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Shnate McDuanus

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Get the degree.

 

I was out of work in the industry I had studied 4 years for. While I was interviewing for a job, not in my field, I worried about not being qualified. But I wasn't doing anything else that day so I figured I'd go for the interview practice. I ended up getting the job. About a year into that job I met up with the HR guy who hired me. I asked about my qualifications and if it had much bearing on my getting hired. He told me he didn't really care much what my major was. All he was interested in was if I had finished something I'd started. That was in the manufacturing industry. That industry tanked after 13 very fruitful years and now I'm off in another industry.

 

Get the degree. Don't sweat the major. At one time "Liberal Arts" majors were out performing all other degreed professionals. "Liberal Arts" is a degree you get when you don't know what you want to major in. I theorize it is because LA majors have the opportunity to take a wide variety of subjects and are able to marry diverse concepts that upper managerial positions require, diverse subjects like Finance, Marketing, Engineering, Geology. Declared majors are much more versed in their chosen field but are ignorant of all the other areas which surround them. Case in point, Engineers I once worked with were very good a designing machines. But absolutely ignorant of finance, geology, logistics, chemistry and the like that all affect what they are designing.

 

It just astounds me that even today, I drive a vehicle which has aluminum and steel components bolted tightly together. Eventually one or both components disintegrate due to galvanic reaction. I've asked the engieers I've met over the years about galvanic reaction. To a man, every engineer, even a professor of engineering, had no clue what galvanic reaction is. In the 1960's and 70's houses burned down and people died because no one in the architechtural world knew copper and aluminum were not compatible.

 

Get the degree... any degree.

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Naaah.....

 

I'm recommending the teaching degree essentially as a backup against a poor economy. There are teaching jobs out there for English degrees. It may not be exactly where you wanna live' date=' but even in four years, stuff ain't gonna change all that much from today.

 

Then with an English major and secondary credentials, go on to grad school. If things tank, you've got a government job with bennies and only an 8-month work year. It ain't great cash, but it isn't bad in comparison to other stuff. In fact, I know some small college profs who go back into the public school system for as good or better pay, bennies and less pressure on the job.

 

Also, you didn't say "what kind" of English degree. Lit emphasis? Grammar emphasis? "Communications" or "Journalism" emphasis? I don't know what and how stuff may be offered wherever you might find yourself going to school.

 

I'm not saying "Forget your dreams, kid," what I'm saying is that I do believe that in today's world, preparation for more than one specific avenue of personal revenue ain't a bad idea.

 

Follow the dream, for heaven's sake, but have a backup as a "meantime" solution if things get whacky.

 

m

[/quote']

 

 

As an English BA who wanted to write full time, I say there's a lot of wisdom here. I absolutely didn't want to teach or be a professor, so my options were very limited. It took me a long time after school to realize I needed a backup plan - then to find one I could pull off with my abilities, and then one I enjoyed. Turns out I can do, and enjoy, business - not as much as writing and music, but it does much better at supporting my family. I'm still writing and playing, just a lot less than I thought I would. More importantly, I'm employed and we're not starving.

 

If I were to do it again, I'd major in English and minor in business, especially sales and marketing.

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  • 3 weeks later...

What a nice Christmas present, eh?

 

Congratulations and best of luck - and be certain to do well, but also enjoy the end of your final year in high school!

 

Just remember <grin> No 8-hour guitar practice sessions each day regardless of classes and class assignments.

 

m

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Just an update: today I got a letter notifying me that I've been admitted to McDaniel College' date=' and with a $22,000/year academic scholarship to boot!

 

That's one for one. Come April, we'll see what the other fourteen institutions think of me.[/quote']

excellent!

 

Congrats man.

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Just an update: today I got a letter notifying me that I've been admitted to McDaniel College' date=' and with a $22,000/year academic scholarship to boot!

 

That's one for one. Come April, we'll see what the other fourteen institutions think of me.[/quote']

 

Excellent news, X_____, put it under your tree with the rest of the presents. And congrats! foto_smilie.gif

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Just an update: today I got a letter notifying me that I've been admitted to McDaniel College' date=' and with a $22,000/year academic scholarship to boot!

 

That's one for one. Come April, we'll see what the other fourteen institutions think of me.[/quote']

 

Congrats.. That's a great Christmas present. (It's not too far from home either, just far enough).

Just a quick question for you... My son's American College directory has McDaniel listed as a Cosmetology and Hair Design school in Fort Lee, NJ... I thought you were going for English... [biggrin]

 

Xdemon.. You and your folks should be very proud. Early admission and a nice sized Acamdemic Scholarship...

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Best wishes sir. No need in wasting time worrying. Took me a while to understand that' date=' but once I did, life was much better. As long as you put your right foot down and stay in tune, you will always do well. You are your own producer. Now - play it like you wrote it. The song sounds much better that way.

 

[/quote']

 

 

I liked that one. A lot. The Chinese have a proverb:

 

''There are 2 things in life, you should never worry about: Those that you can change. And those that you cannot''.

 

 

Anyway, my very best wishes man for all your future endeavours! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! Whatever the outcome is, remember that one: you are an exceptional young man, certainly more mature than your age implies and full of potential. There are no chances that things will go wrong in your life. Just aim and shoot brother! That's all you need to do! [biggrin]

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Must be a different McDaniel?

