Need Some Suggestions For... Life?

[cwhit590]

Just found this thread...interesting...how are things going now Wilderness? Hope you are making progress.

Here is my two-bazillion cents worth:

Have you thought about maybe just starting off getting a degree in Biology? A degree in Biology is pretty broad...it would give you a good foundation and prepare you for further course work in zoology, prevet, etc...PLUS, it opens up a wide range of job opportunities...jobs that could support you while you are pursuing further education in a specific field. Once you have a Biology degree, you could find a job easily in the health field--hospitals, laboratories, etc--(jobs that would be easier to find in a small town/anywhere)....or in the science field--working around plants, animals, etc. From there you could work your way up to what you want to do. Some companies will help pay for your further education too...

I got my degree in Biology (surprise!

) - I would have liked to get a degree in Zoology, Botany, or Wildlife Biology but I went to a smaller school and they didn't offer those majors. I just took more of the electives that I found interesting. Afterwards I considered grad school....but eh...too many choices, too little motivation, too much $$$ to spend on something you aren't sure about. (started working and got chickens instead

)

Right after school I got a job working in a lab...went well, but then got laid off when the economy tanked. Found some greenhouse jobs to fill in after that...both types of jobs still fit in the science/biology field! I was thankful for a broad degree.

Also, like others have said keep pursuing your hobbies and freelance stuff. You never know what can come of things! Volunteering and Internships will definitely improve the resume, especially if you are looking to go into research.

Anywhos...sorry this is long.......BEST OF LUCK! You've gotten a lot of good advice from your BYC peeps.

 

[CityChicker]

I agree with chickaddict.... you are getting way, way, way ahead of yourself. I mean way ahead of yourself- WAY ahead of yourself.

Get into school. That's it. That is all you need to worry about. Getting started in school is truly not that difficult. You can apply and be accepted to a community college and many state schools in about ten minutes time. It is *NOT* this difficult. That said, *YOU* have to make it happen. You have to take the necessary steps. It seems like you give up easily to be honest with you. Like the deal with your Mom's SS #. You let that keep you from going to school? Seriously? It was probably just a simple clerical error. Things like that happen all the time. You for sure want to get a Doctoral level degree though? Seriously?

No one is doing you any favors by coddling you. Pick up the phone or get online, fill out the enrollment applications, file your FAFSA, and start school. You might still be able to even get into somewhere this semester if you do the work necessary to make it happen.

As far as degree choices, you are so far ahead of yourself it is not even funny. You do you know that you will have probably at least two years of general ed. classes before you really start working full force towards your undergrad degree even, right? Just get in school! LOL.

Stop trying to decide where you are going degree wise until you at least get started SOMEWHERE.

You may find that you HATE animal science. You may decide you LOVE, oh I don't know... English, Car repair, WhoKnowsWhat..... You may not be able to even hack the necessary sciences. You may excel at them and decide academia is for you. There is no way to know UNTIL you are in school and on your way.

Once you have a couple years under your belt (or even now if possible), you simply *HAVE* to have volunteer experience, shadowing experience, work experience (in your future field), etc... if you are going to apply to almost any professional program like vet school. You need to stop setting road blocks for yourself and making this so complicated. Sorry to sound harsh, but hopefully someday you will be thankful for the people that give you a kick in the butt. Some of the best advice I have ever received has come in the form of a harsh reality check.

 

[WildernessLofts]

Quote:
When you find out two weeks before classes start, yes, that will stop me. That is not enough time to get it fixed and I SURE didn't have the $14,000 to hand over in the meantime. I went through a somewhat similar ordeal (it wasn't a SSN, it was something else they said was messed up, but the premise is the same) the semester before and I ended up paying $6,000 out of my own pocket when I was "supposed" to have a free ride. Simply because my financial aid didn't get settled in time.

 

[CityChicker]

Sure, it's enough time. You are still making excuses. That sounds pretty typical for financial aid to be honest with you. I have been almost completely through a semester before my financial aid was ironed out. That is just a fact of life when you are financing your education and to be honest, *nobody* gets a "free ride".

Did you try other schools? Did you try to get the SS # thing resolved? Financing an education is a constant battle (as are many other things school related). Seriously, if you throw up your hands about something as simple as an incorrect SS #, you are not going to make it. Nobody is doing you any favors telling you otherwise.

 

[CityChicker]

Also, the numbers you are quoting sound really high. Have you looked into community colleges at all? That might be a really good option for your first couple years.

Where are you getting the number $14,000? Is that for ONE semester? If so, and you don't have the money to fork over- seriously consider a different school. That figure is astronomically high. That sounds like the range for a private school. My husband is attending a very prestigious private school (on multiple scholarships), in a medical program and his tuition is not even that high.

What is the $6,000 that you paid out of pocket? Is that after what your financial aid paid? If so, how much aid did you actually receive? If your tuition/fees is $14K and you paid $6K, that means that financial aid paid $8 K for the semester. That is about the maximum with Pell grant and Stafford loans. I am just not sure of your numbers. Is the $14K your schools listed COA (Cost of Attendance)? If so, that is just an estimate they have to put out and includes a number of things including your estimated living expenses. My school's COA is about the same, but my actual cost is about a third of that.

Anyway, just trying to help and motivate you. If I didn't have a friend constantly kicking me in the behind my first couple years- I would not be where I am right now and honestly, you sound a LOT like me when I started.