<p>I just started at SUNY Purchase today as a transfer. Prior to this, I attended Westchester Community College for two years and got an associates degree from them and attended La Salle University in Philadelphia prior to that my first year of college post-high school.</p>
<p>Already at Purchase, I find myself disliking the campus. It's a combination of things, I just don't get a good feeling from the campus. It was not my choice to apply here, I wanted to apply to Temple after WCC to get back to Philadelphia but my parents said they could not afford it and suggested going with SUNYs. I applied to Purchase and New Paltz and only got into Purchase very short notice. They say it'll take me seven more semesters to come close to a Bachelor's in my major... I really don't want to spend seven more semesters here so that's playing a part. My plan was to spend a semester at Purchase, apply to Temple for the spring 2014 semester, take out loans and get through the next few years of college that way.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, it's not that I was a huge fan of WCC, I was not at all, but that campus at least kept me enthralled. Perhaps it was the lighter course load while commuting (which I am doing now) I don't know if I can take more serious academics and dealing with my parents at the same time.</p>
<p>Another one of my concerns is transferring again, I am worried that Temple won't take too many of my credits or not accept me based more on the fact I have a basically blank GPA from Purchase (my final GPA at WCC was around 2.9-3.0). Also, my parents really want me to stay at Purchase for some odd reason now that I am in (my mom more, my dad is supportive either outcome). She just wants me to get done with college ASAP and I feel like if I go to Temple, she won't let me go or something. But while I felt that way in the beginning at La Salle, I really want to start pursuing a college experience I can remember that got taken away from me thanks to WCC. And I can't do that while living at home. Of course if I don't get into Temple that would be a problem but nothing I wouldn't be able to get past.</p>
<p>Point is, I know I have at least two more years of college left - I want them to be worthwhile but I can't do that at Purchase but I am concerned about further transferring. Someone please give me advice?</p>
<p>Okay… so you have spent three years as a full time college or community college student, and essentially you have one semester of credits that will apply toward your major to show for it? Ugh. You are in a mess. This does not sound very well planned on your part…</p>
<p>What is your planned major? Is there some related major you can complete instead that will use more of your credits? Have you run the financial numbers on what a transfer to Temple would cost? Are you aware of what the limits are for you as a student to borrow? What salary would you expect to earn with your major when you graduate, and how does that compare to the loans you would need? How much would your parents pay toward Temple?</p>
<p>My concern is that you don’t seem to have had a very good plan prior to this – not sure how strong your planning skills are to make sure you can pay for Temple and you finish your degree quickly there, and get a job afterwards to pay off your loans.</p>
<p>intparent - Yes, I know… trust me, I wanted to stay at La Salle for this very reason. My deal with my parents after going to WCC was after I get a 2-year degree I could transfer everywhere I wanted, that obviously did not come to pass last spring. Anyway, I have done my research on Temple’s tuition and with financial aid/loans plus what my parents are willing to spend ($20,000 a year maximum) it seems feasible. I’ve done everything I could thus far planning-wise. My major is Communications/Media Arts by the way and at Purchase is New Media (which is basically Communications).</p>
<p>brendank21 - It was a Communications and Media Arts A.A. degree.</p>
<p>What are you doing? How do you even know you’re going to like Temple? What if you don’t and you make the bad decision of putting $20,000 in loans toward that per year. $40,000 in loans for two years. You’re going to get saddled with debt upon graduation with poor employment prospects if you don’t get your GPA up. You should also realize that a lot of communications majors have very low starting salaries around $30K. Realize that your parents will be investing money in you. I think “happiness” with the campus should take a backseat in light of getting an education at a different campus if it’s going to nickel and dime you. You remind me of an art major who worked 4 jobs to attend a super expensive private school who is 30K in debt still and can’t find a job after graduation except you’ll be in more debt and have a lower GPA. </p>
<p>My suggestion: Pick the cheaper option because you are not doing well academically, your degree won’t net you that great of a job to begin with, and you should make the best of a bad situation because your parents are helping you finance your education. You are using your parent’s money and can you honestly say that it’ll be a worthwhile investment of their money for you to go to Temple?</p>
<p>OK, I’ve thought about this now that I have spent a few more days at the campus. While the school as a whole still bugs me, I realize my problem lies more in my major than the atmosphere. I chose New Media when I applied thinking it was more what I was leaning towards since Purchase does not offer a real Communications program. New Media instead is way more of an arts program than the media production courses I thought I would be getting. Plus the course load is way too heavy for me to want to continue in it. They have a program called “Media, Society and the Arts” which aligns much more with what I had at La Salle, so my plan is to switch majors after this semester if all else fails…</p>
<p>As for Temple, I went by the campus many times while living at La Salle and have done the research on it and it is much more what I wanted out of an academic communications experience. I could make the best out of a bad situation, but I want a better education that suits more what I want and can do, that’s why I set my eye on Temple and if my parents can’t really support me, as being picked out of a private school and into community college shows, I need to take matters into my own hands - that is if I choose to go. I know very well what to expect loan-wise. So my plan is to apply to Temple just to try, maybe apply to a SUNY school further away just to please my parents and if one of those works out - I’ll go there if they don’t, I’ll switch my major at Purchase. Seems fair enough.</p>
<p>Let me rephrase that. The New Media program, according to my advisor and with the credits I have, would take seven more semesters (the one I’m in included) to come close to a degree because there are just so many, many courses that said program requires. A program that requires a reasonable amount of effort but less required classes (so it was more doable in a certain number of semesters). It’s not that I don’t want to work that hard, I just want to put the same amount of effort in in a shorter period of time, if that makes sense.</p>