<p>Okay, here's my problem- I want to apply to some Ivy Leagues and otherwise "ultra fab" schools because I have a 4.0 GPA, intensive ECs, great recommendations, etc etc, and all of this is for my kids (I am DETERMINED to give them the life I never had so I want the BEST degree humanly possible to obtain). Those of you who are parents will completely understand. The problem is that I've been at my community college for three years now, avoiding the last two classes I needed to graduate like the plague because I simply didn't know what on earth I wanted to do for the rest of my life. </p>
<p>Now I've decided that my passion for the sciences should NOT be ignored (I had assumed everyone had this passion...as it turns out, I was wrong lol). So I would really like to transfer as a chem major, BUT I've only taken the one chem and one bio course that were required for my AA degree (I did take the advanced chem rather than the min requirement simply because I thought it would be more interesting, but that's still not much), AND I haven't taken calc yet. So I'm afraid I will get rejected from top schools because I'm not prepped for this particular major. Should I try anyway and just explain my situation? Should I give up on my chem dreams?</p>
<p>I am also interested in neuroscience (which doesn't have intensive prereqs at all) and I have all-things-psych in my blood (estranged father is a prominent psychiatrist and beloved mother is a psychologist), so maybe that would be in my best interest? Not every school seems to have a neuroscience option though...</p>
<p>AARGH! Any advice? I'm of course running out of time here lol...dear CC gods, please divine your wisdom here??</p>
<p>First, you can give your kids the best possible life regardless of where you obtain your college degree (I’m a parent and I have “elite” degrees and my husband does not. Does that make me a better parent? No.)</p>
<p>I’m completely unclear how you have/have always had a passion for science but have taken only the minimum number of such courses required for your AA degree. And, yes, I think it will be difficult to gain acceptance as a transfer for a science major without much science coursework behind you. At this point, all that you can do is apply and explain how you are late to the realization that science is your intended major. To be believable, you’re going to have to drop the “always was my passion” thing or explain why you’ve been ignoring that passion in your curriculum choices.</p>
<p>If you are equally interested in neuroscience and feel your transcript better supports that, then certainly you can state that neuro is your planned major. I’m not a science type, but a little confused that neuro involves few science prereqs. Not sure that having a prominent psychiatrist estranged father/beloved mother psychologist are relevant to your app. If you are going to bring that up, be careful of how you come across.</p>
<p>Do you have specific “ultra fab” schools in mind? And what are your goals after graduation? You’ll want a school that prepares you well for whatever immediately lies ahead, whether it’s graduate school, a career, or something else. I find it dangerous to blindly hunt brand name universities, especially if you can’t decide what field to go in.</p>
<p>I mentioned my mother and father’s career paths just to demonstrate that I have psychology in my blood. I read the DSM-IV when I was somewhere around ten years old and have casually read the multitude of other psych texts lying around my childhood home as well, so I sort of have a long-standing background in that area. As I understand it, and I could be wrong here, the neuroscience major focuses on psychology and chemistry, so I can dive into it without having had a bunch of science prereqs but still end up with all the chem-related courses that I want to take. And of course I find neuroscience interesting so it’s not like I’m selling myself out just to get into a name-brand school, but really the end goal is some higher form of grad school, so my undergrad major isn’t the be-all end-all anyway, right? I would really like to go to medical school, although I don’t know if that’s an option for me, but again, going to a name-brand school to finish my undergrad will severely improve my grad school chances so I have to at least try. I have a perfect 4.0 GPA, a boat load of accomplishments and recommendations, and endless drive and determination so I have to at least try.</p>
<p>To address the “always was my passion” line- I wanted to take a little bit of everything, from psych to philosophy to sociology to criminal justice, EVERYTHING, before deciding on a major, so that’s what I did. I definitely would have taken more science classes as well, if I could have, but unfortunately I simply couldn’t. I had been out of school for ten years when I enrolled at my cc, so I had to take two semesters worth of remedial math courses just to get caught up to college algebra. Of course I aced all of them, I just hadn’t ever learned the material before so I couldn’t jump into college algebra, which also meant I couldn’t take most of the science classes I wanted, beyond “intro to.” </p>
<p>So, that’s it. As far as what schools I want to go to, again, I’d like to be prepped for med school if it’s at all possible for me to go and I’d like to go to a school that will provide as much cultural flavor and new life experience in terms of geographical location as the curriculum itself. Do you have any advice as far as where I should apply? I’m a non-traditional student that dropped out of high school to get a job and support my family after our father left, so all I really have is my college record, but that is exemplary. Is it naive of me to use my chance to transfer as a chance to get out of the town I’ve been stuck in all my life, give my family new and exciting life experiences, establish an identity at a reach school so I can raise my chances of going even farther in my grad school years? I will admit, obviously, that I don’t really know what I’m doing or if I have any chance at all, but I watched a friend of mine get accepted to a school in New York just last year and his record wasn’t half what mine is so I just HAVE to try this.</p>