 

I was joking about the school's name with my brother and my father last night after getting the letter. It's a McCollege' date=' I'm going to get a McDegree, I'll McMajor in McEnglish, I'll enroll as a McUndergrad, etc. It was funny at the time, but I think you had to be there.[/quote']

 

That "book" also lists Yale as a school for locksmiths, Tulane as a school for highway engineering, Stetson as a university for hat makers, Bowling Green, well..... XDemon, I was kidding around.

The McDonalds jokes were funny. They reminded me of an old friend, from many years ago. He wanted to be a doctor and applied to only one university. McGill University.. My dad was breaking his chops and told him that when he graduated and "hung out his shingle" it'd say Frank ******, Mc. D.

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Thanks brother! I applied to:

 

Hamilton College (Clinton' date=' NY)

Bard College (Annandale-On-Hudson, NY)

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Lafayette College (Easton, PA)

McDaniel College (Westminster, MD)

Clark University (Wooster, MA)

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)

Binghamton University of SUNY (Vestal, NY)

SUNY at Purchase (Purchase, NY)

 

Long list, I know--and very selective, too! I'm so scared.

 

I'm going to be sweating and panicking from now until April...

My son went to U of C. Great school!! I'm very proud of your decision to seek higher education. I don't know what to say about your choice of major though. A Bachelor or Arts degree will only take you so far unfortunately, you will need Masters degree to be remotely employable. My recommendation would be to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in a technical field and minor in English. That way at the end of your first 4 years, you'll have a choice, continue with a Masters or step out into the world, prepared.

Good luck to you, please keep us informed.

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  • 2 months later...

Well, I've gotten decisions from ten schools now. I've been accepted to nine of them:

 

-McDaniel

-Clark

-SUNY Purchase

-Hunter

-Brooklyn College

-Queens College

-CCNY

-College of Staten Island

-Baruch

 

I've been rejected from one of them:

 

-The University of Chicago

 

I don't think I've felt this low in a long time. I know that it's only one school, but it has made me feel so worthless. **** me, I can't get into the University of Chicago. I was completely unqualified from the start and I should've known better, but just as I was too stupid to get into U of C I was too stupid to realize that I was unqualified.

 

This one rejection has made all of the nine acceptances seem completely worthless--considering that not one of them has the most remote measure of legitimate prestige, they probably are as worthless as they seem. I shouldn't even bother going to college. It won't really get me anywhere anyway.

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I don't think I've felt this low in a long time. I know that it's only one school' date=' but it has made me feel so worthless. **** me, I can't get into the University of Chicago. I was completely unqualified from the start and I should've known better, but just as I was too stupid to get into U of C I was too stupid to realize that I was unqualified.

 

This one rejection has made all of the nine acceptances seem completely worthless--considering that not one of them has the most remote measure of legitimate prestige, they probably are as worthless as they seem. I shouldn't even bother going to college. It won't really get me anywhere anyway.[/quote']

Relax man, all you can do at this point is just go to the best of the ones you were accepted in and kick academic ***.

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You really need to relax you have been accepted at 9 out of ten so far with financial aid eve not exactly a strikeout your not gonna end up flipping burgers because you were not the right demographic sample that university of chicago is filling on this semester.

 

College isn't a sprint I was selected in the college recruitment circus at several football schools so football was everything until half way through the season I demolished a knee that had been rebuilt twice so major shift so a different school and a different program in public administration and a masters program from Harvard so I'd have to say it didn't turn out to badly

 

always remember for each door that closes another one opens

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  • 1 month later...

For those of you who wanted me to keep you posted:

 

Well, alright!

 

Final decision time. After applying to fifteen schools (or nine, if you choose to look at CUNY as one institution at which I applied to six of its "branches,") getting accepted outright to twelve of them, rejected from two of them, and waitlisted from one of them, comparing programs and financial aid packages, going on last-minute visits, and haggling (with no avail [lol] ) with financial aid offices, I've finally made a decision, and it's one which I definitely feel very satisfied with.

 

Just as a reminder...

 

Accepted:

-Hunter College

-Brooklyn College

-Queens College

-College of Staten Island

-Baruch College

-City College of New York

-SUNY Purchase

-SUNY Binghamton

-Bard College

-Clark University

-McDaniel College

-Lawrence University

 

Rejected:

 

-University of Chicago

-Hamilton College

 

Waitlisted:

 

-Lafayette College

 

Final decision:

mcd_logo.jpg

 

Since the time I got my acceptance letter from them, they had been supportive, they had impressed me with their consistency and attention to detail, and they seemed to really be enthusiastic about having me at their institution. When I visited the school and observed a class I was very impressed, to say the least, with the quality of the instruction and the general enthusiasm and insight of the students. The campus is beautiful, the student body is bright and inviting, and the faculty is personal and accommodating. All of this, and the price was alright, too!

 

At the end of the day, I turned down eleven other wonderful and very impressive institutions, and selected what was the most appealing one to my tastes. I'm very happy with my decision, and I can hardly wait to start classes in August. This is the result of more than a year of stress and intensive planning and decision-making, and now that it's over all I can do is be happy that I've made a choice that I'm satisfied with, forget the disappointments that I endured, thank everyone who assisted me in some way through the process (including all of you,) and wait patiently for the beginning of my freshman year. That said, thank you all for enduring my self-indulgence, providing your insights, and being, in a rather real sense, friends.

 

[biggrin]

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