hiya, I was wondering if you guys could speak on mental health in college? I’ll be a freshman in the fall and I currently have anxiety and depression, & while I’m not trying to share that fact w/ everyone, I really want to know that I’m not going to be alone in my journey/people will be wont be weirded out by my mental illnesses (this is all speaking very generally) (idk if you guys feel comfortable enough to speak on this, but thought it was worth a shot!)
Hi anon, thanks for your patience and question— it’s an uncomfortable one, yes, but an important one
Im not a mental health expert but I hope you read this and know you aren’t alone. For me, during my college years, I had severe depression and anxiety and ptsd but wasn’t diagnosed. And truth is, I really struggled. The idea that I had to do everything so I wouldn’t miss out on a golden college experience and the fact that I could never get out of bed and was always behind messed with my brain a lot.
The flip side is that it’s more common than you think. College is a big stressor for everyone, and depression and anxiety is not uncommon. Of course, you never know what kind of people you’ll meet, so I can’t promise they’ll be accepting, but you have a leg up. You know what you’re coping with. You’ve come this far so I know you’re resilient and you’ve fought monsters and you’re still breathing. It’s hard but you’ll be so proud of what you’ll learn about yourself when the time has passed.
I don't know if you'll ever see this, but, I was really sick when I was a freshman, leading to lower grades. (A- and B+) and missed ALOT of school. Overall, this took a toll on my gpa, destroying my class rank. Sophomore year I worked really hard to get it up, and I am now a junior. My gpa is now a 93, but I'm in the top 15% of my class rather than 10, which is something Columbia (my dream school boasts). My ECs are strong, but I'm afraid my GPA and class rank will be my downfall. Thoughts?
Hi,
Emily here, thanks for dropping by.
So my take on admissions is that schools look for reasons to accept you, not reasons to reject you. Keep that in mind before letting that discourage you. I’ll bet you have a lot of reasons to be accepted; you’ve given me a couple already. The only thing you can do is the put your best into the app, showcase your strengths, and not let the fear of something that’s already passed make you insecure.
The most honest answer I can give you is that it might be your “downfall”, as you put it. If they can’t find a strong case to accept you despite having a lower GPA, that could be the reason why you don’t get in. But do you see how that doesn’t really matter? You have a chance.
Otherwise, I would say, for GPA specifically, an upward trend is more favorable. It shows that you have resilience. In addition, there’s always the “is there something you’d like to explain about your application” box. Use it to your advantage!
Admitted student at UChicago. Ha(d?) plans to go to law school. How do I keep my GPA up but still receive a satisfactory education? The rigor is terrifying me. (Non-STEM major, looking at Econ, Poli Sci, or LLS). Any advice would be monumentally helpful.
Hey! Sorry, I don’t check this as often anymore so I missed this.
My answer is that first you need to evaluate how serious you are about law school. If you are set on that, then maximize your gpa. You can buy yourself some time by taking core classes while you explore. But if that’s what you want, take 90% easy classes. Can’t sugar coat this....gpa matters in apps a lot.
If you’re on the fence about taking a harder class or an easier alternative, take the easier one and learn the material well. If it’s too easy, read more and go talk to your teacher. It’s much easier to intensify an easy class than to flounder in material you’re drowning in.
Pick good professors over course material. If you’re not mathematically inclined, don’t do Econ, do pub pol. Poli sci and LLS are both good for lawyers. You’re at uchicago. The core pretty much forces you to get a more than satisfying eduction.
I was wondering if you had any advice about choosing between two different schools? Like I currently really love Brown and Williams and they’re tied as my top but I want to pick one to apply ED to since that’s my absolute best shot st getting in and otherwise I think I would be rejected from both but I’m struggling to decide which one I love more and was wondering if you had any advice
Tough decision between two really phenomenal schools…I wish you all the best and am so excited for you!
