My motivation for writing emerges out of important, life- directing developments: man, do I have a lot to blog about=) Here we go.
College.
I’ve been accepted at RU SAS, NYU CAS, and NYU- Poly. I’m still waiting on UMich. I’ve been rejected from Cornell and Columbia.
Commenting on those admission- decisions, RU was a given, NYU CAS was a pleasant surprise (mediocre SATs, great GPA, rounded- extra circulars, taxable work- experience), and the Ivy- rejections were more than expected (so much for being Latino, eh?). Considering that I applied to UMich on the application deadline (i.e., 2/1/2010; I had just come back from Harvard MUN), I’d hardly be surprised at a rejection.
Did I skip a college? Ah, yes: the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. The least I knew about, the least you know about, the latest application deadline, the most money granted, and to my own surprise: the most exciting=). Hold up though: I’ll give you the details a little further down.
Now, before I even begin to argue the rationale behind my NYU- Poly push with my parents, let me paint a context.
I’m not rich. At all. Financially stable? Eh, flip a coin. With that said, I’ll be the second child my parents are sending off to make something of themselves. Two kids in college (Rutgers- represent for my brother btw=))) ? That’s heavy dude. My parents aren’t old, but they’re not young: they need a break, too. I’d hate myself if I were the one to take that break away from them.
Thus, NYU CAS is out. The admission email? *Mark as Read> Archive.* Their school color may be purple, but they sure do want a hella lot of green. NYU CAS awarded me with a financially- unworkable grant. The details are irrelevant, but you get the point.
RU on the other hand is definitely much more wallet- friendly: no need to sign away my soul away on a 150k loan. Though I’m not getting a full ride, I can definitely walk the rest. Thus, yeah: an RU pathway is hella possible.
My personal take on those college ‘options’.
For me, NYU CAS is special: it’s never been for the elites. Harvard? Duke? Those are for the JPS top- notch (Ajay, I see you=)) Nor is the college of arts and science for the average, unambitious high school student (I won’t name any schools). Nah: NYU CAS is for the motivated and passionate mediocrity, for kids who worked their assess off to earn those E-board positions, kids that studied – genuinely studied – with flash cards, with post-it-notes – day- in to day out – at Barnes and Noble, at 3 am, at the bus stop, and – you know what I’m talking about – 3 minutes before Mrs. Liotti handed you the scantron. Their philosophy? Do work.
…SOOO, as you can probably tell…. I was pretty bummed out having wanted to there: I recommend that those kids also add “Get Money” to that philosophy, too: it’ll reduce some major disappointment four years down the road. But hey, that’s life. I’m an adult now: I have to be realistic and make the most of what I have=)
Oh. And plus, consider this: I wanted to attend NYU CAS for Biology/ Biomolecular science/ preMed (every school has their own take on the course name). Guess what? preMed programs are all geared towards the MCATs and other Med- school requirements. Thus, biology at RU – as well as any other respectable school – proves strikingly similar to biology at NYU. Same text books. Same topics covered. Now of course, one would think that NYU professors would have a little more on the ball than the professors over at RU. However, consider this: Mr. Jones (i.e., my AP Bio teacher) came from RU: and cheaa, he’s a fucking beast.
Summary of all these considerations? NYU CAS is not worth an additional 150k for the same preMed education that I can obtain at RU.
Exception: if you’ve been accepted to NYU CAS for journalism or something ‘artsy’, then yes: sign away at those six digits.
My take on RU:
Rutgers New Brunswick is an excellent school. Stop hating on it. Now, is RU for everyone? No, of course not. In fact, looking at ‘who’s going where,’ I’d say that the admissions guys over in New Brunswick did a pretty good job filtering out the kids who half- assed their high school careers. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but we have to be honest: an RU rejection means you probably should have done a little more work. Sad, but true.
An obviously, there’s the other end of the spectrum: people who are going to RU but could have gone somewhere more ‘suitable,’ for reasons that range from financial constraints to fucking-up the admissions process . And as I look around, there’s a long, growing list of that.
Ah, but don’t become entirely disillusioned. For many students, I personally think that going to RU is like being an honors kid thrown into a level 1 class: you’ll do well but you’ll long for that challenge. Even so, with loads of familiar faces and the campus- life as a whole (and the drumline=))), I think we’ll have a hella good time.=) Just don’t forget the academics: Med School is only four years away.
So yes everyone, as a college option, I’m more than comfortable with RU=) Besides, it’s not the school: it’s what you do at that school that counts.
I’m done painting. New canvas. In my next post, I’ll brief you all about NYU Poly and why it’s looking like such a viable, such an exciting option=) Biomolecular Engineering, here I come.
Yessir.