It is official, I am a 3rd year undergrad student at Rockhurst University come Fall! I have never felt more proud of myself than when I opened the letters from all three (Rockhurst, Avila, and UMKC) of the colleges that I had applied to see that I was accepted to them all. But then came the hard part, a situation that I wasn't prepared for: I had to make a choice. First, I made an appointment with Avila and was sadly disappointed at the lack of coordination and, honestly, care from the staff there. I was only scheduled to meet with one person whom turned out to not really know why I was sent to him at all since he only talks to graduate students. Afterward, I was sent on my way with a giant question mark hanging over my head and a knot in my stomach from anxiety about how I was supposed to make such a grand decision with no information.
Two days later, I made my way up to Rockhurst without much anticipation, assuming I would be getting the same response from them that I did at Avila. Man, was I wrong! I don't think I have, in my several years attending college, been in such an organized and welcoming school. The man working the front desk was already anticipating my arrival and handed me my itinerary for the day. That's right, I had an entire schedule for the day made up for me comprised of appointments with different staff that actually had something to do with my undergrad program. I spent the next four hours meeting with the transfer adviser (who already had my financial aid paperwork completed), the head of the Communications Sciences and Disorders undergrad and graduate programs, and then straight to an academic adviser to figure out what was needed from my transcripts. I was thrilled that they wanted to put so much effort into one student and it made the decision very easy for me- Rockhurst wins, I didn't even need to visit UMKC.
Though it sounds exciting, the schedule wasn't the best part about my visit to Rockhurst. I was awarded almost $27,000 in scholarships and grants! They are incredible with giving out little grants here and there, and they really add up. I will only have to take out about a quarter of what I initially thought I would have to from student loans, and I even get money back from the year to pay for my textbooks which means I don't have to pay anything out of pocket. I am just over-the-top excited to attend a university that works so hard to take care of their students, it brings a very sunny outlook for the future.
As for my degree, I will be completing my undergrad in Communications Sciences and Disorders and then hopefully get into the Master's program for the same. Fall semester classes have already been picked out (the academic adviser set me up before I left on the day that I had my campus visit) and I will be taking 15 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting in August. Blade and I talked about it and decided that it would be best for me to take out an extra loan and work less because the Master's program is extremely competitive and I will need to focus 100% on my school work and being a mama. When I say competitive, I mean it- with 200 applicants per year, they only accept 33 and the average GPA of those accepted is a 3.57.... which is, in itself, absolutely terrifying, so I try not to focus on the specifics and just remind myself that I am a smart cookie and I will do fantastically!
All in all, I am just ecstatic about what this year has to offer- I finally feel like I am working in the right direction to make something out of myself and make my partner and daughter proud! August can't come soon enough!
Two days later, I made my way up to Rockhurst without much anticipation, assuming I would be getting the same response from them that I did at Avila. Man, was I wrong! I don't think I have, in my several years attending college, been in such an organized and welcoming school. The man working the front desk was already anticipating my arrival and handed me my itinerary for the day. That's right, I had an entire schedule for the day made up for me comprised of appointments with different staff that actually had something to do with my undergrad program. I spent the next four hours meeting with the transfer adviser (who already had my financial aid paperwork completed), the head of the Communications Sciences and Disorders undergrad and graduate programs, and then straight to an academic adviser to figure out what was needed from my transcripts. I was thrilled that they wanted to put so much effort into one student and it made the decision very easy for me- Rockhurst wins, I didn't even need to visit UMKC.
Though it sounds exciting, the schedule wasn't the best part about my visit to Rockhurst. I was awarded almost $27,000 in scholarships and grants! They are incredible with giving out little grants here and there, and they really add up. I will only have to take out about a quarter of what I initially thought I would have to from student loans, and I even get money back from the year to pay for my textbooks which means I don't have to pay anything out of pocket. I am just over-the-top excited to attend a university that works so hard to take care of their students, it brings a very sunny outlook for the future.
As for my degree, I will be completing my undergrad in Communications Sciences and Disorders and then hopefully get into the Master's program for the same. Fall semester classes have already been picked out (the academic adviser set me up before I left on the day that I had my campus visit) and I will be taking 15 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting in August. Blade and I talked about it and decided that it would be best for me to take out an extra loan and work less because the Master's program is extremely competitive and I will need to focus 100% on my school work and being a mama. When I say competitive, I mean it- with 200 applicants per year, they only accept 33 and the average GPA of those accepted is a 3.57.... which is, in itself, absolutely terrifying, so I try not to focus on the specifics and just remind myself that I am a smart cookie and I will do fantastically!
All in all, I am just ecstatic about what this year has to offer- I finally feel like I am working in the right direction to make something out of myself and make my partner and daughter proud! August can't come soon enough!
