Youlovesalad.com

Dear Wall Street,

I would like to request a few things back. My money would be a great place to start. I don’t even mean my investments that I lost, but the taxes I paid you after you lost my investments. I would also like to regain a sense of security that scum bags don’t succeed in the world because good-hearted people always win. I would like that back with interest of course. I would like my subway system running “normally” again and I would like the golden surcharge for stepping into a cab to be taken away. I would like my faith in humanity and my general belief in karma to be restored but I don’t see that happening any time soon.

I think that the fact such big bonuses are being distributed, or are even in question, is a pretty obvious sign that there is no remorse for any of the irresponsible actions taken in the past decade and that Wall Street has not only lost touch with “Main Street,” but with an entire sense of reality. Humbleness and a sense of humility has long been gone in the big banks. Integrity has been replaced with selfishness and sense of arrogance and entitlement that is shameful and flat out disgusting. Whether we are technically in a recession anymore or not does not change the fact that thousands of people are still without jobs, or have lost their homes and millions of Americans are in a debt where they can not foresee a way out. All of this is due to the greed and the actions of the same people who are now reaping the benefits of a recovering financial market while the “little” people are left to suffer. No one asked us if we wanted our tax money to go to rescue banks that were “too big to fail” (I laugh because they DID fail and we bailed them out). The government did not step in and give me or my parents the thousands of dollars we had lost with our investments. Investing is a risk with no guarantee. It is legalized gambling. Wall street opposes a new tax that would cost them a few million dollars a year out of the billions of dollars they bring in. Well here is what I say to that: If you want the government to stay out of your business, stay out of theirs. People criticize Obama for trying to regulate Wall Street. They claim that is inherently against capitalism and free markets. Maybe it is. But if we were purely capitalists, we would have let those banks fail. Some operations succeed and some fail. I understand why banks that have repaid their government bail out loans with interest are bitter that they are making up for the funds lost by companies that did not repay their TARP loans. However, the government took a gamble on all of those companies that it has to save. There was no guarantee that Goldman Sachs would rebound so quickly or so lucratively- they could have just as easily failed. And it is for that reason that those banks are responsible for helping the companies like AIG that haven’t rebounded. The government gambled with the people’s money and they deserve it back- no matter who has already repaid their fair share.

I am willing to give Wall Street their bonuses- when they actually deserve them. I ask you Wall Street- where is my bonus? Where is my bailout? Where is the money I lent you (with interest of course), because I sure as hell don’t have it. I am ashamed that people in this country, although few in number, could be so ruthless and selfish. The level of ignorance that they have displayed in thinking that they deserve a bonus more than the national salary average, especially considering they led the country, and the world, into a global recession, is beyond pitiful. Politicians keep claiming we have entered an “age of accountability”, but somehow, I feel that the regular people are the only ones being held accountable.

After a year of drama and nightmares, I have finally been accepted into the Hunter College Post-Baccalaureate Program. This process was literally one of the most frustrating and anxiety provoking procedure of my life and so I am trying to compile my thoughts to help future applicants in any way possible. The biggest advice I can give is DO NOT GIVE UP. Stay persistent and confident and try to leave all of  your anger and frustration somewhere else. For the most part, the administrative side of Hunter is a mess. They are understaffed and usually apathetic about your situation but USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!

Applying to the Hunter PB Program is a three step process.

1. The first step is applying and being admitted into CUNY.

2. Secondly, you must get into Hunter College.

3. And lastly, you must get into Hunter’s Official PB Program.

Hunter is planning on building a new science building which will expand its capacity to take on science students. In the meantime, plan for dysfunctionality and leave yourself enough time to tackle this process. In all honesty, I don’t know many people who were able to get into the program the semester they wanted.

PART I: APPLYING TO CUNY

You can apply to CUNY online by visiting http://cuny.edu/admissions/index.html and then applying as an undergraduate. This confuses some people since when you apply for the PB program you already have an undergrad degree. However, the PB Program is NOT a degree program. It is a certificate program but you do not receive an additional degree.

