Wow... communication was lost somewhere...

[AnnShh]

Most of you probably know that I'm going to the University of Mississippi next year. When I visited this summer I was told that if I majored in forensic chem I would receive instate tuition. Sounds great! So I turned down several other schools and changed my major slightly (it's similar but not exactly what I wanted to go for) since I loved the campus and the tuition break was icing on the cake. I have several emails from different people at the school stating that I get instate tuiton.
Fast forward to a couple months ago... I was following up with the school to see what else I need to do and they tell me to send in the paperwork to the academic common market to finalize the instate tuition.
I get home today and my dad told met that the AMC called and that my application was denied. What?!?! The lady my dad spoke to claimed that he state of VA does not recognize forensic chemistry as a major (how that isn' recognized as a major, I don't know... the whole point of the instate thing was BECAUSE it's not offered in many places!) and that the only thing that is granted in-state is geological engineering. So we call the school, because something was very obviously wrongly communicated somewhere... whether the school screwed up and misinformed us or VA is being weird etc.
The school doesn't understand why they say they don't consider it a major, and says that it is def. forensic chem or geological engineering.

The school is going to call the AMC tomorrow and speak with them directly to figure out what has happened. I'm really hoping they get this worked out. I LOVE the campus, but am not sure that I would stay past my first year at an out of state tuition rate, for several reasons.

Hopefully it's just a misunderstanding and everything will be fixed... I do have to give the school a thumbs up for acting quickly to try and figure this out.

 

[pricklesnquills]

Oh, what a headache! Hope you get it all figured out and that everything works out for you!

 

[AnnShh]

Sooo no real updates today.
The ACM called today and the lady said that they have a written order from Mississippi telling them that they are not accepting any more applications for the in-state thing (doesn't make sense to me) so apparently they never really processed my application. So while my dad is on the phone with them, Mississippi called. He puts the ACM on hold and talked with Mississippi, who says they called the ACM and they claimed that they never received my application. He was like "They did receive it! I have them on the phone right now!". So Mississippi claims that they never told the ACM that they weren't accepting new applications. He gets back on the phone with the ACM and they say that they will process it even though it will probably be denied and look for similar programs in VA. Um, NO! I don't want SIMILAR programs, there is a school her that has forensic science but I"m going for forensic chemistry.

At this point, I'm confused myself- I'm glad my dad is doing the talking. This is really frustrating, to say the least. They said it will be 30 days til I know anything more.

I honestly find this completely ridiculous. How can there be this much miscommunication on both sides? ACM is saying one thing to us, another to Mississippi... Mississippi is saying something completely different.

My teacher I have this year I also had in 10th grade and she knew how I was ALL about being a vet.... she commented today that this is a sign that I'm not meant to do something else! (she really wanted me to go to VTech and do prevet). I'm starting to think I should have just gone with my original plan of pre vet and Tech! Sheesh!

 

[Melissa]

I know you have your heart set on that school but why dont you just do the criminal forensics with a minor is chemisty. Im currently in the forensics program at my school and its all law classes(almost no math or science believe it or not) which is super great(for me anyways) and you can get a minor in chemisty and get all your sciences that way. I mean if you REALLY want this you will find a way to do it. There ARE ways.

Oh yea! I dont know the requirements for a minor at other schools but at mine its just 4 extra classes.. which you can actually use for your electives!

 

[AnnShh]

I know you have your heart set on that school but why dont you just do the criminal forensics with a minor is chemisty. Im currently in the forensics program at my school and its all law classes(almost no math or science believe it or not) which is super great(for me anyways) and you can get a minor in chemisty and get all your sciences that way. I mean if you REALLY want this you will find a way to do it. There ARE ways.

Oh yea! I dont know the requirements for a minor at other schools but at mine its just 4 extra classes.. which you can actually use for your electives!

I'm not quite sure I understand (it's too early for me haha)... the only program at this school is the Forensic Chemistry. I wouldn't mind forensic science but the only VA school that offers it is one that I don't want to go to for various reasons. The forensic chem is HIGHLY science classes (like, 18 chem classes, plus other bio and physics ones). I didn't want to major in the forensic chem... but it was close enough to the other programs that I decided to try it. It wouldn't be worth me paying out of state though... I don't want it THAT much. The only reason I decided to do the forensic chem was because the school offered me something that my other schools did not, so I altered my major.
We'll see what happens... I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I really do hope they can come through with the in-state for me though.

 

[Riven]

I would not change your major at all from what you want to do. This is more than just liking a campus, this is the base for your future. If you're going to spend the money to go to college, be sure to go for something you truly want to do.

Other than that, it sounds like VA is just trying to keep their students in state, otherwise why would they say to find another thing to go to... IN VA. Tons of people move to go to college.

I guess I don't know what AMC is, or what the state has to do with you going to college. Do you have classes taken somewhere or do you have state funding or ??

 

[AnnShh]

I would not change your major at all from what you want to do. This is more than just liking a campus, this is the base for your future. If you're going to spend the money to go to college, be sure to go for something you truly want to do.

Other than that, it sounds like VA is just trying to keep their students in state, otherwise why would they say to find another thing to go to... IN VA. Tons of people move to go to college.

I guess I don't know what AMC is, or what the state has to do with you going to college. Do you have classes taken somewhere or do you have state funding or ??

The point of the AMC is to determine whether I have the opportunity to study what I want. Since there is no school in state that has forensic chemistry (there is one with forensic science but that's different than forensic chem), I'm supposed to get in-state for Mississippi because I "do not have the opportunity to study that in state" (so I don't have the opportunity to get in-state tuition".

I wouldn't have as much of a problem with this if they didn't tell me that I would have in state. But by saying I would have it, that to me (and to Mississippi, apparently) means that I will def. get it. If I knew from the start that I had to pay out of state or that there was a chance I would have had to pay out of state, that would be different. But had I known that, there was a chance I would not have picked that school (in the end it came down to which one was cheaper).

We'll see what happens. It's frustrating to be getting so many different stories. I guess it will be another 30 days before we hear anything more.... but A LOT of people on my end are not happy right now.