I'm a student who can't convince her parent to let me transfer.

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi,
As the title says, I want to transfer, but... it's so hard convincing my mom.</p>

<p>Because I'm a first gen student my mom would break an arm and a leg just to send me to school. She overworks herself now, 6 days a wk with 8 hour shifts w/ OT. </p>

<p>I'm a first year attending a private mid-tier uni for $15k/yr (price tag: $45k/yr). Prices include room/board. This school offered the best scholarships and finaid out of all my other acceptances, and along with my mom and I really liking the feel of the campus and student body, we chose the school.</p>

<p>I like it here, but... I can't help but feel worried about things:</p>

<p>(1) MONEYYYYYY! My mom is seriously overworking and I feel that it is unnecessary. It hurts me seeing her on skype with her tired, tired eyes just to put me through school. </p>

<p>If I transfer home, I'd have a stable job. My local uni also has scholarships for a student w/ my HS GPA that pay for almost all of the tuition. No room/board costs, just gas books and misc fees. Less than what I have to worry about now.</p>

<p>(2) It's only a mid-tier school. If I was paying $15k or more a year I'd rather it be a top-tier school.</p>

<p>(3) LOANS! This year we are taking out loans which I feel is just... unnecessary! Our financial crisis got terribly bad during my senior year of applying to colleges so next year I think we don't have to loan (or loan as much). </p>

<p>(4) My program is mediocre at my current uni. I major corporate communications (PR/Advertising is not offered).</p>

<p>(5) The city I live in... WONDERFUL FOR NETWORKING. I want to work in the field of PR/Advertising/Marketing and because the location is a huge tourist spot, I'd assume it'd be a perfect place to start... right, right..?</p>

<p>(6) I know many recent graduates that are from my city suggest me to stay at my local uni because they are now in debt and is working a min. wage job just to pay off their loans for their mid-tier schools... all because they, too, thought that our local uni is utter crap. Those who go to top-tier schools don't regret it LOL.</p>

<p>Downfalls:
(1) Communications school is subpar. Not sure if it has improved but graduates that went there told me they transferred to a better school w/ their program or stuck through it but complained their way through.
(2) It's actually quite a far commute. Driving takes about 30 minutes on a good day, but with the constant traffic on the freeway it'd probably be 40-60 mins. Ouch, gas.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>They are an extremely reputable school for another program but not mine. Alongside that, they generally have mediocre education and this is widely known, even to my mom. Even my friends, who found AP classes hard, says their classes are a huge joke. </p></li>
<li><p>My other option would be to transfer to a better school (aim: USC Anneberg? UT Austin's Communication School?), but because my HS stats and SATs were average at best, I'd probably have to wait junior year and I don't wanna waste another ~$15k at this school whilst I wait. (I'm going to apply and hope for the best, because I'm not getting my hopes too up)</p></li>
<li><p>I talked to her and with my reasons she says "I don't like the idea of you coming back to this crap school, especially with the budget cuts... and especially if your main concern is money."</p></li>
<li><p>Basically, my question is, as a parent, how do you think I can better convince my mother to let me transfer? Again, as a first gen student she is set on the fact that money should be a little problem down the road, and she is willing to help me through it. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>I, personally though, would much rather transfer, save money, and attend grad school without worrying too much about my undergrad loans.</p>

<p>Thanks! And sorry for the novel D:</p>

2

<p>*f I transfer home, I’d have a stable job. **My local uni also has scholarships for a student w/ my HS GPA that pay for almost all of the tuition. **No room/board costs, just gas books and misc fees. Less than what I have to worry about now.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>Are you sure that they give this to transfer students? You better check. That sounds like a scholarship for incoming frosh only.</p>

<p>Do not cut ties with your current school until after you see any FA offer at any other school.</p>

<p>Are you taking out student loans? if not, you should. That would cut down on the amount that your mom needs to pay. Also, work over the summer months to earn some money.</p>

3

<p>I second everything that momof2ck says but would add - realistically, if you were concerned about having a well paying job, do not go into the field of pr/advertising/marketing. Unless you get a job with a top pr or advertising agency, or in a pr/advertising dept of a Fortune 500 Company, you will not be paid well. Your job security is also very shaky in that field. Yes, I know we all tell our children to “find themselves, follow their dreams”, but in todays economic reality, it aint going to happen with a major like that. Corporate pr/advertising is cutting its budget in huge ways. The type of tourist pr etc, is akin to working as a hostess in a restaurant. Do you need to go to college with loans for that?</p>

4

<p>@mom2ck: I looked up the scholarship info and doesn’t mention anything about transfers, just requirements (in-state residency for 2 years, 3.5 GPA, etc) and says it is eligible up to a certain amount & 6 years after graduation. I’d assume that means transfers too??</p>

<p>Also, yes, I do have student loans out. We’re paying almost nothing out of pocket right now. Am planning to apply to USC/UT austin/Syracuse/local uni but I will decide ultimately after FA whether to leave or to stay, but it just seems as if my local uni is the cheapest option.</p>

