<p>So I have the choice of attending a large public university (university of Arizona) where my mom is a VP or the PR/A program at CU next year. Pros of UA are the faculty tuition break I would get, her connections she has at the university, being financially more sound, keeping my car, choice of residence hall, top 25 business school (the Eller school of business), etc</p>
<p>Pros of CU are the PR/A program, proximity to LA, smaller environment, different opportunities as far as interning goes, and also the excitement of going away to a new place.</p>
<p>As of now, CU will cost $10k more a semester for each of my parents (they are divorced and are splitting my tuition) than UA. I have a twin brother and he is for sure going to UA, and since they are paying for both CU is more of a stretch.</p>
<p>Basically what I am trying to get out of this post is other's opinions on whether or not CU is worth the stretch at the moment?</p>
<p>That’s about exactly my financial situation…separated parents’ contribution and all. </p>
<p>I wrote an email to the financial aid office requesting additional funds. They gave us another four or so forms to compile, and we updated our FAFSA with our actual tax returns, not estimates.</p>
<p>They ended up offering an extra $2000+ grant, $2000+ work study, and they subsidized half of my student loan. It’s still a stretch, but I want to go so bad and I’m still working on wearing down my parents.</p>
<p>Basically, it all comes down to where you feel you fit. I wouldn’t be trying so hard if I wanted to go to any other school.</p>
<p>edthegurl: I feel for your predicament. Had you visited the school? My hairdresser’s son is a SCAD grad (of several, maybe 3 years), who is working for Panavision, as an HD camera tech. He’s just now actually getting into the biz, for what I understand. His dad said that for technical jobs, that college wasn’t essential, but that the networking was the most important thing. He thought that being in LA at school was an advantage over being elsewhere. Does UA have a film program? Or is it Chapman for film vs. UA for general education?</p>
<p>Yeah, I used to live with my mom in Orange County about 15 minutes from Chapman. It’s so close I can ride my bike which is great when you have no car So I’ve been to the campus often for various school events. My mom does PR for AAA and they shot a public service announcement at Chapman which I helped out with. Random stuff like that. But when I got to tour Dodge College, I was just floored. That day they really impressed upon us how hard it was to get in (that was back in August), so I very much consider it a privilege that I have the choice to go there. </p>
<p>I’m not actually choosing between Chapman and UA (that was the thread-starter) but Chapman and Cal State Fullerton. I also had a choice to go to another local state school here in Texas for a year and then continue to University of Texas in Austin. They have a great R-T-F program too, but like you said, I wasn’t secure that I would be able to move out to LA after I graduated with as many connections as I would have going to a California school. </p>
<p>I discussed my options with the Chapman professor who called, and he had nearly the same thing to say. He said UT’s film program is great and CSUF’s is crap and has cheap equipment, but in the end he admitted it didn’t really matter where my degree was from. It’s all about work experience and finding a way to get a job. But Chapman has both great education and connections, and that’s why my heart’s set on it.</p>
<p>I am touring Chapman one last time on Tuesday, then making my decision by Friday. Both of my parent will be there (along with my step mom which add stress) and I plan on meeting with fin aid as well. My mom has been in touch with her counterpart (chancellor jerry price) so who knows what they will do…if they even come close to what they offered you additionally edthegurl, I might have more of a shot.</p>
<p>Chapman is so appealing to me because I got into their PR/Advertising program and UA only has marketing and comm. The opportunities I feel I would have at Chapman with it’s proximity to LA would be far superior to anything in Tucson I feel, no matter how much I network. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptance and hope you can make it happen. </p>
<p>I’m interested in the comments Mr. Cheney made re: CSUF if you can expand further. My son also applied to Chapman film production but alas did not get in. We are in OC. He was accepted to CSUF, but isn’t real keen on attending there. He prefers the CC route then try to transfer to Chapman.</p>
<p>My concern is the low acceptance rate for film production in general. My wife and I have been trying to get him to just get on with it, get what he can out of the CSUF program, and don’t continue to carry a torch for Chapman. Kinda been there, done that.</p>
<p>Now I see that someone my son respects (Mr. Harry Cheney, whom he knows from the Merage summer film program) states that the CSUF program is crap. Ouch. Did Harry say anything else?</p>
<p>Welllll…he didn’t say crap in so many words, don’t worry But I didn’t get the impression that he respected their program. He said that since they are a state school their equipment would be far below what Chapman offers, but that much is obvious. And he said he would recommend Cal State Long Beach’s film program over CSUF, so if your son has a chance to transfer there, that would probably be better. He also said that he doesn’t know anyone successful in the “industry” that has graduated from CSUF’s RTF program. However, he added that his niece graduated from there in Public Relations and is now the Press Secretary for the mayor of Washington, D.C. </p>
