<p>i have a dilemma. i'm majoring in graphic design and i'm really interested in going to an art school in the states.</p>
<p>unfortunately like most international students, the tuition is too much for me at this time (40k!) so i'm thinking of transferring after two years. </p>
<p>i have good grades but not good enough to get enough scholarships to cover the cost as an intl student. </p>
<p>if you were me, would you go to a community college to finish off most of the required liberal arts course or would you go to a university where you would take the major (graphic design), yet leave with less liberal arts credits when you transfer?</p>
<p>i don't know which path to choose. the american school told me that if i take the university route then transfer, most art credits (which constitutes the majority of the graphic design major) will not transfer because the two schools have different curriculums. liberal art courses on the other hand have a much higher rate of being transferred. :(</p>
<p>i don't want to waste money for something i won't get credit for, yet at the same time, i don't want to regret missing the university life. :? </p>
<p>what would you do, any advice?</p>
<p>Note: I might be rambling off on a tangent, but from what I understand, you want to either
a) go to a community college and transfer to an art school
or
b) go university and transfer to an art school</p>
<p>Well, if you're that worried about the consequences regarding tution, why don't you compare how much debt you'll be accumulating via both routes (community college and university).</p>
<p>I understand that either way, you'll end up with quite a bit of debt and that as a graphic designer, you probably won't be making boatloads of money (one of the reasons why I decided graphic design wasn't quite right for me). Also, who will be paying for all of this? And it really depends on the individual as to how well they can adapt to a new environment (in both cases, you'll have to adapt in this manner). I think most people who make a real effort--or are just naturally extraverted and put themselves out there to talk to people--would be able to handle either routes. Also, from what I've seen, international students have a real way of finding and gravitating towards each other in any situation (that's why all the japanese students hang out with eachother and same for all the taiwanese students). Which I guess might not work for you if you come here, not wanting to make friends with a bunch of <strong>whatever country you're from</strong> friends.</p>
<p>One more thing, for art schools in general, they're a lot more diverse in terms of where people are from and their backgrounds. You'll probably have plenty of other international students there, older people, people who've had careers and need a change, etc. I don't think it's going to offer you the true "university life" you're thinking of.</p>
<p>yeah i didn't know how to state it properly but you basically stated it in much simpler terms. </p>
<p>when transferring to art school, i'm looking at loans, scholarships, and ultimately my parents to pay for the tuition. </p>
<p>right now, i've got enough money to pay for the first two years of a canadian university or community college. though i'm afraid that if i go through the university route and only a small amount of my credits transfer, i would have wasted that money. ending up repeating courses when i transfer.</p>
<p>looking at both, definitely the cheapest route is community college.<br>
my only problem with a cc is with the lack of extra curriculars as well
as the atmosphere there. i'm not trying to generalize but from my
experience, a cc seems less stimulating than a uni. </p>
<p>i guess it all boils down to having less debt (cc) or being in a much stimulating environment (uni). <em>shrugs</em> </p>
<p>heh, if only we all had oodles amounts of money. then it wouldn't have to be as hard to decide. lol.</p>
<p>Its a no brainber, go to a university!!!</p>
<p>You know, a lot of students here are also transfer students from community colleges and most of them (I'm not speaking for myself though) seem to have adjusted to a regular college quite easily. I know one of the options is going straight to art school from a community college, but what are two years of university really going to do for you? I like to look at things from a braoder perspetive, rather than what I want now, because what I want now doesn't necessarily follow with consequences that I like. In fact, what I want now will definitely lead me to more stress and unhappiness than following the route that I feel I need to take.</p>
<p>Why don't you go to the International Students forum on College Confidential and see how they've dealt with this? I know nothing about the whole international study abroad thing, so my advice may be severely skewed.</p>
<p>it's true, i guess, i know the best and cheapest choice for me is community college but i suppose i feel like i'll relate more to people in university <em>shrugs</em> i'm putting my wants now for the future. that's really why i feel the pull from both sides. </p>
<p>i'll ask in the intl student forum and see what i get. thanks for the input.</p>