GSSM is a STEM Residential High school program that receives applicants from all counties of South Carolina, ranked the #1 Public School in South Carolina and #8 in the U.S. by Niche in 2024.
The Renaissance Man Era
I would consider this my “Renaissance Man” era, as I didn’t really know what I wanted to dedicate myself to. I found subjects in Biology, Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics interesting and I followed the different prerequisite tracks to be able to take the highest level classes in these subjects like Anatomy & Physiology, Advanced Genetics, Modern Physics, Intro to Artificial Intelligence, and Multivariable Calculus.
The Business School Confusion
In fact, I was having such a hard time deciding on what to specialize in that I actually applied to most universities as a business major, believing that would allow me to kick the decision can further down the road. Which was a particularly bad move considering I had shown no prior (and had no) desire to go into business.
Although this idea made sense to me at the time, I’m sure it made less sense to the admission reps across the country who received an application to business school from a guy whose resume had nothing to do with business.
Fun Fact
Yale doesn’t have a business program. Something I wish I had known before I expressed my interest in it on my application.
The Accidental Engineer
What ultimately saved me is that when asked what “school” I was applying to I would pick the one with science in the name because that’s what I wanted to do as a business major, which was always the School of Engineering. To those schools that sectioned majors off that way it must have seemed like I was applying as an engineer with an interest in business, which actually fit my resume.
UVA was one of those schools, and that’s how I applied there as a business major and ended up an Engineer.
