Oh, the hard choice

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
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<p>A friend went through the college admissions process two years ago and always talked about how much cc helped her out. I'm hoping that you guys can do the same for me :)</p>

<p>I was accepted to both Pomona, Northwestern's Medill Journalism school, and USC (college of arts and sciences). I was nominated for USC's trustee scholarship (full tuition) and found out today that I recieved it. It was a shock, let me tell you, finding out good news from a slim envelope :)</p>

<p>In any case, this recent development only served to place me into a deeper state of confusion. Before, I decided that either Pomona or NW were the schools for me, and I spent days stressing about which school I was going to attend. I didn't qualify for need based aid and had accepted the fact that I was going to have to pay the full ticket price at whichever school I ultimately ended up attending.</p>

<p>The bottom line: I do not love USC as much as I love Pomona or NW. Don't get me wrong; I like USC, and when I did an overnight there as part of my trustee interviewing process I could slightly envision myself there for four years. I was born in LA, and I always planned on returning to California for college. but I don't love it, no matter how I try to angle it.</p>

<p>I don't believe that I want to be a journalist (my career aspirations change daily) but I will always be interested in writing, and I think an education at Medill would be remarkable and challenging, even if my focus is not entirely on journalism. Pomona is just this beautiful, amazing liberal arts college that would give me the intimate education I've always wanted (and in california!). I have been thinking about attending law school, and I know that both Medill and pomona have decent reputations at sending students to prestigious law schools. I'm not sure about USC--I know it's a ridiculously good, fun-loving and exciting college with an amazing alumni network, but I've never heard anything concerning its grad/law/medical school placement. Either way, I don't believe that these statistics should make or break my decision--I can make what I want from my education--but it's something I think I should consider.</p>

<p>I have no idea what I want to do, but I know that I want to explore my education, write, and continue my music somehow (I play the violin). I also attend a high school where I've never felt too much school spirit, and I have to admit that I would love to attend a school where this would not be a problem and I could fully experience the screaming, genuine spirit I often see at places like USC, NW and Pomona.</p>

<p>I guess I just want your opinions on this. Do I attend a school I only like but save myself 136,000 dollars? My parents have told me that they are only paying for either undergrad or grad, but at this point I'm not even sure what I'll be doing and thus, grad school is only a possibility and not a definite.</p>

<p>any comments would be greatly appreciated, thanks! (and sorry for what I'm sure was an extremely long, loquacious post).</p>

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<p>Oh, my, an abundance of riches! You know, SC has really come up a lot since they have been giving out merit aid these last several years to attract strong students. I sure would look at it very carefully - spend another night on campus if you have to. Grad school or not, it's a lot of money.
I do understand your misgivings. I couldn't get either of my kids to apply to USC, and I know they would have had scholarships there. They are both what I consider "academic" types, and just couldn't see it. If you like school spirit, and want to be a part of something big in SoCal, you can certainly find that in USC.<br>
Personally, in your position, if a mid-sized university is something you'd like, I'd suggest going with the SC offer. NW is very similar, but would cost you so much more. If an LAC is what you've always wanted, then Pomona would be attractive. Good luck to you - it's a tough call</p>

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<p>Wow, congratulations on having such great options. A full ride is hard to give up at a school you like but only you know your finances and how much that is a factor. I would say visit your 2 choices again( time may make 3 visits difficult ), spend a night and have a serious financial talk again with your folks. If money is not an issue then go where you love. My son gave up a full ride for Pomona but he at least had half of everything paid for through fin aid and he has never regretted his choice. Good luck with your decision!</p>