<p>I'm pretty much confused on what I should do.... Please help. Everyone's opinion will be a great amount of help. Here we go:</p>
<p>It's a bit long, but please read.
Ok, so I currently live in a Chicago suburb and it's great and all except for the dreadful weather during October-April. I literally hate having to wake up to this kind of weather everyday because it makes me feel so fatigued, lazy, unmotivated, and it's hard to get school work done. Chicago is great during the spring/summer, but it makes me feel lazy/unmotivated during the majority of the school year. Anyways, I'll be graduating from high school in about 2 and a half months. I've been accepted to a couple of universities and even got around a 50k scholarship at one but I really can't see myself happy at these schools. The reason being is that I feel I can do better. I want to try for something better both education-wise and location-wise (if that makes sense). I've been accepted to the University of Iowa and Loyola in Chicago, along with a couple of others. Ever since I was rejected at UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign), I made it a goal of mine to try to get into at least a top 50 school. The reason being is that I know a couple of people from my school that were accepted to UIUC, who I felt that they didn't really put in as much effort/deserved it. A "friend" of mine (I wouldn't really call him a friend since I don't talk to him-more of an ex-classmate) who was in one my classes during junior year was accepted to UIUC. It upset me to know this because he would ALWAYS copy off of me during junior year in my AP English class. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have even passed (he even told me that). Not only that, but he would always come in late because he would ditch his previous period to go and eat. He wouldn't really take school seriously. He's the type that usually parties every weekend and always depends on others for work. He pretty much used me and pretended to be a friend lol. What upset me even more is that I applied during the priority period and he applied during the regular admissions period (According to UIUC's policy, I should be treated with priority and given a better chance at acceptance than those who apply during the regular period). Also, I had taken a lot more difficult courses than he had. </p>
<p>Prior to attending this school, I went to a College Prep school during my fresh-soph years. The courses were A LOT more challenging and required A LOT more work. When I transferred during my Junior year, I noticed a lot of kids, who barely even tried in school, had a higher GPA than me. The reason being is that many of them took basic/regular classes during freshman-junior year and many of those classes, including the honor classes that were offered, were extremely easy compared to the ones I took. The grade inflation in this new school of mine for basic courses is outrageous. That's probably one of the reasons why this "friend" of mine and others were accepted, while I wasn't. I have nothing against these people who were accepted( including this "friend"), I wish them best. I guess I've built a bit of animosity towards the Admissions office at UIUC. Anyways, I've learned to live with it. But ever since then, I've made it a personal thing to aim for a top 50 school. My stats aren't that great either. To be honest, a lot of people would be surprised if I told them I'm going to attend a UIUC. I guess many of them expected/thought highly of me. Especially my close friends, who admired my work. I'm basically left with 2 options. (Note: The main reason why I'm considering option #2 is because of the chance to meet great people, experience new things, possibly have a better chance at networking, and also I'll have a greater chance at attending/being admitted into a top public university. If I choose option #1, I'll be able to handle the weather. The hard part will be obtaining and maintaining a high GPA in order to be admitted into a top 50 school (For UIUC I'd probably need a 3.75+ for most majors)).</p>
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<li><p>Attend the local Community college for 2 years, which is where about 60-70% of my high school's graduates go to lol. I'll most likely be aiming for 60 units in those 2 yrs (15 each semester). I'll end up transferring after 2 years to a good University hopefully(preferably somewhere warm florida,cali, texas etc although it's almost impossible to transfer to a California University as an out of stater). If I pick this option, I don't have to work at all because FAFSA will be covering my tuition and I can probably get a scholarship since my grades are decent. Plus, I'll have left over money from FAFSA too. I'll probably end up working 20-40 hours during the summer just for some extra pocket change though. Basically this is the best financial option. If I work, I'll probably earn around 15-20k during my 2 years at this community college, if not more with the left over FAFSA money. Some more Pro's for this option are that I'll be able to take some small vacations during the summer and spring to get my mind of things (Cancun, California, Florida, etc). I'll most likely be able to take a road trip to Cali once I'm out of High school. I'll probably end up going to England next summer too, if I work enough during the summer. I've ALWAYS wanted to visit England and I feel that it'll be a great experience. If I chose this option, I'll also be able to relax from now until I transfer. I won't really need to stress out about work or about money being spent on things like prom, seniors events, etc. I'll be able to spend the summer with my friends/family and I'll be able to enjoy myself. The negative side to this is that the social life during the school year will most likely be the same as high school. I'll most likely be hanging out with the same people, but that doesn't really bother me since all of my closest friends are going here and we'll most likely be around each all the time. The great thing about this is that I can help my friends with their school work and helping them make sure they're on the right path for choosing the college they want. My mom and dad will also feel more free to take a trip to somewhere nice (which they deserve) because money won't be as much as a problem in option #2. I guess I'll just be missing out on the whole "College experience". As for academics, I'm not sure if I'll be able to obtain a high GPA (3.5+), so that I can get into a good university. I don't think a 3.0-3.4 will be a problem. If all goes well, I wouldn't mind attending UIUC.</p></li>
