Cognitive Science & Linguistics in Norway

Sydney Blanke Start Date: Jan 10, 2014 - End Date: May 9, 2014
  • Bergen, Norway

My Travel Story

by: Sydney Blanke Start Date: Jan 10, 2014 - End Date: May 9, 2014
Below lies a story of immense struggle in the pursuit of academic dreams; have tissues ready ;)

      Thriving in school was never an issue for me. I grew up as an 'army brat', never staying in one place much longer than a year. Yet through all the moves and the consequent divorce, I still found solace and focus in succeeding in school. I challenged myself with a plethora of honors and AP classes, and was honored to graduate as valedictorian of my highschool with a 4.1 cumulative GPA. I participated in many clubs, played and taught piano, completed a study abroad, wrestled through senior project, and even volunteered on the weekends. Nobody dreamed I would have trouble getting into college, but I applied to eleven schools just in case. I was turned away from all of them.
      Heartbroken and confused, I was forced to regroup. I started to look abroad, to see what opportunities awaited me in other countries. My choices were slim, as my major of choice was neuroscience, which is a relatively new field and even newer major. But I stumbled upon a great university in New Zealand, where I was accepted and began to prepare for eagerly. 
 Sadly, this university did not have any scholarships available for me in my particular situation, and I was looking at over 20k left to come up with, even excluding the loans I was able to get from FAFSA. No matter how long or hard I scoured the internet, I couldn't seem to find a scholarship that I qualified for. Most were dependent on race and area of study. It was at this point that I turned to my father for help. Though we hardly spoke over the years, our relationship had always been a good one. We got along well and spoke often of academics, and he would frequently voice how proud he was of me for all my success and hard work. When I broached the subject of possibly dipping into his GI bill to pay for uni--offering to treat it as a loan and pay back every penny-- he became indignant and accused me of being selfish and manipulative. Though it would not have cost him a dime or added any years onto his service (not to mention he had no plans of using it himself), I swallowed my hurt and begged him to at least cosign on a loan with me since my mother had been denied. This too, he refused.
      I reluctantly abandoned my plans of studying in New Zealand, even though most of the arrangements had already been made. Since it was now January, the only thing I could do was apply for more universities for the fall semester and work until then. I was accepted into a very prestigious neuroscience program in Alabama, with only 15 students admitted per year. However, since I was not coming directly from highschool, I was not eligible for any freshman entry scholarships, and my hard-earned highschool performance was now irrelevant. Again, I could not afford to attend.
     I'm currently at a school in Nebraska, but it doesn't have what I need and I'd graduate with tens of thousands of debt. I've set my sights on University of Bergen, Norway that has a bachelors for Cognitive Science. Tuition is free, but I need 15k a year for living expenses (can't get a student visa without it). This is where my heart is and I know great opportunities await.

     All jokes aside, I share all of this with you, not for sympathy, but to provide perspective on where I'm coming from and how seriously I take my future; the time and money that goes into this venture will not be wasted. Your help would be immeasurably appreciated. One day I'll get there, and achieve something incredible, and those American admissions officers will rue the day they set aside my file.
  • Bergen, Norway