Non-traditional, parent student... I need help! (Reposted in the right forum)

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hello all. Hopefully you all can help me. I know this is long but I really need some help! I am pretty well versed on selecting schools based on financial aid variables, but it's choosing a school that is right for me that I am having a lot of trouble with. I'm not worried about my stats or chances or whatever because I'm too far from the finish line to really know what my transfer GPA will be, and I never took any HS aptitude tests or anything. I'm a working adult and many years have passed since I got my diploma, so my transfer application will be evaluated differently anyway. I'll give you my background, and hopefully you all can help me. I feel sort of overwhelmed.</p>

<p>I am a 25 (26 in March) y.o. single mother of a 3 year old. I'm currently working on my A.S. in Paralegal Studies and my Associate of Arts degree. I am beginning my search early because I like to have an idea of the direction of my goals, as well as because between work, full-time school, and my son, I need all the time I can get to make sure I make the best decision.</p>

<p>I live in Florida currently, and I despise it here, absolutely detest it, and I'm determined to move up north, closer to my family and where my kind-a weather's at. I'm attending a respected-for-the-Southern-region community college. The states I'm looking in are CT, DC, MA, MD, NY, PA, and VA. What I am looking for is a smaller school (well, I'm accustomed to UF, so really anything less than like, 30,000 students is pretty small for me... UF has about 45,000), but most preferably a liberal arts college or private college that will allow me to develop a close relationship with my professors. A large(r) population is all right as long as my professors are accessible to me. </p>

<p>I understand that at many of these schools, there is not a large sized (or any) peer group for people my age, and that's okay with me. I am more concerned about getting the most for my money and an awesome education, the best I can possibly get. Greek life is totally not my scene, and I'd prefer not to attend a school where there is a lot of partying and such, but that's a plus and not a deal-breaker. Other pluses are good public schools in the area for my son, who will be in elementary school by that time, and safe and quiet surroundings with nature/outdoor-based activities for us to participate in together. Lower costs of living are in-between mandatory and important, as I am a single mom, but if the school is in an expensive area with public transportation that allows me to commute in from a lower-cost-of-living area, that's totally fine (I know Boston is supposed to be crazy-expensive). Schools with part-time options are great but not mandatory. I am not cutthroat or competitive in any way and would prefer an environment where my classmates are supportive and helpful, not ripping pages out of my textbooks or trying to sabotage a research project... that would make me really anxious and stressed. I'm just smart, and driven, and want to make the most of my abilities, not prove how much better I am than everyone else.</p>

<p>I'd like to major in Public Health, Health Science, Allied Health, Human Bio/Bioethics, or some other program with similar focus (NOT Health Administration - I want a strong bio and or chem/pharm core with <em>exploration</em> in the other aspects of health care, such as ethics, economics, law and policy, etc). I am also looking at schools that offer a Student-Designed Major program. It is important that I am not pushed aside or put on the back burner just because I am not a grad student or the professors are too busy with their own research to really put much effort into their teaching. If it matters, my end goal is to get into a top 50 law school and get a dual JD/MPH degree. I'm not really sure how to tell what the quality of undergrad health/science departments are or how these schools will fit with the aforementioned criteria. These are the schools I have looked into thus far, and so if anyone could help me out, or suggest others (and why) I would be most appreciative. Sorry that this is so long, but I really need the help because my education is a huge investment and life-changing experience for not only me, but my son as well.</p>

<p>U Virginia
College of William and Mary
U of Richmond
James Madison U
Swarthmore College
Villanova U
Dickinson College
George Washington U
American U
Johns Hopkins U
U Connecticut
Connecticut College
Boston U
Mt. Holyoke College
Skidmore College
Cornell
NYU (not sure how I feel about NYC... will most likely abandon this one)
Syracuse U
Ithaca College
Rensselaer Polytechnic
U Rochester
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Union College
UMass - Amherst
Northeastern U
Tufts U
Brandeis U</p>

<p>My "absolute" safeties are in-state schools that I have no doubt I could be accepted into: UF, Stetson University, and U of South Florida... if I can't get in anywhere out of state.</p>

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<p>Your need for good public elementary schools likely rules out American University and George Washington University.</p>

3

<p>I think BU and Northeastern have lots of non-traditional students and options for part-time and/or evening classes. Also convenient to public transportation. Cost of living is high in the area though.
Another advantage is the large number of major teaching hospitals in the area for internships and jobs.</p>

4

<p>Look into the Ada Comstock Program at Smith College,</p>

<p>It’s designed specifically for non-traditional women students like you.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.smith.edu/admission/ada.php[/url]”>http://www.smith.edu/admission/ada.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Yeah, I am unsure about raising my son in a huge city like DC. Are there any suburbs with better schools? My mom tells me pretty much point-blank that I won’t like DC, but she can’t explain why: “You’re my daughter, I don’t know, I just know you won’t like it.” The things I’ve heard about the crime there kind of intimidate me.</p>

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<p>Yes, Boston University is supposed to have great health science, and has the #2 health law program in the country. It was originally my top choice, but as I researched Boston I became a bit more unsure. What is the Boston area like? Is the cost of living more affordable in the suburbs? Also, there’s so many suburbs that it’s overwhelming… which ones are the best/safest/access to playgrounds/historical… I wish I lived closer so I could just explore those areas myself. I’m not too big on evening classes, but they are a good option when the other options don’t work, and part-time may end up being a necessity for me, especially in the Boston area where the cost of living is considerably higher than what I’m used to. (Here in East Central FL, a small 1 br apartment in an average/mediocre neighborhood is about $600/mo).</p>

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<p>Coureur - Thank you for making me take a second look at Smith. I wrote them off for not having Public Health or Health Science/Health and Society, etc, but I never even looked at their Biology major, which seems like it would work for me (many bio programs are comprehensive bio… I’m not interested in animals or plants, just humans). That program seems perfect… I will definitely look into Smith more!! Some schools seems almost against students with children or jobs - like if you can’t focus 100% on their classes 100% of the time, you don’t belong at their school.</p>

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<p>Some of the public elementary schools in NW DC are very good. However, most parents either move their kids to private middle schools, or move themselves to the suburbs when middle school rolls around. Commuting to AU and GWU from the suburbs is possible, but would be a nightmare for a single mom.</p>

<p>I second the suggestion of Ada Comstock at Smith. Bryn Mawr has a similar program (McBride), and many other women’s colleges do as well. So pay a visit to [The</a> Women’s College Coalition](<a href=“http://womenscolleges.org/]The”>http://womenscolleges.org/) and read up on some of these options.</p>

<p>If you have a decent job skill, and don’t mind taking a year to establish residency, you could finish up your current programs, and then move to the state where you’d like to finish your degree. Alternately, you could do your best to get hired by one of the places on your list, and then you could complete your bachelor degree part-time as a staff member - possibly even for free. Back when I was a grad student at Cornell, I knew many people who were doing that.</p>