Tales from College: Episode 1

Tales From College: How I Got into My Dream School and Almost Failed

By Inaya Syed

Imagine: you just received a notification on your phone. It is from your email; the subject line reads "Congratulations! You're Admitted to New York Tech." You can hardly believe your eyes! You rub them once to see if the email disappears. You open it, and it reads:

You can hardly believe it. You've been dreaming of this day. You had applied to ten colleges, being rejected from Stony Brook University. Doesn't matter now! You finally got into your dream school.

This is what happened to me. I did not read thoroughly and ended up in a major I did not prefer. Ever since I was eight years old, all I could remember was wanting to be an engineering designer. I would constantly do experiments and think of machine design.

However, if you look closely, my major was stated as an architecture major. Boy, was that hard. Let me explain exactly what happened.

While applying, I made a mistake in my application to New York Tech. I did not realize until the second week of classes that I was in the wrong class type. I was struggling with the coursework. My first semester was hell; I nearly failed my courses, as I could not understand them well enough. I was slipping in my academics. Finally, my finals and their respective grades came through the system:

I was at risk of losing my scholarship, as it was required for my scholarship to achieve a 3.0 GPA or higher. My mom was proud of me for passing, however, I was not satisfied. I wanted to do better. The only way I knew how: Changing my major, boosting my grades, and working my butt off. So, I submitted a change of major request form. I studied a lot of Precalculus and submitted my assignments for classes (often either early or on time). The next thing I know, I am achieving grades like these:

It was a miracle for me to pull through. My family was proud of me. I had taken the easiest course load known for the major. I did so well, I applied for the NYIT Chapter of ASME's E-board, where I got a position. It's only going to get harder from here! Until then, I will work my hardest to be better and do better in my academics. One day, I might be valedictorian. I might make a speech at graduation. In the meantime, I will work my hardest. Go Bears!