Hi, I needed some advice for my decisions when it comes to college. I currently live in NYC and there isn’t any colleges with an animal/equine science major within my state. I was accepted to DelVal, the University of New Hampshire, Becker College, and Cobleskill. Let me start off by saying that I’m very anxious and scared of going to a school out of state. I’ve never been away from my pets and my family, we have a very close knit family. I received a scholarship for all of the schools except UNH. I have horrible social anxiety and it often destroys any prospects I’d like to have in the future. One of my pets offers a lot of emotional support for me but I will be unable to bring her unless I rent out an apartment near the school, which is obviously equally as terrifying because I’ll have to find a way to get to school on time in an area that’s not familiar to me and I’d have to get used to living by myself. I’m afraid it’s going to take an enormous toll on my mental health as well. I am going to list some pros and cons for each school and I’m hoping someone can suggest some ideas for me so thank you in advance.
UNH is my top choice, I like the majors and the gen ed requirements for this school. The only cons are the school is about 5 hours away from home, the snow might be an issue, and I am unsure of how the capstone requirement works. According to an email I sent out, I was told that “completing a senior thesis is required for all Honors students but completed by many other students who engage in research/independent projects)” but when I had watched a video entailing all the details of the college, they said the capstone requirement is required for all students. Another issue would be housing, I’ve heard that the dorms are insanely tiny, expensive and that it’s hard to get any sleep at night due to the fact that it’s somewhat of a party school. If I were to dorm there I’d probably get a single room but as I’ve said, I’d rather take my cat along with me but that’s not allowed so I would have to find some off campus housing. The other issue is the size of the campus, I’m unsure of how I’d be able to get from an apartment to the campus and two, I’m worried about the sheer size of it because as I said I wouldn’t know how to get from point A. To point B. I was never able to visit the school due to this whole pandemic.
Delval seems like an amazing school, it’s very close to home, and I got a scholarship for it. The cons for this school are the general ed requirements and the E360 requirements which makes me feel a bit uneasy. I’ve already taken a gap year off due to family issues and I’d like to graduate as soon as possible without having to take a multitude of courses that aren’t related to my major such as speech classes. Also, I applied to this school with an equine science major but I received a letter in the mail telling me that I had to take a video of myself riding as an requirement. All the stables in NYC are closed due to this pandemic and I missed the deadline due to this as well.
I received a scholarship for Becker but I’ve heard that it’s a bad school and if anyone has any other things to say about this school, please do let me know.
I received a scholarship for Cobleskill as well which is close to home but as I’ve said I’m very unsure of this school as well.
I’m sorry if this is all over the place and if it sounds a bit pathetic and/or if I sound very picky. I’d like to be close to home, have nice options when it comes to dorms or apartments, and have a program that suits me. I am also concerned about the pandemic and I don’t know if I should pay for housing with the whole quarantine issue. Any information/advice regarding the schools or the animal science major for any of these schools would be very helpful! I apologize in advance if I’ve made any grammatical mistakes.
Hi–I was going to suggest taking a gap year and allowing the pandemic to work itself out during that time, and allowing yourself to continue to grow and change. However it sounds like you’ve done a gap year and are ready to get through your college career quickly. IMHO no one knows what will happen with the pandemic, whether colleges will open in the fall or not. If you were my child I’d suggest taking another gap semester or year after paying deposit to hold a place. Colleges are pretty hungry for students because many people are considering this approach and that gives you power to negotiate with the school to get the time you may need and want. During gap time, you might want to get used to being away from your family by for example doing an SCA internship https://www.thesca.org/ or WWOOFing or something similar that takes you away for short periods of time and might also involve animals.
Hi, I have no experience with animal science, sorry.
Delval seems like it has most of what you want: You think its amazing, it is close to home and you got a scholarship. I think you could get around that equine major riding video, surely. Have you communicated with an Admissions Officer about your inability (completely understandable) to complete the video? That seems like an easy obstacle to overcome. I don’t know that I would let GenEd requirements be a big factor, I believe that college is a great opportunity to explore some different areas and broaden horizons (but that is just me, you seem to have a very clear vision for your career). But it might not be as bad as you think and speech for example is helpful in life and any career.
I think you are wise to realize that living off campus might be a lot to handle for you. It’s all doable, finding your way around and getting to class (shuttles, buses, walk or bike), but for an unsure freshman, just adds difficulty, and also some isolation. Also, if you choose on campus housing, then you won’t be paying for it if school is online, unlike off campus apartments which will expect you to sign a year lease and pay whether school is open on campus or not.
Here’s a parent’s perspective. Seems like your social anxiety is an issue that will affect all aspects of your college experience.
Are you actively working with a counselor? Seeing a doctor and trying medications? Taking baby steps to get out of your comfort zone?
Going away to college is an adjustment for every student, but it seems that your situation may be more severe. I encourage you to discuss with your parents and get help now so that you can better function at college.
Many doctors and counselors are now offering telehealth appointments, so you can get help without going in to an office.
I too think that Del Val lines up best with your interests. It’s small, which should make it easier to get around. From what I read, the E360 requirement seems to be related to the “farm” curriculum, so I think you should be able to do well with it. I’ve been to UNH and I agree that it is a very big campus which could present challenges to get around.
Social anxiety problems are pretty common today and are talked about openly as you are doing. Have you consulted with someone knowledgeable about these challenges or sought a support group? With 3 months before the start of school, some short term counseling could prove helpful to getting ready for college. I also think that taking several trips to the college of your choice in advance would reduce anxiety associated with the start of school. Perhaps someone from the school or a student could give you a personalized tour. That doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request.
One thing I’m confused about is how you can live close to both Cobleskill and Del Val since they’re more than 4 hours apart? Are you half way in between? Do you think of a couple of hours away as close? Just curious.
Good luck