 both semesters next year to add to two 4.0s?</p>
<p>After wasting so much money at Penn State, I am looking at either going to a state school (SUNY Binghamton, CUNY Queens, CUNY Baruch) or a school that offers me some sort of merit-based aid like Hofstra or Adelphi (Cornell would be an exception). I would love to consider studying business at University of Southern California, UNC, UVa, UCLA, UC Berkeley or any other top program, but is it realistic to think that a top program might offer me money? What do you think would be a good fit?</p>
<p>Please consider that I am Hispanic when determining what you think my chances are at receiving admission / merit-based aid. I do not qualify for financial aid. </p>
<p>So much for short and sweet. I haven’t slept in over 24 hours so I apologize for the lack of sharpness in this post. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any insight you may be able to provide.</p>