To fill out an online application you must set up a portal account. Follow the procedure for transfer applicants (not freshmen). To see if you qualify for acceptance see the following link: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/prospectivestudents/ug_students/2degree.shtml

If you qualify and would like to apply, you will be asked to choose what schools you would like to apply to. You should obviously put HUNTER as your number one choice and there is also an additional option to add the PB program (Code 0339). You can apply to backup CUNYs that might also have science classes in case you can’t get into Hunter the first semester, but remember that if you need a committee letter for medical school, you must take at least SIX of your science classes at Hunter.

For your actual application you will need to have BOTH your high school AND your College transcripts sent to CUNY. Even though you may already have a BA/BS, CUNY wants to see your high school transcript. The Hunter PB website will tell you otherwise but my application was deemed incomplete because it did not have my high school transcripts. Even though this makes no sense, and some reviewers at CUNY do not care about your HS transcript, to avoid any sort of delays I would suggest sending it just to be safe. It is usually free anyway or costs about $5. Make sure that both transcripts are official and that they are addressed to CUNY and not to you (you will run into problems otherwise). Send all of your application materials to the following address along with a check for $70:

CUNY/UAPC
P.O. Box 359023
Brooklyn, NY 11235-9023

The application fee can also be paid online. If you are currently taking classes at HUNTER or another CUNY you are exempt from the application fee, however, if you stop taking classes for even one semester, you will have to pay the fee and your application will not be looked at until the payment is received.  In my opinion, it is better to just pay the $70. My application got held up for months because of this fee. When I originally applied I was taking classes at Hunter but because it took them so long to process my application, I was no longer taking classes at Hunter by the time my application was looked at and I owed them the fee. I was never informed that I owed them the fee and my application was further delayed because of that. I know $70 can be a pain when you’re a student but it is honestly worth avoiding the hassle and definitely worth a semester of your life!

Once your application with CUNY is complete you might think you just have to sit back and wait to hear from them. Don’t! Stay proactive. Stay on top of your application. They are going to tell you that it takes 4-8 weeks to do anything (no matter what you ask them). If a piece of your app is missing, they will tell you it takes 4-8 weeks, Keep calling CUNY ADMISSIONS at 212-997-2869. It is almost impossible to speak to a human but keep trying. Do not trust the voice recording that tells you about your application. I called that recording all summer and it said my application was complete but that was not true. Stay on top of your application because no one else cares about it except you and that is the sad but honest truth.

Part II: Applying to HUNTER

The Hunter Admissions office is a slightly more pleasant place. You are actually able to speak to humans, and they sometimes even know what they are talking about. Hunter will not look at your application until you have been accepted into CUNY, but you should put it in anyway. You want to apply as a second degree student. If you have any questions, GO to the office. It is a lot more helpful than calling.

PART III: Getting into the Post-bacc Program

This is the tricky part. All decisions about admittance into the program will be made by Mrs. Wood-Hill. I give her some credit in the respect that she is overworked and understaffed and she takes care of hundreds of students which can be really overwhelming. However, I have never found her to be particularly helpful. She is awful and replying to emails and while she has a walk-in schedule, you can find yourself waiting for over an hour and they are often cancelled at the last minute. This was very frustrating to me over the last year and caused a lot of anger but the thing to keep in mind, is to just keep being nice. She can help you ALOT if you kiss a little ass. Keep in mind that before you are admitted to CUNY she will not even look at your application and honestly there is not much point in even talking to her in my opinion, Stay persistent will your acceptance into CUNY but prepare your post-bacc application in the meantime and get it in early!

Hunter’s Post BAcc Website gives this advice:

Once you have completed the online application you should begin our supplemental application (see below).  With the supplemental application you must include your resume, your personal statement and a letter of recommendation as well as unofficial copies of all transcripts. We cannot make any decisions about your application until you have received an acceptance from UAPC.  Their acceptance letter will come to you via email.  You can then expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of hearing from UAPC.

I would NOT expect to hear from the post-bacc office within 2 weeks or any sort of timely fashion. Again, if you don’t aggressively follow up on your application, it is just going to sit in a pile on a desk or in a drawer collecting dust. However, do follow their advice about getting your application ready. You’ll need:

1. Resume

2. Unofficial transcripts

3. Letter of Recommendation (*A letter of support from someone in an academic setting (http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/prehealth/repository/files/ACADEMIC-RECOMMENDATION-FORM.pdf or professional setting (http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/prehealth/repository/files/OTHER-RECOMMENDATION-FORM-1.pdf) or voluntary setting.

