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Yes lovelies you are looking at 2021's newest panther! Got my acceptance letter to FIU a while back and I'm so excited for the uni life as today is Orientation Day (updates on my Instagram); so excited that I couldn't help but share this news with you all! You may have questions about my university choice and how I chose which one I wanted to go to so here are the answers!
Questions + Answers
Wait you take college classes but you weren't in college yet?
Ahh, yes, I have gotten questions about why I am taking college classes and it is a program they offer at my high school called Early Admissions where, in Senior year, I can take all classes for Fall and Spring semesters at my local community college in order to graduate high school with my High school diploma and Associates degree.
Was this year your first year taking college classes?
Nope, in order to get all my credits I did take AP and Dual Enrollment courses. Dual Enrollment is basically the same thing as Early Admissions, where my community college let me take classes during the summer from my freshman year to my junior year. In total, I did 4 summers at MDC taking 2 classes each semester plus a total of 6 AP classes.
How did you know what college classes to take?
Honestly, I didn't and that was a HUGE mistake; I ended up taking a few classes that were quite frankly unnecessary and almost risked my graduation. My best advice would be that from day one, find the list of classes you need to take for the degree you are wanting. For example, MDC has this pdf which entails of the classes you need from each category to graduate with a general Associates (this is the one I used and how I figured out I was one class short of my degree). I found out about this pdf only last year, but if you know what you need from the beginning, it will make the process a lot simpler. Go onto your college's website and search for requirements for the degree you want. Then, go highlighting and planning what you want to take for each semester; I have already started doing this for my first year at FIU, though instead of a list, FIU separates the classes into flowchart.
Keep in mind, any AP classes you take transfer as college classes, so don't be like me and take double of the same class (yup, I took AP Environ and a Dual Enrollment Environ class).
Which AP classes did you take? Which would you recommend?
Going in chronological order:
9th grade: AP World History (got a 4 on the AP exam)
10th grade: AP Spanish Language (got a 5) and AP Psychology (got a 5)
11th grade: AP Language and Composition (got a 5), AP US History (got a 5), and AP Environmental Science (got a 4)
Now, as for recommendations, it's honestly a very personal choice as you need to take AP classes that you can excel at. I took many history and language courses, but if you are more of a science gal, then take AP Biology or AP Chemistry. Also, make sure you are informed of who teaches the class and who is signing up for the same AP's as you; when it comes down to completing homework/classwork, having a great teacher and friends to help you is key in understanding the material. This doesn't mean fall into peer pressure and take classes only your friends are taking, but make sure you have a sort-of support system so you don't feel overwhelmed. If you want to take an AP that no one you know is taking, branch out and meet new friends! I know, social awkwardness is hard (trust me), but try to make the class fun so you can enjoy taking it....well as much as possible anyways.
Personally, I absolutely adored taking AP World and APUSH as the teachers I had were amazing and I actually have such a huge affinity for learning about our society's past. Also, AP Psych and AP Spanish were a blast; AP Psych was interesting as my mom was a psychologist, so I've always heard about it and been into the topic, and AP Spanish was fun because Spanish is my second language, so naturally I want to improve speaking it, and my teacher was hands-down the best!
If you are ahead, why don't you go to a "grander" university?
I do have the choice wether to go to a public or what they call a "grander", private university, but to be frank, the idea never appealed to me. Why should I have to spend so much money just to get the same education I would get at my home town? I am lucky enough to have FIU offer me scholarships, so I don't have tuition weighting me down, unlike what would have happened if I were to have picked a private college. This way I can spend my extra sums on what I am passionate about, this blog, and not on tuition for university.
Why did you choose FIU as your university?
Again, this goes back to the previous question, because it was the school that just seemed the best. While most of my high school counselors told me I should aim towards out-of-state schools or the "grander" universities, I've always know FIU was the university for me. In all seriousness, picking a university is picking where you are going to be for the next few years of your life, so you have to choose what is best for you. Don't worry what others will think about your choice because all that matters is you! I could not imagine being so far away from my family; I would get homesick and want to travel back every weekend. So, my choice goes against all their advice but I know it's what's best for me. Also, my mom's cooking is the best and I would miss it wayyyy to much.
Did you apply to any other school?
To be complete honest, no I did not. Again, for me there was no point as I do not want to move out-of-state and FIU is the best uni in my area. Also, my older sister is actually a student at FIU as well, so it will be so much fun to have each other in one campus.
What is your current stats?
By stats I'm guessing GPA and SAT scores, so my current high school GPA is a 3.947 unweighted and 5.067 weighted, and my highest SAT score is a 1290, which is the score I sent to FIU.
What are majoring in?
I want to major in civil engineering, which is probably an answer you loves were not expecting, but I find it to be a really fun career and I've always loved looking at the plans my dad works on. I've even got to helping him on one project and it was really cool to learn how to use the program. I also love the aspect of being able to work on the go. To be honest, I have never imagined myself working a 9-5 office job, so I definitely was persuaded by the way my dad works (he's an MEP engineer and is able to leave the office whenever he needs to, since he's his own boss). Plus, being my own boss is key to balancing this blog with my career as I need to be able to travel freely and organize my days accordingly.
How was orientation overall?
Well, it was a bit more stationary because of the covid regulations but I did have a fun day. My orientation was July 8, 2021 in the MMC campus and lasted from 8 AM to around 4 PM. We started off in GC in a grand ballroom where I got a free t-shirt and a landyard with my name, major, etc. Around 8:30 AM we started and heard several speakers talk about basic campus info and we answered interactive questions. After that, we got grouped up by major (group 15 over here) and were taken to a little area outside to do a quick ice breaker. We then took a quick tour of the campus, which got cut short by a sudden rain, leading to free time for lunch. I had Panda Express at MANGO with my sister who met up with me to have lunch, so yummy! Then, I had to spend over 3 hours in a freezing cold classroom to pick my schedule with a counselor over zoom. Honestly, this was the worst part since I had to wait over 2 hours to even meet with the counselor and she ended up telling me to take exactly what my sister had told me to take a few days prior to my orientation. So that was a complete waste of time, but I did end up talking to a super sweet peer counselor who was helping us out with the classes! Last stop of the day was to pick up my official FIU ID! I was so exhausted by the end, but I actually did end up accompanying my sister and her friends to the FIU gym, it's so spacious and well equipped!
Got more questions? Leave them in the comments below this post!