I haven`t been this happy in 5 years.

**Corey Bit Spank** · 03-18-2006, 01:11 PM

So as a handful of you know I began to apply to UR in late November. I finished my application on December 3rd.

I received my acceptance letter to UB yesterday. It was nice, but I wasn`t wowed. Not like "gold star," "blue ribbon", etc.

I opened my mailbox today and, SCOOP!, I see a white envelope. I pulled out the mail and looked at it.

So that kind of takes away the suspense of opening the white envelope, but the letter made me happy nonetheless...

So as many of you know I went to NCCC. I kind of had some issues in junior year which prevented me from going to a 4 year school. 920 on SAT (I had just gotten out of the hospital the preceding Friday, eep). I had good grades before then, and my HALF senior year I got good grades. It finally feels like I`m putting that **** up to rest. I really do like NCCC. I love my professors.

I`m so happy. They`re #11 in primary care schools in the nation (as per US weekly). I really don`t think I would have ended up at Rochester out of high school anyway, I probably would have gone to UB. My parents have a long time family friend that`s an oncologist at UB/VA and she thinks it`s a better decision for me than UB undergrad.

Still waiting on Cornell, but I think Rochester is more realistic.

Future plans? I want to become a doctor of osteopathy. So interesting. Of course I have a few back ups, but I need to focus on my salad (OH MARTHA!)

I`m so happy.

cross posted from nyspeed.com

**twitch** · 03-18-2006, 01:14 PM

Congratulations!

What happened to you in high school that prompted hospital visits?

**Pats300zx** · 03-18-2006, 01:28 PM

Awesome congrats... :spot

**Wasatch** · 03-18-2006, 01:51 PM

Good for you, have fun.

**Setec Astronomy** · 03-18-2006, 03:58 PM

:woot: Congratulations, Corey!

**nudave** · 03-18-2006, 04:17 PM

HEY! Welcome to ROCHESTER!

Another Autopian to the Rochester area~! May I suggest a garbage plate!?! If you need anything, let me know! I`m about 5 min to RIT and 10 to UR. Even if its just a garage to detail.

Congrats! CHOOSE ROCHESTER! Ithaca is pfft (Cornell). Being closer to home will be nicer for you too. I went to Niagara University. Its just far away enough to be independent, but close enough to stay close.

**pt91** · 03-18-2006, 04:39 PM

Congrats! :clap:

**Corey Bit Spank** · 03-18-2006, 04:50 PM

My dad and brother went to Niagara.

I really need to decide if Rochester is worth it over UB. The price difference is going to be HUGE. Rochester may end up putting me $75,000 in debt. UB would put me at about $6,000. I don`t know. It`s a little discouraging. Well a lot discouraging. Everything looks so great in theory, then you put it in the real world and you see the ugly warts.

**Scottwax** · 03-18-2006, 05:34 PM

Awesome! My younger son knows his grades in high school have so far been rather unspectacular. He is hoping the rest of his junior year, his senior year and a couple years at a community college will be enough to get him into TCU for his junior and senior years of college.

Seems like you took a similar route. Any advice for my son?

**Jim Hill** · 03-18-2006, 06:16 PM

Congratulations!! I`m on the faculty at UR in the medical center across the street from the River Campus where you`ll be located. You`ll be arriving as things are changing. It`s a small college, but very dynamic. We have a new president who is making good things happen. The University is growing, and there`s generally a good feeling around here. Good luck.

**Corey Bit Spank** · 03-18-2006, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Awesome! My younger son knows his grades in high school have so far been rather unspectacular. He is hoping the rest of his junior year, his senior year and a couple years at a community college will be enough to get him into TCU for his junior and senior years of college.

Seems like you took a similar route. Any advice for my son?

Hm. Well of course hard work. I think possibly doing well on the SAT may help (although some schools don`t look at it for transfers). It certainly doesn`t hurt.