4. Personal Statement ( A 750 word essay regarding your professional goals and your interest in the Program)

5. Supplemental Application:

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/prehealth/repository/files/The%20Supplemental%20Application.pdf

6. Self- Addressed Enveloped with a stamp that will be used to acknowledge the receipt of your application.

***Note: You must submit ALL supplemental material (supplemental application, resume, essay, letter of recommendation, and All UN-OFFICIAL transcripts) as ONE PACKAGE.  Failure to do so will certainly DELAY your application review and possibly cause your REJECTION to the program. Also please include a SELF ADDRESSED, PRE-PAID ENVELOPE. It will be returned to you verifying that your package was received by our office.  No further information will be given until final decisions are made.***

PLEASE MAIL YOUR SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL TO:

Re: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Applicant
Office of Pre-Health Advising
School of Arts & Sciences
Hunter College - CUNY
695 Park Avenue, 812 East
New York, NY 10065

Please see the Hunter Website for additional information: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/prehealth/postba

PART IV: Leftovers

1. If you can NOT get into Hunter for the semester  you intended to start, register as non-degree student. The deadline for non-degree admission is really late and the application is really simple. You will only need an unofficial transcript. This can all be done at the Hunter Admissions office and you are accepted automatically. The downside is that you don’t register until classes start. However, if you are open to taking any of your requirements, you might be able to squeeze into a class like Biology or English or math. Personally I would aim for BIO 100 since that is what I was able to get myself into, BIO is also the biggest intro science class. There are over 700 kids in the class and they really don’t care that much about over tallying. The problem is always getting into a lab section but they sometimes open up extra sections on saturdays last minute. It is also possible to get the lecture done and take the lab a different semester.

2. If you have previously taken some of your requirements during your undergrad years, that is helpful. The thing to keep in mind is that you will not be allowed to register for classes with pre-requisites unless the classes you took in your undergrad years have been approved by each department. This is supposed to be done when Hunter evaluates your transcript but is not always done due to laziness and dysfunctionality. Call each department before your registration date to make sure there are no holds on your account. For example, if you want to take Organic Chemistry and you took General Chemistry as an undergrad, make sure that the Chemistry department has a record of this. It is sometimes necessary to give the individual department a copy of your transcript along with a course description so that the chair can approve it. I was told that when you do this, they remove the hold for only one semester so just double check the following semester if you don’t get into the class you want that semester.

3. Join the post-bacc listserv even if you are not yet a post-bacc. It is annoying at times to receive so many emails but everyone is really helpful and has gone through the same experience as you. Check out their website:

http://studentweb.hunter.cuny.edu/clubs/prehealthpostbacc/

4. If you are set on finishing your courses within a certain timeline, find out if your undergrad institution will write you a committee letter. If they agree to do so, take classes wherever you can. PACE is a great option because the application process is not nearly as complicated and it is ALOT easier to get into the classes you need. Downside is the $$$$. Again, it depends how much that year of your life is worth.

no matter what you are going through, no matter what your partner is going through, you should never make them feel like their problems are trivial. life is not a competition about who has it worse. no matter what it is, we are supposed to be supportive of each other and express our love. physical affection never hurts either. a thank you and an “i love you” go a long way. after all, the whole reason we are in these things called relationships is for love, so the least we can do is show that.

ps- from my favorite blog:

Friendship, love, and family don’t hinge on any single success or failure; you would do yourself a disservice to administer litmus tests to things as labyrinthine as love and affection.

always read this when you need advice. http://prudentadviceformybabydaughter.blogspot.com/

I’m not really sure what to do anymore. I throw up at least once a week. This is not new for me, but barfing without drinking the night before is. It feels different now too. I woke up thursday  morning having an anxiety attack. How do you wake up having an anxiety attack? I could feel all my worries boiling around in my stomach and i felt violently sick. My mom tells me I need to calm down but I am not sure how. I have had a lot of stress in my life since I was 12 years old. Stress is not new to me, bu I guess the stress I am going through now is. I feel incredibly trapped in my life right now. I hate my job a lot of the time- not because I don’t care about what I do but because I feel that I am being taken advantage of. Not just me personally, but my friends that I work with as well. We work around the clock, seven days a week, and we make the least money out of everyone. Everyone else dictates their hours, dictates their salary and does about half as much as we do. The guys in my office de next to nothing and they all get to take vacation while I was told, along with my female co-workers, that it was ridiculous to ask for two weekends off in a row in the middle of summer. I barely have money to pay my bills right now and I skip eating meals on purpose lately to save money, which gives me more anxiety and doesn’t help my stomach problems. I can’t quit my job because then I have even less money and it is hard to keep telling your boss that you think you are being treated unfairly. What I realized, is that as nice as my boss is, she doesn’t care.

