Hi everyone! I’m currently stuck trying to decide on where I want to go to school next fall. I currently have 34 credits (40 once I’m done with the summer session) from my community college. All I would’ve had left were my two math courses, two semesters of biology, another psychology course, and a third english course to get my associates. I didn’t want to stay because the math and bio departments at my community college are not great and do not transfer well. I’m majoring in psychology and plan to go into the forensic psychology and criminology field, more specifically law and working wrongly convicted felons’ cases.
Now for the universities I was accepted into, and why I’m stuck deciding on which to commit to.
American University: I’ve been in love with AU for awhile and was so excited to get admitted. I live in the DC area so the location is not an issue to me, and my dad and sister work for the government so I’m familiar with work there. The main issue is that with just a $10k grant since AU doesn’t really give transfer scholarships, I’m paying $51k a year. I could commute and drop my cost to about $35-40k a year, but it’s 25 minutes to the metro and then another hour long ride.
The New School: The New School and Eugene Lang offered me enough money to drop my cost down to $45k a year. Once again still a lot of money. I knew applying to both how much money I would likely be taking out for loans. TNS is not as known as AU, but they’re big on social justice and activism, which I enjoy. They also have offered me multiple other scholarship opportunities once I pay my deposit. If money was not an issue, I think I would likely choose AU over TNS.
Temple University: I just applied to Temple after being admitted last year as a transfer music therapy major. I like the school and their psychology program, and the multiple opportunities they have such as their black student pre-law program, and multiple other clubs that have caught my eye. I qualify for their $2.5k out-of-state scholarship putting me at $35k a year if admitted. This is not including what other aids and rewards I could receive like I did from TNS since Temple seems to be generous.
If anyone has any thoughts or advice, I would really appreciate it! Cost is definitely a factor, but I currently have a part-time job and am able to be transferred to another location wherever I go to school. I work for a large retail/grocery company that has a location next to/near each university. My FAFSA EFC was I believe $27k. My brother went to University of Alabama with no scholarships for $51k, but I don’t want to burden my parents since they will likely be paying a lot of my loans, even though they want me to go where I want to go (we are definitely not loaded and are considered middle class in our area).