I started off freshman year really bad and same with sophomore, mostly B’s and C’s with a D or two. Junior year I had a change of heart and received all A’s and B’s, and I just finished my first semester of senior year and it’s all A’s and B’s again. My overall GPA is a 3.0 which i know is not good, but it was at like a 2.75 sophomore year so there’s a significant increase.
I decided junior year that I wanted to go to school in NYC, which prompted my change in heart of grades. Over the summer I took a dual enrollment film class and got an A and I took another dual enrollment class (literature) in fall and got another A. I have decent EC’s but nothing special.
My question is, should I go to community college and then try to transfer to NYU or Fordham because I want to go there? Or should I just suck it up and go to another school that I like at home (Illinois). I’ve worked really hard there last two year to show that I can handle academic rigor and I was just stupid and unmotivated my first two years, should I just leave that and go to com college?
I don’t want to major in film, I want to major in education. I have been looking at Illinois State which is a cheap 4 year near me, would it be plausible to transfer from there to NYU or Fordham?
Where do you want to teach… IL or NY? You’ll want to go to a school in THAT state so that you’ll end up certified to teach there. Plan B, you want a state that has reciprocity with the one where you’ll end up teaching.
That’s why I’m so stressed. I know that wherever I go for college will be where i’m certified and it kind of is like commuting to living in that state. Obviously I could get certified in other stages but that would be pretty difficult I’ve heard. I want to go to school in NY but I wouldn’t mind going 2 years in IL and then transferring.
How are you planning to pay for your education? With barely a 3.0, unless you have truly stellar ACT or SAT scores, there aren’t many places where you would be guaranteed any merit-based aid, and your chances of admission to any of the places that guarantee good need-based aid are not good at all.
Two years at your local community college pulling as close to a 4.0 as you can will give you some decent options come transfer time. While you are there, thoroughly explore your options for teacher-training. Take any of the education classes that you can, and in particular do all of the observation/classroom volunteering that you can fit into your schedule. That will help you determine if teaching is indeed the career for you, and will put you in touch with working teachers who can help you develop your plan for completing your education.
Getting certified in other states isn’t particularly hard, depending on the states, but unless your family has cash to pay full price, Fordham and NYU are both very expensive to get a teaching degree. It is easier to find a job where you attend school. Your teacher salary won’t be influenced by where you get your degree, I would look at the finances and do whatever gets you your degree with the least amount of debt.
You got into two great schools in a fantastic city that hopefully are affordable with your significant scholarships. IMO you would be irresponsible/crazy to give those up to attend CC with the hope of moving to Fordham or NYU where (if accepted) you likely will get no merit aid as a transfer.
You will have plenty of time to live in NYC after graduation if you desire to do so.
If you go to a school like NYU, and you’re paying for it, the student loans won’t help your career. If you go to a community college and get top grades, you could get scholarships to your home schools. To NYU, you’re just another pretty face and they won’t offer anything but an acceptance letter and sticker price tuition.
Paying NYU prices for an education degree is nuts. Depending on your budget the SUNY schools have less of an out of state upcharge than many states.
DePaul and Loyola are great schools. If they are affordable to you I might pick one of them over Illinois State. Have you visited?
There are teachers who move every year. It is a pain to get certificates in a new state but it’s not impossible. Start planning ahead when you get closer to graduation.
Don’t go to CC in the hope of transferring to NYU. First, why would NYU admit someone from a CC in IL? Second, transfers to NYU don’t have access to housing so you’d have to find housing, then pay for it (expect $15,000 for housing and another $5,000 for food plus $2,000 for transportation and incidentals). That’s on top of a full-price tuition.
If you want to be a teacher, it sounds smart to attend the 4-year college that’s the best value for you. I’d go with DePaul or Loyola if they’re affordable, if they require loans then Illinois State (as long as its net cost is much lower than the previous two). Or apply to a few other colleges - SUNYs, especially Geneseo, but New Paltz, Plattsburgh or Albany, would be a possibility, especially if you can get into Honors; CUNYs, especially Hunter for education but also CSI with its dorm, or CCNY and its dorm; Drew, in NJ, is near NYC. If you’re interested in areas where TV/movies are filmed, what about UNC Wilmington or Agnes Scott in Atlanta?