I come with a little story and a desperate need for unbiased advice from people I don’t know. Thank you all in advanced.
So, I guess I’ll divulge…
High school was a simple task. I hit my objectives and had a good time while putting myself in a good position college. Then, junior year and senior happened… bluntly said, I was depressed and it was bad. The time typically used touring colleges and filling applications was instead spent brooding and wallowing in my room. I couldn’t look beyond the state I was in (don’t blame myself but I’m upset I couldn’t). I ended up visiting zero schools and applying to one college that I knew I would be accepted to. Despite the bumps in the road, I left high school with a transcript and SAT I was truly proud of, but, going to a school that I decided to apply to just to end the miserable search. The summer has been good to me, yet, now I find myself feeling the same weight because the college I’m attending isn’t the college for me. There’s no excitement or even angst, I’m just gutted.
If you could give your advice about coming to terms with the college I’m attending or routes I should go to eventually go somewhere I’ll be happy, I would appreciate it.
Temple U- 1410- 4.56 W- $30,000- the saving grace of TU is the cost/scholarships. I won’t have debt there but I’m not sure if it’s worth being unhappy.
Temple was my daughter’s first choice, but she had to turn down her admission there because we couldn’t afford it. If you really don’t want to go there, withdraw now, take a gap year, and apply to some schools you can afford that you like better. With your stats, you may be able to get decent merit scholarships at some of the many small private schools in PA or another state. Or you could go to Penn State or Pitt, or possibly an out-of-state school if you can get merit. Don’t start and plan to transfer, as you will lose out on freshman scholarships. Transfers usually get much less money. What type of school would you rather go to?
@austinmshauri
Temple is a good and reputable college, and their business school even more so. But, I don’t see myself at Temple because of the size and location. And, I don’t think I’ll fit in the student pop but I think that’s just me being nervous.
And, no. That’s how much I would be willing to take on loans each year. My parents can help pay that number but not much.
@kidzncatz
Hopefully something mid-sized(5k to 14k), suburban, and maybe a better business school. Pitt and Penn State seemed like a better choice in hindsight. Especially Smeal.
You can only borrow ~$5500/year. Can your parents pay for Temple without borrowing? What’s your net cost there and what’s your budget if you choose a different school?
I’m confused. You said you won’t have debt at Temple, but if I understand you correctly, you then said you will be taking on nearly $30,000 debt per year yourself. Are your parents co-signing big loans?
They wouldn’t need to borrow. Between the scholarships, I would approximate the cost to be around 4k a year(what scholarships didn’t cover, books and other small expenses). That’s an approximation though. I definitely need to positive on the numbers before making a decision like this. I know it’s a great cost but I feel I could get that a school that suits me more.
Temple is a fine school with good spirit. If you go with the right attitude I suspect you will be surprised how much you like it there. Sure, you could have gotten in to a more selective school. So what? Make the best of it and if you are really unhappy then transfer out. But I would not take a gap year because of Temple.
If your parents can’t pay much I’d go to Temple and make the best of it. The chances of getting anywhere near a $4k net cost for a 4-year college are extremely small.
That was a little unclear on my part. I think after all my costs are rounded up it would be 4k a year at TU. The user asked me my budget and I said $30,000 for that(which it would definitely be a stretching cost but for a quality school— I guess not outrageous).
Frankly, I think you have a great deal with Temple. My son considered it seriously. We know s number of excellent students who went there and have done well
You need a $30k attitude adjustment. Temple is great, perfect for you. If you don’t like it after a year or two, Penn state and pitt aren’t going anywhere. Transfer.
You’ll be soooo soooo happy in 4 years when you have no debt. If you are sick of Temple after 2 years, do a year abroad or even a swap at another school (I forget what it is college, but it is like study abroad at a US school and you pay the cheaper of the tuition at your home school or at the ‘away’ school).
When I started on CC, Temple was one of the" Golden" schools, giving out full scholarships like Alabama does based on stats. Students were thrilled to go there and often picked it over higher ranked schools because it was such a good deal financially. They can’t give the big scholarships anymore, but the rankings still remain high.
‘I don’t see myself there…’
‘I don’t think I’ll fit in…’
‘In hindsight I think that these other schools would be better…’
“The summer has been good to me, yet, now I find myself feeling the same weight because the college I’m attending isn’t the college for me. There’s no excitement or even angst,”
The absence of excitement or angst is not the same as knowing “knowing” that Temple is the wrong college for you. Second-guessing and cold feet are rife right about now as a lot of students get closer to actually leaving for college.
Go do a COA for Pitt & Penn State. Unless it would be similar to Temple, you have a super opportunity to go to a good (and often under-rated) college and graduate debt-free. Don’t let last minute post-event rationalization get the better of you.
Lots of students have last regrets and cold feet and manage to be happy where they end up. You may or may not, but it would be hard to know at this point.
Could this be your depression talking? Have you been able to address the malaise of your last two years? Have you spent time in therapy, etc, or were the problems due to a temporary situation that changed? Can you see a therapist before heading out to Temple to sort through this?