<p>I seriously don't know where to do. As per right now, I'm looking at choosing between FSU, and a small, all women's college in Boston called Simmons College.</p>
<p>I did get a scholarship for Simmons, but between Bright Futures here in FL, and financial aid, I'm looking at paying A LOT less than at Simmons</p>
<p>However, I've always wanted to move to Boston, and I'm going in April to check out the school.</p>
<p>I'm seriously in a bind right now. I want to study Communications/Management, and I've heard good things about academics from both schools.</p>
<p>I went to a small women’s LAC and I loved it. I loved the history and traditions of my college, I loved the family-like atmosphere there, the personal attention from professors, the small discussion-based classes, the woman-centered atmosphere particularly with all student leaders and shakers on campus being women, the writing curriculum, and the really cool classes that were offered because of the unique perspective of the college (I went to Spelman, so there were a lot of classes on the experiences of black women/women of color/African American people or people of color in general in different fields). It’s also easier to be a big fish in a small pond.</p>
<p>Simmons also has the advantage of being located in Boston. My advice to students who want to go to a school <em>solely</em> because of location (“I’ve always wanted to live in _____!”) is to think about other stuff, because you can always move to a particular city when you graduate. But city is good to consider for other reasons - for example, at my current graduate institution in New York, students do term-time internships at large firms and companies that other students across the country can only do during the summer. So they have FAR fewer college students to compete with during the fall and spring, especially since we’re the most prestigious university in the city. That will also be the case at Simmons in Boston - you can do internships during term-time in Boston because you are right there. There may be fewer opportunities in Tallahassee.</p>
<p>The downsides, of course, are that you have fewer resources and fewer student groups and opportunities than a large well-known public research university. Also, cost. I’m not always an advocate of simply paying less unless the two schools are equal in quality and it won’t really make much of a difference where you go, but I am advocate of paying what you can afford. Will you be in untenable debt if you go to Simmons? Personally I think that if the debt that you will personally take on is more than about $40K, then you should choose FSU. I also think that if Simmons will cost your parents a lot of debt that they are hesitant or unwilling to take on, you should go to FSU.</p>
<p>But otherwise, if I were making that decision, I’d choose Simmons. But I am biased :)</p>
<p>The finances, of course, are ever so important so you should discuss this with your parents. I’m not sure how BF works but I have a feeling that if you don’t take it up as a freshman, that’s it. Is that the case? If you were my child, and the money were not a big issue, I would want you to give Boston and Simmons a try. Go spread those wings and fly! Don’t like it, you can come back home to FL and find something here. Yes, you would lose out on the BF and have paid a premium, but you did get something for it, a chance to try something very different. If you go to FSU, the likelihood of transferring to a school in Boston is very small and would be much more expensive and would be something delayed till grad/prof school, or just not. </p>
<p>My son’s mother turned down a chance to go away to college because of a free 6 year award at a local school. She got her masters pretty much for free. Met her future husband there and now lives within minutes of her childhood home and the school she attended, and works minutes away as well. She wants her son to “fly”, go to a school elsewhere when the time comes, because now it would be nigh impossible for her to do so. First marriage ended in divorce but she’s now happily married to another in the area, and has an ageing parent, entrenched in a job that is hard to find, owns her home,to move to a whole other area has become a pipe dream that is not likely to happen.</p>
<p>Parent here. You mention that you would have to pay a lot less if you went to FSU. Will you or your parents have to take out a lot in student loans? As I’m sure you already know, the job prospects for current college grads is not that great. I don’t believe that a degree in communications/management is in high demand. So you would have to look at your job prospects when you graduate and how much you might earn. Then look at how much you would owe at the end of four years. I’m strictly looking at this from a financial point of view.</p>
<p>Have you considered getting into Honors courses at your large state school? </p>
<p>This might be an option for you - I know my son considered this an option. You get put within a smaller group of kids, but maintain the amenities and surroundings of a large school - hopefully the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the differences between large schools and small schools.</p>
<p>My high school had 120 students in it (500 k4-12) and my graduating class was the largest ever with 43 students. The class after me had 27.</p>
<p>My university is completely opposite. There are over 4500 students in my class and the class has continuously gotten bigger each year. There are over 30,000 students on-campus.</p>
<p>I really like being at a large state university. Firstly, when I say I go to USC, a lot of people can relate (you’re either a gamecock or a tiger in SC). Secondly, I am constantly meeting new people. It really does get old being around the same people over and over again for four years. Sometimes you just want to branch out. Another benefit is simply the amount of different things that I can be involved in. There’s literally a club or interest group for anything I could possibly want to do and there’s plenty of others who share my enthusiasm.</p>
<p>One thing that scared me about going to a large university was the idea of being a “number”. The average class size at my university is 25. I’ve only had two lectures classes in my four semesters here and virtually all of my current and former professors know me by name. So, being a “number” hasn’t been a problem. The campus is also a lot “smaller” than what I would have thought. I run into the same people over and over again all over campus. There are 30,000+ students, yet I can’t go a single day without accidentally seeing someone I know. In addition, because I’m in smaller majors, I’ve had classes with the same students every semester, which is really cool because we kind of have created a bond.</p>
<p>On the other hand, going to a small school does have benefits. The thing is, you can’t make a small school big, but you can make a big school small.</p>
<p>I’d also go with the cheaper college. Student debt is going to suck in four years. Realizing that I’ve already taken out $10,000 in student loans blows my mind and it really is making me realize how much my options for post-college are limited because of it.</p>