Preparing for School

According to MyUW, the University of Washington's online service, my application, transcripts and other documents have been received and entered into their computers and are awaiting an initial review by the admissions staff.

While I'm waiting for news from admissions I've been looking into some of the other arrangements that need to be made in order for my UW experience to be as painless as possible. If I play my cards right the UW might even be beneficial.

First on the menu is getting financial aid*. I've got my FAFSA mostly filled out and I'm just awaiting my W-2 and Dad's income info to complete it. I should qualify for just about every program they have to offer being that our family income is significantly less than half Seattle average and a little over half of state average**. Not only do we have lower than normal income we have a lot more than normal people (8 people in the house with two attending college). I'm hoping that in addition to getting money for classes, I'll be able to procure enough from the financial aid people that I can live on campus. Which brings me to my next phase of arrangement.

Living on campus would be nice in several ways. First and foremost it would save me buckets of money on transportation. Parking at the UW is $250 a month. That doesn't count gas or other car expenses. I could take the bus but that looks to be extremely inconvenient as I would have to build my life around a bus schedule. Secondly, living on campus would be pretty convenient. I could just walk to my classes every day. Another factor is that this option provides a stepping stone between living at home and living on my own. Finally, it'll give the family a bit more space and ease my conscience about being a live-at-home slacker.

Wait a minute! What if I get stuck in a room with a hard-drinking international student that doesn't speak English? I've got that problem solved already (I hope). Enter my planned roomie and long time pal Mr. TBQelite. Mr. TBQelite will also be attending the UW (assuming we both get in) and living on campus for reasons similar to my own. According to UW policy undergraduates coming into the UW have first priority on dorms so we should be able to get a double together. I'd feel massively sorry for the third wheel who gets stuck with us in the event they give us a triple.

I've done preliminary research and I think I've identified which of the dorms suits our needs best. The answer being McCarty Hall. The rooms(pictured above) seem to have the best layout, the usual amenities and unlike the other halls McCarty is gender segregated by floor.

The floor plan posted on the Housing and Food Services website looks like this:

We would bring some of our own special furniture and set up like this:

What I mean by special furniture is that instead of normal beds, we would build, hopefully with out dads' (both of whom are contractors) bunks that instead of having a bottom bed would have a desk, thus freeing up a lot of space. As you can see from my diagram that would help remove the crushed milk carton feel (Not that I'm unused to crushed milk cartons, I've shared an 8'x10' with my brother for years. Before that I shared the same room with my brother and two sisters[When we were all less than 10 yrs. Old]). I sure hope that bringing our own furniture will be allowed.

Amenities include:

• Ian's Domain, an Internet café, features high-speed computers with Ethernet connections and a lounge with a big-screen, high-definition TV

• Ethernet access in student rooms

• Main lounge with Ping-Pong table and pool table

• A large study room which can accommodate large groups

• Single-gender floors

• A partially enclosed patio lounge

• Storage locker on each floor

• Loftable and movable furniture in each room

• Carpeted floors

• Kitchenettes, laundry facilities and bike storage rooms
  

I'm a little stressed out about all the details. Your prayers that things would work out towards God's glory would be greatly appreciated.

*Because I'm opposed to government welfare programs it probably seems a little hypocritical of me to be applying for them. But the truth is my parents and I are paying for student aid whether we use it or not. This is our chance to get a little bit of the exorbitant taxes we pay(especially Dad as a small business owner) back.

**By no means at all is this a criticism of Dad. He could be making significantly more than he does now (probably 3x or more his current income) but he chose to give up a high paying career so that he could spend more time with the family. Additionally, despite our lower income we do not experience a lower standard of living. We're just a lot more frugal than we used to be. It's amazing how little a difference the money matters.