<p>@mhmm: You make a valid point. In all honesty my dream is in a similar field but more artsy - I want to do communication design/graphic design. I changed my major to something more business-y/corporate-y because I thought it’d be more stable than the arts. Plus I saw that avg starting salaries are roughly $40k which doesn’t seem too bad? Uh… I think, haha. Besides this, I honestly don’t know /what/ I want to do with my life. I have no interest in law or science or mathematics. What would you suggest I do? </p>

<p>Haha, I sound like a completely lost soul, sorry.</p>

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<p>Are you in-state for TX? If not that will cost $50K/year and you won’t get anything but federal aid. And you need to check with the school about the scholarship. They don’t necessarily tell you on the web site what is only available for freshmen.</p>

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<p>Is transferring to community college followed by transferring to a four year school as a junior an option?</p>

7

<p>*MONEYYYYYY! My mom is seriously overworking and I feel that it is unnecessary. It hurts me seeing her on skype with her tired, tired eyes just to put me through school. *</p>

<p>Also, yes, I do have student loans out. We’re paying almost nothing out of pocket right now.</p>

<p>???</p>

<p>If you’re paying almost nothing out of pocket, then why is your mom working so many extra hours to help pay for college? Something doesn’t make sense.</p>

<p>What is the name of the school that might give you a scholarship if you transfer?</p>

8

<p>

</p>

<p>Probably closer to $32,000 in a corporate setting and maybe several thousand less in a non-profit. Positives to non-profits are you get a ton of experience really, really quickly which after a year or two in the trenches at poor pay will get you the next job. I refuse to be a downer about career paths that aren’t engineering or technical, someone has to deal with the media and keep the website running. Competition is fierce no matter what your major is. If this is something you like then you will be better off in the long run doing something you are a) passionate about b) something you are presumably good at and c) something that you will be happy doing. </p>

<p>Basic entry level jobs in communications and PR require enthusiasm, good communication skills and drive. There are more jobs right now that require a strong digital background including social media so keep that in mind as you see opportunities to augment your classes with things on campus and in your community. Having some experience writing and managing web content and/or a basic understanding of databases will be a positive. If you are thinking about purely graphic design you will be at a disadvantage of the graphic arts students who will have a strong portfolio.</p>

<p>As far as transferring you need to do as Mom2 suggests and do nothing until you have a finaid letter in hand and can really compare costs. Only then can you make a strong argument for what you are suggesting. </p>

<p>Here’s a pretty standard list of qualifications I just randomly plucked from an entry level Marketing Communication specialist job on Indeed, the comments in ( ) are mine.</p>

<p>•Excellent written and oral communication skills. (be a strong writer in a non-academic, people friendly style, brownnie points if you understand how the writing equates to SEO)
•Extensive knowledge of grammar, punctuation and AP Stylebook. (buzzword for good proofreader)
•Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills.(outgoing no shy reticence)
•Ability to represent the company both orally and in writing in a professional and positive manner that supports our brand. (present yourself well and understand what the company does)
•Project planning and multi-tasking skills.(be able to juggle many activities and don’t ask about the hours)
•Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision while maintaining a high level of quality work and output. (they want someone who doesn’t need to be closely monitored and can jump in and produce)
•Ability to practice and promote teamwork at all times. Provide backup to other team members as needed. Set a good example of attitude and performance. (leave your attitude at home even when you have to do grunt work like unjamming the copier and running errands and be prepared to do just about anything)
•Proficiency in using the Microsoft Office Suite of software and the Internet (experience using Macintosh applications such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator a plus). (this is the “design” part of it)</p>

9

<p>

A $18k loan was taken out to pay for this year due to last year’s financial situation. My mom is working to help me w/ loans (as well as her own bills, etc.). I had a job over the summer, will have a job on campus, and plan to find another job when I get back over the summer.</p>

<p>Also, I PM’d you the school for personal reasons along with more info about the scholarship.</p>

<p>

Oh, crap. It honestly COMPLETELY slipped my mind that it was a public uni and I’m OOS. Crossing that off my list now.</p>

<p>

I was considering this but my mother seems more against going to a CC than me going back home for the university? She was completely adamant on me NOT going to a CC even before I finished hs. </p>

<p>

$32k? whoa, the info I googled was off by a large 10 grand. But it’s good to know that non-profits seem to have a very good positive! Thanks for the info about it, too! I’m really media-based, honestly, so anything technical would be a serious serious challenge for me. Also, the last bullet point is probably my strongest strongest suit LOL. I love the designing part.</p>

<p>I will e-mail the school and see about the scholarship.</p>

<p>However, without the scholarship, I’d be paying about $10k/yr at most including books, fees, tuition. Tuition is $6.5k and I estimated a crapload of book costs + gas, etc. lol. Would this still be reasonable?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for everyone’s input.</p>