<li><p>My other option is moving to Isla Vista in Santa Barbara, California and attending the local community college (SBCC) for 2 years and then transferring to UCSB, which is a school I'd love to go, as well as UCLA, UCSC, and UCSD. By attending a california community college, I'm given priority over other transfers. I'll most likely enroll in TAG. What's nice about going to Santa Barbara City College, while living in Isla Vista, is that I get the whole "college experience". I'll most likely move onto the main street (Del Playa), which is right in front of the beach. This will aid me in building a social life. I can just craigslist some apartments and move with people who are looking for roommates. The cost to attend SBCC is around 6k a year for an out-of-stater (FAFSA will be covering 90% of the tuition) and to live in Isla Vista it's around $500-$900. The thing is, I'll have to start working 40 hours a week right now until the beginning of summer. Once summer starts, I'll have to start working 80hrs/week. The money I make will cover my living expenses. Once I move into IV (IV=Isla Vista), I'll probably be working 20-40 hours a week so that I can feed myself and have back-up money. The sucky thing about this option is that I'll have to remain in California for 2 years straight without being able to leave to visit my family or friends, so that I am eligible for in-state tuition at a California University (Basically part of their process for applying for California Residency). But then again, I'll be having the time of my life, all while getting a great education. Once summer begins in California, I'll most likely have to work 20-40 hrs/week. If I choose this option, I'll be doing it with no help from my parents. It's not that they aren't offering me help, it's just that I want to work for it myself, so that if I mess up, it's my money/hard work on the line, not theirs. Once I graduate, I'll most likely end up living in California, since I'm guessing most of the job offers will be from California. </p></li>
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<p>I've literally been thinking about this everyday, since February. In all my 4 yrs of high school, I never thought I'd end up at a CC. I always expected more from myself because others did as well. As of now, I'm trying to save as much money as I can. I don't go out with friends as often. I don't buy outside food. I'm basically cheap now. I don't do this because I'm certain I'll pick option 2. I do it because I want to have options at the end of May. If I save money now, I can always choose between option 1 and 2. Whereas if I spend it all on useless stuff, I'll most likely be left with one option, option one. I've applied to about 10 scholarships that SBCC offers. If I am awarded some, that'll raise the likeliness of me going there, since it'll be cheaper. If not, it will be fair grounds between choosing these 2 options. What scares me is that I don't know the level of difficulty of courses at SBCC or my local CC. I can't promise a high GPA, but what I can promise is that I'll try my very best. Part of me wants to stay because it'll be a lot easier on me and I'll be able to enjoy myself these last few months of high school, without really stressing out and having to worry about working 80 hours a week. But then again, the other part of me wants to go to California because of how much easier it is to transfer into a good UC and how I'll most likely build a lot more relationships, which could lead to better networking. Also, if I do go to California, I can always come back if things don't work out. But then again, that is the wrong mindset. I either succeed or I fail.</p>
<p>You're probably thinking to yourself, "why not just attend your local community college and transfer into UCSB after 2 years"? Well, although this sounds like a great idea, since I'd have like $20k saved up by then, it really wouldn't work out. In order to transfer into a California University from an out-of-state school as many of you know, you need to have stellar grades and Extra curricular activities. Even with a near-perfect GPA it'd be hard to get into schools like UCLA, UCSD, and UCSB, since only 10% of their accepted applicants are out-of-staters. I think theres around 500 transfers applying each year that are out of staters and only about 50 of them are accepted( Not sure if this is correct but I read about this). Even if I did get accepted, I'd have to pay their outrageously high out-of-state tuition, which is around 55k a year.</p>
<p>If I do attend my local CC, I'll be aiming to transfer to schools like the University of Florida, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and The University of Georgia. I'd love to go to the University of Miami, too. That's if I have great grades by then. I thank you guys for reading this. I hope to get many responses. Btw, does anyone know if I leave to California and apply for FAFSA next year, will I have to include my parents' income even though I'm an independent in a different state? If I do have to, I'll most likely get less money, which will make it harder. Anyways, please tell me what you think!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>