Thoughts from a college senior at a safetry school...

Parents Forum
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<p>I posted this a while back on student boards, but figured it might fit her as well. All of this, of course, may--and probably well--vary from significantly from person to person and school to school.</p>

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I'm a rising college senior, gearing up for the application process to grad school--which is a much more grueling and uncertain process than the undergraduate application process (yes, such a thing exists!). My family's middle class-ish and had an EFC in the "painful but doable" range (about half the cost of most private universities). I was a pretty strong high school student (4.0 UW GPA, 12 APs, top 2%, 33 ACT, strong and consistent EC's [nothing national, though], strong--I'm assuming-- recs, etc), but I choose to apply solely to schools where I would have a strong chance at solid merit aid (it was the year before HYPS implemented their generous FA policies, though I doubt I would have gotten into those schools). I applied to 7 schools, all out of state, was admitted with merit aid to all, and got good merit offers from 4 schools, with 2 of the 4 being exceptional.</p>

<p>I wondered, especially that summer, if I had made the "right" choice. How would I fit in at this school? Would I be surrounded only by partiers and drunkards? Would I be bored? Isolated? Unhappy? The answers, so far are: no, no, no, and mostly no.</p>

<p>Below is some advice, both things I've done and things I only wish I did:</p>

<p>-Overload. One of the things I love about my school is that we have extremely high credit caps (21 per semester, 25 with permission from your advisor) with no additional tuition charge. I've taken up to 24 credits a semester and have never taken below 19 so far. It's certainly kept me busy, allowed me to switch majors, double major, minor, and complete my school's honors program in what will likely be four years.</p>

<p>-Some classes will be hard. Unless you're a chemistry genius, for example, expect Chem (and other classes, depending on the school) to be hard at any school, even if it's "just a safety." I have a solid GPA (3.78), but it's not a 4.0.</p>

<p>-Take advantage of AP credits! I came in with more than two years worth of AP credits, which fulfilled most of my general education requirements. Without this, I probably couldn't have fit in a double major and a minor.</p>

<p>-Don't stereotype the other students. I've met people, some of whom are far smarter than me, at school--and some of them aren't even in the honors program. Going to your safety school doesn't mean they aren't brilliant, awesome people.</p>

<p>-Get to know grad students. Chances are that you will, if you're involved in research. They can be great resources and even great friends.</p>

<p>-Go Greek. I realize that this is very school-dependent, but honestly, some of the smartest, most ambitious, most hard-working, and most talented people I've ever met have been my sorority sisters. They're also some of my best friends. And I've never felt pressured by my sorority to drink, even though most of my sisters do.</p>

<p>-You don't have to go to parties to meet people, if you don't want to. I meet people through volunteer clubs, classes, my research job, and, of course, the Greek system, just to name a few.</p>

<p>-If you're a top student, let it work for you. You may have slightly more leverage in securing research, teaching, and/or internship positions at your school. Don't slack off.</p>

<p>-Look for teaching opportunities. Through out my time here, I've both TA'ed for classes and taught my own classes. It's a great way to get on the "other side of desk," so to speak.</p>

<p>-Get involved in research ASAP. If you want to go to grad school (or, to lesser extent, med school), the most important thing you can do is get involved in research! Present posters and get published, if at all possible.</p>

<p>-Look for opportunities outside your school. Last summer, I had a government internship. This summer, I'm the principle investigator on a research project with a professor from another school. Having good experience can sell well, even if you don't come from a top school.</p>

<p>-Connect with professors and administrators--professionally. Make sure they see you as not only a good student but a scholar.</p>

<p>Well, I hope that helps someone! Feel free to ask any questions!

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<p>In a nut shell: Take advantage of your "top student" status--stand out in good way--but don't dismiss the rest of the student body, either.</p>

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<p>Great post! Thanks!</p>

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<p>One of the single most useful posts I’ve read for college students.</p>

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<p>What type of classes did you teach as an undergrad? I’m not sure I would be thrilled if my child was taught by a fellow undergrad.</p>

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<p>mamabear, there’s not much difference between an undergrad being a TA and an undergrad being a tutor, which is common on most, if not all, campuses</p>

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<p>“taught my own classes”
Katliamom,
this is what mamabear was referring to. I have never heard of an undergraduate TEACHING a class in college, which is a far cry from TA’ing or tutoring students needing additional help.</p>

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<p>Awesome post and advice. My son is a entering freshman and also involved in research.</p>

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<p>I have taught half-credit classes as an undergraduate (no degree). One of them I was classified as an Adjunct Supplemental Instructor and the job was like that of a TA --supporting and working with the professor–and the class I taught was in line with the professor’s class–but I still got to put together materials the way I wanted and run the classroom the way I wanted. I taught 2 sections, each for 90 minutes once a week. It was a pass/fail class only and it went deeper into the concepts of the main class with the expressed goal of helping the students navigate the main class (for some it meant the ability to pass the main class with a C or better, for others, honor student types, in order to get in deep enough to get their coveted A).</p>

<p>So, in some ways it was a TA job. In other ways, it was more than a TA job or tutoring situation. It was a weekly class, I made my own support materials and teaching plan, there was a grade involved on their transcript, I gave the grade, etc. </p>

<p>I don’t know exactly what the OP taught, but that was my experience.</p>

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<p>In answer to classes:
I’ve TA’ed Intro to Honors (grading, guest lecturing, creating assignments) and Intro to Psych (lab activities, grading and proctoring quizzes).</p>

<p>I’ve taught a seminar for psych students doing internships (sort of like an informal process group, not credited but mandatory for internship students) and am currently teaching a Freshman Seminar–we’re well trained and continuously supervised by faculty.</p>

<p>I’ve gotten good to excellent evals, FWIW.</p>

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<p>^^ Huh! Very impressive OP! That’s why I love coming to CC. You can learn something new everyday!</p>

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<p>Wow! How many credits have you accumulated?? If you came in with 60 and are averaging over 20 per semester…I calculate somewhere in the 220 credit hour range over 4 years…</p>

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<p>Actually, psych, your advice is good for all students - not just those at their “safety” school. Congrats, looks like you’ve taken full advantage of your college experience!</p>