<p>Basically though the jist of his speech was that as long as you make connections and find work while you’re still in college, it DOES NOT matter where you get your degree from. No one in the biz will care, as long as you can work. Chapman just has excellent services like internship fairs that make that easier, but as long as your son is motivated to find career opportunities, he will be as well off as a Chapman grad. Their classes may not be AS good, but for the cheap price of in-state tuition you get what you pay for, and it’s not such a bad deal. I know someone in the RTF program currently who has worked on film sets and had jobs at local news stations and filming Ducks games at the Honda Ponda (whether for the team’s use or a sports network I’m not sure). It’s really about putting yourself out there.</p>
<p>That said, if your son really wants to try transferring, I think he should go for it. If you can afford it Chapman is a great school. One thing to consider is that transfers can’t receive academic scholarships as far as I know, so it may be harder to pay the tuition. However, with more film experience and hopefully a better academic record in college under his belt, I don’t think it will be impossible for him to get in. There’s no harm in trying. But I think CSUF would be a better choice than a CC - more challenging coursework looks better.</p>
<p>Thanks for that answer. You have the same insight we had garnered as to it’s who you know and what you know, as opposed to where you went to school.</p>
<p>One more question (which you can choose not answer to not jinx anything): Would or will you attend CSUF if Dodge just doesn’t work out, or have Cheney’s words steered you away from there?</p>
<p>BTW: My son did apply to CSULB as well and would have been excited to go there, but the matriculation patterns have become so screwed up here with the recession/state budget, he was rejected to a school that in any other year should have been a slam dunk. This economy just has me in a frame of mind to take what you’ve got (CSUF) and make the best of it. I’m also concerned that CC’s will be so inundated this coming year due to attendees financial situations that getting GE done in two years will be very difficult.</p>
<p>I agree with troubles with CC schools. OCC and Santiago Canyon are generally crowded anyway, right? It’ll still be hard to register for classes at CSUF too…I applied to the Honors Program there specifically so I could actually enroll in the classes I needed to take before they got filled up. And yes, I will be attending CSUF if my parents decide against Chapman So there will be at least two students in their RTF classes pining for Dodge College then…haha But I’m not too worried. I don’t consider Fullerton to be that bad and at least it’s still in California!</p>
<p>Arizona is 120 in the shade during part of the year. Half of OC doesn’t even use air conditioners during the summer and most residents could get away without heating in the winter, though everyone has that.</p>
<p>Chapman is 10 minutes from Disneyland, which I’ve learned to hate due to overexposure. You are an hour from Warner Bros, Sony Studio, etc. The beach is 20 min to 30 an hour if you travel there slowly. You can ski in the winter at Big Bear, Snow Summit or Snow Valley - an hour and a half away - due to slow mountain traffic. Magic Mountain is an hour away if you drive fast.</p>
<p>Phoenix has the highest drive-by shooting rate in the country. Orange is safe city. A criminal justice survey was done there a while back at it was found to be the safest area in OC. If you are considering going to the school in Tucson, that’s even hotter and worse you have the Minute Men acting dangerous and they have guns.</p>
<p>Most people in OC are normal, despite the claims that the county is conservative. Watch out for Eastman, though.</p>
<p>If you are fairly sure of your academic path and it includes grad school, I would go to the least expensive undergrad option, and preserve your funds for grad school.</p>
<p>But PR/advertising sounds like you should be out in the workforce in 4 years, so perhaps you could justify the debt. I have one kid who will be graduating at the end of the year without any debt (went to in-state school), and another kid who is using up her “allotment” of parental funds at the undergrad level; she’ll have to rely on loans for grad school.</p>
<p>Ideally, anyone taking out loans are doing so for a tried and true career path, and not wandering around trying to figure out the intersection of interest & aptitude. If you have a good game plan and present it to your parents in a mature way, you should really be able to come up with a consensus that you and they can live with. Good luck - I am always so impressed with the student posters on these threads.</p>
<p>One thing to think about is that even if you don’t attend Chapman but attend another OC school, you can make contacts at Chapman by working on student productions. Frequently, students from other schools will work as crew on Chapman students’ films. This would give you the advantage of learning about the equipment used there and making contacts.</p>
<p>Here’s the thing, everyone is moving to Southern California. You can check the census. The unemployment rate in OC is currently horrible, but the location is close to a lot of career opportunities.</p>
<p>Nothing happens in Arizona. The only thing notable that has happened there in 50 years is that the NFL punished the state for failing to go along with MLK day for years. The Phoenix area is OK and I think the Flagstaff area is OK, but Arizona has a reputation for being made up mostly of retirees and racists. It’s not as bad as its reputation, but I wouldn’t choose to go to college there.</p>
<p>Southern California is the best place to live, but others schools may help with jobs more than Chapman.</p>
So I’ve been to the campus often for various school events. My mom does PR for AAA and they shot a public service announcement at Chapman which I helped out with. Random stuff like that. But when I got to tour Dodge College, I was just floored. That day they really impressed upon us how hard it was to get in (that was back in August), so I very much consider it a privilege that I have the choice to go there. </p>
But I’m not too worried. I don’t consider Fullerton to be that bad and at least it’s still in California!</p>