Before you start making any sort of decision, know – truly, and faithfully come to terms with the understanding– that there’s a reason this decision is hard. It’s because there’s no “wrong” choice. Let go of that pressure and the belief that everything rests on this moment. It doesn’t. Because wherever you end up, if you know how to make the most out of where you’re at in life each day and pursue what makes you happy and are open to and seek out new experiences that push you to grow… you will be more than fine, anywhere.
Now for your question:
I’m going to take the general approach…because I think you have more tools to answer this question for yourself than I can answer for you.
Here’s my approach on all tough decisions. This is, in all seriousness, adapted from a holiday gift-giving guide that I saw on the new yorker once. (look, if you’re listening to me for advice then don’t put yourself past listening to a holiday gift guide)
How to choose a college:
1) Write down what you know about yourself
Always start with this. Write down what is important to you (financial factors? being near a city? dance programs? music programs? community building? dorm quality? major? academic rigor? dining? student life?)
Do this, by yourself, without looking up anything. This needs to come from you. Don’t let your parents or your pamphlets tell you what is important until you know how you stand, first. Think about what are must have factors, what would be nice to have, and what would just be fun perks. Group them.
Okay – now you can ask your parents, your friends, mentors … are you missing anything? are there any factors you’re not considering? are certain things more important than they seem?
2) Research your options
Once you have your list of must have factors, nice to have, perks… research them. Does each school have them? Talk to current students, especially for the more qualitative stuff (Are people happy? etc.). Write them down.
3) Make a choice
I’m not saying you need to use a decision matrix and score each school and take a highest scoring one. You can, if you want. Or you can just look at the two and see what you’d be willing to give up, or not. To see if one factor is the deal-breaker or maker. Going through this activity helps you not forget any important factors – it also helps that if you ever regret the choice (which i doubt you will), you can go back and at least understand why you chose how you did.
4) Go forth and live life!
Congrats!! You’ve made a choice!!
OPTIONALLY:
just go with a gut-feeling. I believe in those too. INFJ here, after all ;)
** disclaimer: I would double check the acceptance rates for the early programs for both schools. Sometimes applying early makes a lot more difference in one school (REA at Harvard, for example) than at another (EA at MIT). If that’s the case and you seriously would be a good fit at both, than obviously apply to the one that it is more helpful to apply early at.
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110717 | hey everyone! these are notes ive been working on for my ap bio exam this thursday! biology is amazing. it’s so hard but so rewarding once you understand the material. i am so motivated to learn every time ♡
currently listening to: sleeping at last // hearing (beautiful song!!)
I’m a student currently at a state university in my freshman year and I’m considering applying as a transfer to Columbia do you think transferring would mean people would look down on me as not as smart etc. ? I’m not sure I would even get in but now I’m super anxious about applying and I’m not sure if I’m smart enough to be accepted and even if I would be accepted if transferring would be a taboo (I didn’t even try to apply in hs) or if missing the freshman year is detrimental? I’m sorry
Transferring is in not taboo, nor would it make you look bad! I know plenty of transfer students at Columbia - it’s totally normal. Luckily transfer students aren’t required to do the entire Core Curriculum, so you probably wouldn’t be too behind. I do know that Columbia can be a little stingy with accepting transfer course credit, so I would research that a bit. Good luck, and if you have any other questions, reach out!
I got a C+ in my first semester in gen chem. Do you have any tips on studying and doing better next semester in gen chem ii?? I’m super nervous and disappointed
Hey, I’m assuming you’re a CU student? First of all, don’t worry, gen chem is super difficult and you’re doing really well just by sticking it out.
I haven’t taken gen chem myself, so unfortunately I can’t offer subject-specific advice, but here’s some general tips:
If you haven’t already been doing this, I’d recommend going to office hours. Also, meeting with your TA can sometimes be just as helpful as meeting with the prof (if not more so, since you might not be as nervous). Lastly, I believe there is a chemistry help room where you can take any questions you have. You can find the schedule on the advising center website I think.
