<p>Moms do tend to say that you should steer clear of debt, and young people do tend to say that debt doesn’t matter. Unless your brother is an expert on the career path and future income prospects for your specific major, you should listen to your mother on this one.</p>
<p>I take it that you are on a full-ride right now with a major in the arts. Unless the institution you would transfer to has significantly better career placement AND the financial aid package there would not result in more than the equivalent of four years worth of Stafford loan debt, it would be very hard to justify a transfer. Careers in the arts are notoriously underpaid, and there is no guarantee that you would get into one of those fully funded M.F.A. programs. You need to be prepared to pay for it yourself. There are good loan repayment calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and at [Student</a> Loan Calculator - Calculate Your Student Loan Repayments](<a href=“http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/sla.jsp]Student”>http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/sla.jsp) Put your figures in there, and see what the results look like.</p>
<p>One thread that may be worth a read, although the student wasn’t in your particular major, is <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/905843-top-student-3rd-tier-school-four-years-later.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/905843-top-student-3rd-tier-school-four-years-later.html</a> </p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>