One of the main things is finding good professors that you can ask for advice and small talk with. I have two. One I met in my first semester of college. The second I met my second semester, but she also teaches organic chemistry, so now I have her again. They`re both supportive. It`s hard to write a glowing letter of recommendation for somebody you don`t know.

Getting involved in at least one club is great (a sport is good too, two clubs or one sport and one club would look great). If he has the opportunity to join Phi Theta Kappa (honors society) it is worth the money and effort! My brother gets $2,000 a year. Rochester offers $5,000 a year. I pays off! It looks great. Being an officer would look great. It would also make him feel good, because you`re really dealing with some good people that join.

You know, you meet people at community college that are just interesting. Single mothers. Veterans. People that have had some not so good pasts. They`re much more genuine than some of the people at other schools that are very fortunate (much more genuine than myself). I`m fortunate to have met these people. It`s really a "community" college. Hindsight is 20/20, if I would have gone to University of Buffalo I probably wouldn`t have branched out of my comfort zone.

There`s the bad points. There are certainly people that are there for no reason whatsoever. You just avoid them. My goal in high school was to have a 90 average. My goal in college is to have a 4.0. It makes a big difference to set your goals as high as possible. Choosing courses you want to take are a big thing. There are a lot of people going to school to "make good money." That`s fine, but they tend to also be the people that 1) don`t learn the material and 2) cheat by placing index cards in their calculators. It`s terrible. It happens. You have to choose something you`re going to love.

So: get two or three professors and just get advice and keep them updated with your career goals. Having at least one in your intended major is good practice. I hate to say this, but if they have a PhD behind their name it probably adds some oomph.

Join a club or two. Play a sport. Show that you have a interest other than course work.

Learn to write well. The essay just has to be genuine and free from glaring errors. I didn`t get touchy feely, nor did I use every ten cent word in my vocabulary.

Take courses that interest you. Don`t be motivated by an "effort pays off" attitude. One does best when they are intrinsically motivated to do well (interest!). Just look at the people that detail here. Of course people do it for money, but they`re all very very very interested in it. They do very good work. Better than the dealer that`s out to make a profit? Of course. You`re going to take some boring courses and courses you really don`t want to take (art 100? hahaha). You detail some cars that you`d rather not detail, but you want the money. It happens, but an entire degree shouldn`t be that way.

You just have to be dedicated I guess.

I don`t really care to indulge in my 11th grade debacle here. I don`t mind talking about it in private at all, but I don`t want to talk about it here.

**Corey Bit Spank** · 03-18-2006, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Pamlico

Congratulations!! I`m on the faculty at UR in the medical center across the street from the River Campus where you`ll be located. You`ll be arriving as things are changing. It`s a small college, but very dynamic. We have a new president who is making good things happen. The University is growing, and there`s generally a good feeling around here. Good luck.

That`s so good to hear. I love the campus. I think the school has a lot to offer. With that said, I think any school has a lot to offer if the student is willing. "Chance favors the prepared mind," I suppose.

I need to visit one last time before I make a decision.

**Jim Hill** · 03-18-2006, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Corey Bit Spank

That`s so good to hear. I love the campus. I think the school has a lot to offer. With that said, I think any school has a lot to offer if the student is willing. "Chance favors the prepared mind," I suppose.

I need to visit one last time before I make a decision.

Even though my daughter was accepted to UR, she decided to go to UB. However during her first semester there she realized that UB was not the place for her (too big and impersonal). She was able to reactivate her UR admission and transferred there at the end of her first year. She was much happier and had a better experience at UR.

Yes, any school has a lot to offer the willing student, but if the experiences outside the classroom are continously negative the willingness may decline.

Good luck with your decision.

**Scottwax** · 03-18-2006, 09:11 PM

Thanks Corey, I`ll pass that along to my son.

**Corey Bit Spank** · 03-19-2006, 09:49 AM

Hm. I can`t really fathom a way to pay for this. I`d love to go there, but the price premium is too high. Especially considering that I don`t want to just end at my bachelors. My parents really can`t afford it, and they`re scared I`m going to end up in too much debt. Decisions.