I and my parents emailed the following universities for extra time to decide where I would attend.
Schools: Kean Uni, NJIT, TCNJ
Kean and NJIT agreed to give me an additional two weeks. TCNJ, on the other hand, said that they could not give me that much time and said I would need to make a decision in the next few days.
I got scholarships at all three places. FYI: Money isn’t a problem, but my parents want to pay the least that they can.
Kean: almost full ride
NJIT: Good enough scholarship, but the problem is that they rejected me from the Honors College. My parents were quite upset, but I believed there were many more qualified candidates than I. So I didn’t think anything really of it, but my parents decided to look into why I did not qualify. It turns out that it was because of my mid-year grades…It was AP Calculus which was the problem. I thought my overall grade would be seen by colleges, but my individual marking periods were sent. And on one marking period, I got a C, but the overall the grade was a B-
The rest of my grades were all A’s luckily. And since the midyear report, my grade in Calculus has improved. I had a solid B in third quarter and currently have a B+. My parents already appealed to have me join the honors college and sent in my current grades. NJIT said they would put me on the waitlist for honors college meaning if I maintained a 3.5 GPA in my first semester there, I was guaranteed admission to Honors College. We also put down an enrollment deposit at the school to hold a place?
TCNJ: I received $5,000 merit scholarship (I was quite surprised and happy about the amount)
I am considering both computer science and finance as possible areas of study…or maybe an interdisciplinary of sorts.
I visited all three schools and although none of them were terrible…
I liked NJIT the best for the focus on tech and the fact that there will be some exciting opportunities next year (Fall 2017). I can’t disclose what it is because I don’t think it’s been made widely public, but they’re partnering with a great company, which will pave the way for mentorship and other stuff. So I’m excited for that. Safety wasn’t that much of a concern to me since the campus is self-contained almost. I’d just exercise caution outside of the campus (if I even left it). And NYC is super close so it’s a plus in terms of social life and getting internships. I mentioned social because I have friends who will be attending schools in NYC.
My parents were also elated with the campus and shocked that NJIT was tons better than what we expected…but for some reason, they are thinking it might not be a good option…They think it’ll be too tough for me if I decide to study there and I might never make it into the Honors College…The honors college would give me extra work, but by being in the Honors College, I would receive an additional scholarship, which would bring costs down a lot more.
They’re okay with TCNJ because I can live at home and my parents can ‘monitor’ me aka make sure I’m on top of stuff. I’m not a terribly bad student and I’m pretty independent. I’ve been working hard to do well this year and work on my habits.
Then, there is Kean. It had nice facilities and all…but I wasn’t that fond of the school. I’ve visited several times, but I just felt that I wouldn’t have the opportunities and rigorous education I wanted at the school. Technically, I would be a really top student there and pay probably the least to go there, but I don’t think I will get the same quality education and have same opportunities. So, I’m super against the school. My parents also liked Kean, but also realized that staying there would definitely hamper me in terms of opportunities and education. They suggested maybe going there for a year or two and then transferring elsewhere (TCNJ or NJIT). They are also aware that I would get nominal scholarships (if any) as a transfer student…thinking about this… I thought maybe it would be a good idea to stay there and then transfer to a more competitive school. One thing I regret not doing is applying to a few more schools (reaches) that I would have loved to attend…But, at the same time, I don’t like this idea…and there is no guarantee of transfer. What would I do if I couldn’t transfer anywhere and was stuck at Kean?
So what should I do? Should I give into my parent’s idea that I can transfer from Kean? Or should I go with what I think is best: NJIT? And how should I convince them I can ‘handle’ NJIT? I’d live in the dorms so I won’t live at home.
