Hi, I’ve been accepted into both North Texas and Brown and I’m having an incredibly hard time trying to decide between them. I know that UNT has a much more widely respected and well-known music program than Brown, but I can’t help but feel like the Brown curriculum is much more flexible and would give me more opportunities to pursue my own musical interests. I enjoy jazz, but it’s definitely not my main focus and I would have much rather gone to a popular music program like the one at USC (which I was rejected from) or Berklee (which I could never hope to afford) than a program that was solely jazz or classical program. Part of what attracted me to Brown was the amount of opportunity to study computer music, production, etc. with the MEME program.
Additionally, I was only accepted as a music BA student at UNT. I would have the opportunity to try to audition again to become a performance BM, but there are no guarantees. Being a BA student puts me on track to be a composition major, though, which I am open to. Recently I have been leaning more towards composition than performance anyway. However, should I decide to pursue performance in the end, that will be a huge obstacle down the road for me.
I also feel that beyond the music program, I would feel much more at Brown than I would in North Texas. I would much rather live in Rhode Island than Texas, and I would prefer to be in the more nerdy, quirky atmosphere at Brown.
The thing is, I’m paying for college by myself, and UNT is offering me a full ride, while Brown is a bit of a stretch for me financially. I would definitely have at least $20,000 in debt once I was done at the current price they are giving me, though I am trying to appeal for more aid. My parents are encouraging me to choose UNT, both for the scholarship and its higher-ranked music program, but I can’t help but feel like I wouldn’t be as happy and feel as at home as I would at Brown.
Does anyone here have any input on what they would recommend I choose?
Go to Brown. $20,000 is reasonable debt. They have a good music dept and composition. And the quality of the education you’ll get is going to be way beyond UNT. Your peers will be your academic peers. They’ll stimulate you in ways the students at UNT will not be able to. And if you don’t want to study only jazz you’ll have much more freedom at Brown. Really, this is a no brainer. I don’t usually tell posters what to do, but, in this case- go to Brown!
It sounds like you know in your heart what you want to do! I’m a big advocate for choosing a school on the basis of where one feels they can best build their life, and that includes lots of factors, such as geographical considerations, other things you have mentioned, and especially, peer group. It’s where you’ll be living for some important years of your young adulthood. Congrats on your acceptances!
So very exciting that you were accepted to Brown~ it also sounds like you might prefer it from your post. I do not believe in undergraduate college debt (at all) except in the case of the undergraduate Ivy’s. You should be so proud of your accomplishments and your educational experience at Brown will be w/ you forever. Kudos (rarely recommend a school as well) your post is clearly an exception to everyone’s rule) Good luck!
Count me in as usually in the “no debt” camp, but I do place “best fit” above all else. It sounds like you will be happier at Brown.
While UNT may have a good music program … you have a great offer at BROWN!!! If you can swing it, do it.
If your appeals don’t get you anywhere, be sure to ask about additional scholarship opportunities for existing students. My D has been able to apply for additional scholarships through the music department each year (but not from the same fund that awarded her her original music scholarship). I have no idea how common that is and they are not huge $$$, but it has helped with the tuition increases year after year. All the info and applications were provided by the school - they are not “outside” scholarships.
One question though… since we don’t know where you live and your are paying for this yourself… have you included travel expenses in your numbers?
It’s clear we are all on Team Brown over here, but you do still need to make sure you can come up with all the funds that will be needed.
Also, if your parents are not on board and will be less willing to help with anything if you make a decision they don’t agree with… well that is something I suppose you will have to consider as well. I hope they will get behind you no matter what!
Thank you for your advice everyone! I will definitely go to Brown if I can afford it.
Currently, the price they are giving me is ~$10,000 for this year. I’m trying to appeal for it to be reduced to $7,000 so that I can pay with $5,500 in federal loans and my summer earnings and still hopefully have $1,000-$1,500 left over for personal and travel expenses. I live in Arizona, so flights to Rhode Island are expensive, but my parents should be able to help with those. They support me no matter where I go, but they are very concerned about cost and if I will have any extra money to spend during the year, and how I will pay the debt off. If my appeal doesn’t work, what would my options be? My parents wouldn’t be willing to take out a PLUS loan because they are already in a lot of debt (which is why I am paying by myself). I’m applying for scholarships, but I can’t bank on that in case I don’t win any. I definitely can’t reliably come up with $4,500 every summer to pay the current price, and that’s not even accounting for personal and travel expenses.
@Ibzfdr that’s what I figured. I think you can negotiate with them - your requests are so very reasonable, and you are extremely articulate about your reasons for wanting to go to Brown. I don’t know how the appeals process works, but maybe you can formulate this into a formal letter that can be part of it. I am hopeful that they will help you out. Please keep us posted.
I have never heard of work study money going directly to a university. I doubt that’s even legal as it would be more like indentured service. Usually the aid package assumes a certain amount will be earned by the student and then applied by them towards their expenses. You can definitely earn a few thousand dollars during the school year. Or, are you saying even after work study, you have an additional gap that is not met by student loans or your parent’s contribution? Which you state they will not contribute? What was your CSS EFC? I assume Brown’s offer met that amount? If not, that’s absolutely something you could negotiate.
You should also remind your parents that a degree from Brown is going to be more valuable after graduation than one from UNT and you need to consider your education an investment in your future.
@spiritmanager my son got a work study award as part of a financial aid package this year that allows him to divert up to 90% of work study earnings earnings directly to his account at that school. It is optional, not required on his award.
I was under the impression that the money would go to the university because it was factored into my aid award. If the money is given directly to me, then I would give it to them anyways. Either way, the ~$10,000 price tag is after work study is factored in.
My EFC is $7,270, which Brown met by listing the same amount as the amount they expected my family to contribute, but they expect me to contribute another $2,700 of my summer earnings on top of that to get to around $10,000.
I’ve already emailed them asking if there is any way to reduce the cost, be it through increased work study or anything else. At the moment, my concern is that they will not allow it because debt (which is the reason my parents can’t contribute) is listed as a factor they cannot take into consideration on the appeal form. Since my parents aren’t going to be able to take out any loans for me because of their debt, I have no idea how I would bridge the gap between my federal loans and summer savings to the price they are giving me.
https://www.risla.com/risla-student-loans Check out the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority. Students who attend college in RI are eligible to apply even if they don’t live in RI (not saying they would 100% give you a loan).