Sidy Sow near Gramercy Park as he prepares his journey to either Buffalo State College or The City College of New York (Photo Credit: Errol Lewis/THECollegiate)

When Math, Chemistry and Physics are subjects in which one excels, it’s hard to imagine a better career plan than electrical engineering for Sidy Sow, 25, a Guinea native who recently graduated from LaGuardia Community College (LCC) and is in the process of applying for a transfer to The City College of New York. In both instances, his major is electrical engineering.

“I’m not good in writing, that’s why I chose engineering,” says Sow as he prepares to get his high school transcript from his former high school, Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School. In addition to City College, Sow is also looking into applying to SUNY Buffalo State College.

Ideally, Sow would have liked to have attended City College from the start, but he realized early on during the college application process that his grades weren’t up to par.

“I passed my English exam with a low grade, and [I knew] I couldn’t go to a four year college, so I went to LaGuardia Community College,” Sow acknowledges.

Despite the Queens connection, Sow actually lives in Manhattan. So why didn’t he opt to go to either Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) or Bronx Community College (BCC) instead? Besides the possibility of neither school having his specific major, Sow shares that it was word of mouth that got him to LCC.

“I heard before I went to LaGuardia that it was better than BMCC and other [two-year] colleges,” says Sow.

And it doesn’t hurt that the transfer process in either case is a lot easier now that he’s the holder of an Associate’s Degree, which is why he completed his two-year education before opting to transfer.

“I wanted to wait until I got that degree because it’ll be easier for me to get into City College with a degree instead of transferring with some [college credit],” Sow says. “Sometimes when you transfer without the degree they will only take some credits. I didn’t want to take classes at LaGuardia and end up not getting credit at City College.”

So what is it about City College that stands out the most? “City College is the biggest college when it comes to engineers in New York City,” Sow explains. “That is why I want to go to City College. It’s better than other colleges around the state, I believe,” he adds.

Upon graduating from either City College or Buffalo State College, Sow ultimately hopes to get a job with Consolidated Edison of New York (ConEd). “I had an internship with ConEd in the summer, so I’m looking to work for ConEd when I’m done with school.”

No matter where he lands, Sow realizes that he knows much more today about college life than he ever thought possible when he was in high school. “When I was in high school, I didn’t take school seriously. I used to miss classes and do stupid stuff,” Sow reveals. “Now, in order for you to get a career you have to work really hard towards whatever you want to do.”

Standing in a different set of shoes today than he was then, Sow says he hopes young people start taking school more seriously from the start before they lose track and it’s too late.

“Make sure you get A’s and work hard because it might affect you when looking to transfer from one college to another. They will look up your grades before they take you in,” says Sow. Ultimately, however, he says to work hard and don’t give up.