Class selection

[Dalya]

Okay so I'm taking an easier schedule than I planned. I dropped Physics and Bio Lab, so right now what I have left is:

Biology II with workshop (4 credit hours)
Organic Chemistry I with lab (4)
Calculus II with problem session (4)

That's 12 hours and I have to maintain 15 for my scholarship, so I'm going to add one Lit or Humanities class. Here are my choices:

Film: History of World Cinema (upside: film classes are usu. super easy. downside: Wednesday night from 7 to 9:45 PM)

Philosophy of Medicine (upside: interesting, downside: it's on Thursday night from 7 - 9:45 and I have O-Chem lab Thursday afternoon from 1-4:45, so that's a pretty long day)

Modern British Literature (upside: really good timing and the teacher is nice, downside: I'm not a big fan of brit lit)

Mechanical Structure and Syntax (upside: I've already had the teacher and I love him, and it's an easy-ish A+, downside: it's a glorified grammar class)

History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine (upside: really interesting, downside: history classes can be really time-intensive and it's closed so I have to e-mail the prof and beg to get in... also it's a humanities class but it's still about medicine, so it may not be the fun class I need)

Humanities 3300 (upside: I've had the prof twice and he really likes me and I know his teaching style, and this is a required class for Lit majors that I have to get out of the way at some point, downside: its a required class so it will be more on the broad and boring side... maybe)


Help.

P.S. I moved my o-chem lab so that I can stay out late on Tuesday nights for soccer. I don't have class on Wednesday until 12:30. yay! go brewzers!

[eebs]

Humanities 3300 - the + points looks good and if you've got to do it anyway, the possible broad and boring side isn't going to go away.

[Dalya]

yeeeah you're probably right. That's what I've been leaning towards. And I still have 2 years to take all the others I'm interested in.

[katie]

i'm with eebs on humanities 3300. do not take a film class. i have a feeling we will no longer be friends if you do.

[mere1975]

do not take a film class. i have a feeling we will no longer be friends if you do.

WHY NOT?!!

I liked the film class I took at UTD, and it was much more analytical (papers on symbolism, feminism) than most of the idiots in there expected.

- Mere "films of Alfred Hitchcock" 1975

[sam]

I also took a film class at UTD, oh so long ago, that turned out to be pretty challenging.

[mr_j]

Mechanical Structure and Syntax (upside: I've already had the teacher and I love him, and it's an easy-ish A+, downside: it's a glorified grammar class)

Take this class. Yes, i know, it doesn't seem like it's as 'fun' as the other classes, but let's be practical. when you get out into 'the real world' and potential employers ask you for your college transcript (which more and more employers do), they're going to look for things that reflect work skills. a class like this might not be something you 'use' per se, but it won't hurt you, either. Pad that transcript; besides, when I took this course, I really enjoyed it.

[Irock]

potential employers ask you for your college transcript (which more and more employers do)

I have never heard of this. Most of the time they don't even care what school you went to or what your GPA was...
I'd think if you were trying to impress an employer something like "technical writing" would be more effective.

[mr_j]

what was your final decision, dal, and why?

[Dalya]

Oh, major update.

I dropped calculus II because I managed to forget everything I ever learned about integration over the summer and I don't need it for another year. So now I'm taking:

Organic Chem I (which is now my only really hard, semi-boring class)

Biology II (animal systems, kinda like anatomy, and with an easy teacher - way better than Bio I which is all protein and RNA structure)

Beginning French (I've always wanted to learn French)

History of World Cinema

Cultural Criticism: From Punk to Cyberspace (basically read articles and watch TV and write blogs about it and have debates in class about what makes a good critic)

so I'm taking 17 hours but French and Film won't be too time consuming.

[Tracy]

Dalya, I hope you don't mind but I'm hitching on to your post to update you Forkers on my daughter's college search.

Toured Rice, still likes Brown better and is considering applying Early Decision.

Today she received a letter from Washinton University offering a travel grant to visit the campus at no expense to us!

This week we are supposed to meet with the Advanced Academic Coordinator to discuss National Merit stuff. (Her school didn't have any candidates last year and has two this year.)

I hope she can visit WashU before she has to give her top choice for Nat'l Merit Scholarship. Schools that give merit scholarships usually offer a full scholarship to Award Recipients.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

[mere1975]

I don't remember having to name the school for my National Merit Scholarship earlier than deciding on the school. . . but it HAS been 16 years! How does that work now?

But either way, the National Merit Scholarship is only $1,500 for one year, right? (Or maybe more like $2,000 or $2,500 these days?)

So if she gets a full ride somewhere else, or a hefty scholarship, it will make much more of a difference than the NMS. And she is a scholarship winner/finalist, whether she goes to the school she chooses or not. . . (though I understand -- why throw away $1500?)

I guess I am just babbling.

If you are not getting the help you want from her school, I actually have a trusted friend who completed her master's degree in school counseling and guidance, and now runs a college counseling service: http://www.rtmcollegeconsulting.com/

I'd say DEFINITELY visit Wash U and let them woo her a little, just to have some solid options aside from Brown.

- Mere "my friend Robyn with the counseling service is in Chicago, but I am sure is familiar with Wash U, Brown, etc." 1975

P.S.
Exciting!!

[mr_j]

hey, phyllis, how's college life for ya?



as for me, my semseter's kickin' my arse. but in that fun way that can only be called 'grad school'

[Tracy]

This is the award I was referring to:

College and University Sponsorship of Merit Scholarship® awards

Each year colleges and universities support more than 4,600 Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who have been admitted and will attend their institutions. Only Finalists who notify NMSC by the published deadlines of their plans to attend a sponsor institution are considered for college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards.

College-sponsored awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor institution and provide stipends that range between $500 and $2,000 per year. Officials of each sponsor college select winners for their awards and determine the amount of the annual stipend within the specified range. College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards are canceled if the winner decides not to attend the college financing the scholarship.

We know two siblings of award winners. Both graduated from Paschal HS here in FW - one is at Brown which doesn't "do" Merit scholarships and one is at Tulane and has a free ride for 4 years. The later also went to TAMS in Denton so she started university with close to Junior status so she can use part of her award for grad school.

I'll know more after we talk with the Academic Coordinator, though. I hope.

[Dalya]

I think some schools award their own merit scholarship or something... because I know UTD has it in the same category as the Academic Achievement scholarship, which is what I have (also a full ride) and the other partial scholarships, which are all paid for by the state. She should be able to get a scholarship almost anywhere if she's a national merit scholar, regardless of how she gets it. I got one just for doing well on the SATs and being a national merit semifinalist--not even a finalist. Plus there are countless private scholarships. I'd call the top choice schools and speak to them directly because its ridiculous to even try to find all that information on your own.

Wash U is really cool and St. Louis is a fun city to visit. Just stay more to the west when you visit... and if you like root beer floats, you have to go to Fitz's on the loop. they make their own soda and ice cream.