New York City is everything. It is my life. It is who I am. I genuinely feel that it makes me a better person. I don’t know how a city, something so undefined, can do that, but it does. It makes no sense and it is the only things that makes sense. It inspires me everyday to work harder and it gives me energy. It reminds me that however little I have at times, there is always someone who has less. It makes me smile. It makes my cry, but it is always a good cry. It makes me feel alone and independent and completely surrounded and overwhelmed by people. I feel at home here and I really can’t ever imagine being anywhere else.

Two years ago I could not run a mile.  A year and a half ago when I moved to Stamford I decided to start running. Not because I like running. In fact, I used to despise running, but my strong disgust for fat cells and my desire to maintain my large hamstrings from dancing led me to start running.  My first complete mile was around 13 minutes long.  Today I ran a mile in 8 min 15 seconds. And i am damn proud.

i wish for ten seconds a day, boys had any idea what girls were talking about

My boyfriend of four years, who I live with, told me yesterday that we weren’t really in that serious of a relationship. Not quite sure what to do with that statement

One of my biggest pet peeves, is people who live off their parents. I understand it is hard to be young and have no money (trust me, I’m there), and I am not saying that you shouldn’t be able to ask your parents for help (because trust me I do), but I really lose respect for people who don’t even try to be financially independent. It is very easy to move to the city and have your parents pay for your apartment and buy your groceries and give you an allowance but you don’t learn anything that way, and you certainly don’t grow up. I am very proud of all of my friends for the way they handled things post- college. They all managed to find apartments and jobs and make it without asking their parents to foot the bill. Even if they had to borrow money at first, they paid it back.

I don’t know why it bothers me so much- it just does. My ex- roomate from Chicago moved to NY post college and doesn’t even have a job. She volunteers and is not completely useless, but isn’t it kind of pathetic to still be completely dependent on your daddy? Maybe it’s not and I’m just being judgmental.  My other friend’s roomate is from LA. She worked here 5 months before she got fired and now she sits on the couch and watches TV while she collects unemployment. How is it that someone who lived and worked in NY for 5 months collects unemployment for over a year? That doesn’t seem fair, especially considering that her parents pay  her $1700 rent check every month. I know that I shouldn’t worry about it bla bla bla, but it actually becomes my problem when kids with super rich parents move to NY and pay for everything because it drives up the cost of living for everyone else who is trying to make it on their own. I am also tired of paying unemployment money to people who don’t need the money and also make no effort to find a job.

Maybe I’m just bitter because it’s Monday back from vacation…..

I can’t think of a place more different from NYC than Blue Mt. Lake- but I also can’t think of another place that I love equally as much. Blue Mt. Lake is a tiny town on a beautiful lake in upstate New York. There is approximately nothing to do except eat, sleep, read, hike, swim or go on a boat and someone how you never get bored. I stay at this place called The Hedges, which is a quintessential Adirondack lodge run by middle aged women. They make all of your meals for you and enjoy all of it, especially the fact that you don’t have to make any decisions at all. Breakfast is all you can eat- literally, ALL you can eat and dinner is a 4-5 course meal. After dinner there is a fire outside with a smores station ready to go. After you are more than satiated, you sit on the dock with a glass of wine and you are not allowed to leave until you see three shooting stars. I think I sat there until I counted ten while a girl played the yulk and sang tunes. The Hedges is the happiest place I can think of. You forget about money. You forget about possessions and problems. Your cell phone doesn’t work and so you forget all about anything that isn’t right in front of you. All you need is that moment and that is such a hard thing to obtain in the city. City life is about the past, the present and the future all at the same time. Sometimes I get anxiety about things that happened so long ago I am not quite sure why they still bother me. I always worry about the present and the future.  But for three days I escaped to my little magical land at the Hedges where nothing whatsoever matters…and it was absolutely fabulous.