<p>I'm in a serious bind, and I need some advice. I have narrowed my college search down to two schools. One of them is an average LAC in the midwest (where I'm from). I really want to leave the midwest, and start working in film, theater, and literature. I visited this school five times (my sister applied there), and I hated it the first four times I visited it. My parents love it though, and I was given a very nice scholarship.</p>
<p>The other school is an NESAC LAC (one of the top 15 in the nation). It's my dream school; I've wanted to go there all of high school. The community of students is perfect for me, and the education I will receive will be excellent. However it is extremely expensive, and I was not given any money. </p>
<p>I really really don't want to go to this midwest school, but the money may be too good to turn down (my parents will have enough left over to pay for my graduate school as well). What should I do? I'm afraid I'm going to be miserable if I go to this midwest school, and I'm afraid I won't be able to pursue my dreams. Should I take a risk, or should I give up on my dreams? Thoughts? Thanks.</p>
<p>You need to sit down with your parents and find out if they are truly willing and able to pay for the expensive LAC.</p>
<p>If they are, then you need to think about what kind of graduate school education you might choose to pursue. Law and Med school are fiendishly expensive, so it is better to get a cheap undergraduate education. You would also have to pay for a terminal Master’s degree such as MAT or MEng, but they are pretty short. You would most likely have to pay for an MSW or the like. A Ph.D. program however, is likely to be at least partially supported by the college/university where you earn it. - likewise with many MFA programs. If you pursue an MBA, your employer may be willing to help pay for it.</p>
<p>If you are truly undecided, would it make sense for you to take a Gap Year and pursue some of your interests before starting college?</p>
<p>My parents have been fighting with me about this for a long time. We sat and looked at the budget. Last night they told me they would pay for the LAC, but not for grad school. I really don’t want to go to law school, which my parents do. I would rather pursue an MFA or a Ph.D program like you’re talking about, but my parents are convinced I’m going to be a lawyer. </p>
<p>And a gap year is really out of the question. Thanks for the advice thus far.</p>
<p>Would they pay for grad school if you choose the cheaper college? Would they only pay for law school, or would they help pay for anything else?</p>
<p>If they are willing and able to pay for the LAC you’d like to attend, and you (and they) can finish those four years without any debt other than the equivalent of the maximum Stafford Loans, then there is nothing wrong with choosing that college.</p>
<p>My parents said they would pay for any type of grad school if I went to the cheaper college. And if they paid for the more expensive one I would not incur any debt, but they would not pay for grad school.</p>
<p>That’s more than fair. The vast majority of students don’t get any help from their parents for graduate school.</p>
<p>If it were me, I would take the cheaper school with help for grad school in a millisecond. Otherwise, you will likely have to borrow most or all of the cost of your grad program - there are relatively fewer assistantship-type funded opportunities in arts programs compared to, say, the sciences. Saddling yourself with grad debt will seriously limit your options.</p>
<p>You have truly wonderful parents! Few of us can make our kids this kind of offer. I can understand that you are torn between these two options. If you throw one of the other colleges from your list back into the mix, would anything change? Maybe it would help if you tried “College A plus grad school”, “College B plus grad school”, “College C plus grad school”, and “College D no grad school” on for size.</p>
<p>The other two colleges I really like are the same cost as the NESAC one, and I prefer the NESAC school. It sounds like I should take the cheaper option…not the answer I was looking for, but oh well. I can’t always be happy.</p>
<p>If I was applying for an MFA, would it matter what school I went to? Or is that entirely based on grades/auditions/portfolios?</p>
<p>Graduate admissions, as with basically everything else in life, aren’t about the name on your diploma. They’re about what YOU have accomplished and what YOU are capable of. Develop a strong portfolio, build relationships with professors and do the best you can in your classes.</p>
<p>I got to meet and talk to some of the kids in the theater department. They were really cool, and I was kinda pumped about the school for a bit. My greatest fear though is that I’m going to be stuck in the midwest for the rest of my life, and that my parents are going to make me follow this path that they have set for me. Is this irrational? These posts are really helping guys. It’s opening my eyes. Most of my friends are leaving the midwest and are going to selective schools, so they have been telling me to go to the NESAC school.</p>
<p>When you get to the point of choosing an MFA program, you might want to pay a visit to the theater sub-forum in the college majors forum. Some of the people there may have ideas for you.</p>
<p>I have a somewhat dissenting opinion, based on your stated interests.</p>
<p>While normally I would also recommend that a student go for the less-expensive, parent-approved school (they do know you best) with the very enticing prospect of grad school being paid, from your interest set, I would advise opting for the more recognized undergrad program.</p>
<p>In film, theater and literature, Wesleyan (along with Oxy and Kenyon, which is probably what led you to apply in the first place), has substantive strengths in these areas, which represent a distinct advantage as far as internships, professors and proximity to avant-arts.
Note that this is not necessarily an advantage for someone who is on a law school track.</p>
<p>Only you and your family can really decide what is best for you and your future.
I, too, commend your parents for giving you their best opinion, then allowing you to choose what you feel is your best option.</p>
<p>I’m with Hop on this one, only after carefully reading your posts. I have a d your age, and that’s the advice she’d get from me. We can’t pay for grad school either. Wesleyan is a great school.</p>
<p>Spread your wings and tell your parents you’ll take care of your post-grad plans yourself, and thank them for a terrific education. </p>
<p>(I have worked in law firms for many years now, and there are very few cut out for this profession in a bad economy and a cut throat legal market, IMHO. I know many young unhappy attorneys. And some out of work.)</p>
<p>I also agree with the people who say to go to Wesleyan. Who knows if you will go to grad school of any kind?? I think the most important thing for you right now is to get the education that feels right to you, not your parents, and to establish autonomy and independence.</p>
<p>Will it be possible for you to visit, or re-visit? It would be best if you could take one or both of your parents along with you. Be sure to sit in on classes in your areas of interest and talk with students and professors in your potential majors.</p>
<p>As a disclaimer, I faced the same circumstances as you, but in the parental role. Both of my arts-oriented kids gravitated toward LAC’s similar to Wesleyan. I had a limited pot of $$ for each and was prepared to either finance their undergrad/grad at a state school, or the more expensive LAC, with the understanding that they knew going in that they would be responsible for any grad studies if they chose the more expensive option.</p>
<p>As a parent, I knew that because of their learning styles, neither of my kids would do particularly well academically at the huge state Univ’s that they had been accepted to, but it needed to be their choice. They both chose the private schools. With some aid, it worked out to be more than the state schools, but not by much. Although there was pocketbook pain in paying for their private LAC tuition, their individual learning styles truly benefited from the academically enriched environment.</p>
<p>Both went happily went on to grad programs that although vaguely related to the arts that they had imagined as HS seniors, were in fields that they were only able to more fully explore as undergrads because of the unique opportunities offered by their schools.</p>
<p>The outcomes were not what any of us would have imagined, I confess that when they were HS seniors, I hadn’t really pictured either of them gravitating toward grad school.
BUT both of them now have advanced degree’s (one MA and one PhD) that they were willing to self-finance in career’s that they love.
Although I helped as much as I could while they were grad students, they are both employed and more importantly, employable, and are paying back their student loans.</p>