<p>Hi, my name is Julia. I'm a sophomore in high school and I'm already planning ahead. At the end of my freshmen year, I had an unweighted GPA of about 3.6, I slacked a bit, but this year I gave it my absolute all, I have received honor roll for 2 quarters, I've maintained all A's in all of my classes except for 1, which i was just a few points away. My guess of my unweighted GPA right now is about a 3.8. I haven't taken the SATs or the ACT yet, but I plan on taking some preparation courses as well as the PSATs. I'm involved in a lot of clubs and music plays a major part of it. I want to go to school for music production and engineering, because I'd really like to work with other musicians and hopefully become a music producer. My dream school is to go to New York University (NYU) and Steven's Institute of Technology is my second. I think that if I don't slack off like I didn't this year next year and I try even harder, I can get like a 3.9 GPA.
My only issue is with college, is that I am basically poor. I live in an apartment with my
single mother who just divorced my father, with my 2 of my sisters. My mom is a nurse, and she has a disability which is PTSD. She gets money from the government, which is about $50,000 a year and it pays for the rent, some bills, medications, and other basic living costs. My family has no money to send me to a good school. I have a friend who is a senior, and she was undergoing the same problems when applying to colleges for art school. She is an excellent artist, she wants to be a graphic designer. She got accepted to Pratt University, a very good art school. But she can't afford it, and the scholarships she got didn't make a significant difference for her. She told me that loans usually double over time, I did the math for NYU and i would end up paying back almost $500,000. That is way too much i believe, but she also gave me the idea of going to a community college for 2 years and then transferring to a school like NYU if i was accepted. Which would split the cost of college in half, and I would still end up with a Bachelor's degree from NYU. It sounds like a great idea to me, plus there is a great community college near by for what i want to do.
My only issue is, when I graduate and apply for jobs... will the fact that
I transferred count against me? Even though I will have a Bachelor's Degree from NYU, does the fact I was only there for two years be used against me as opposed to someone who was there all four years? I thought at first that a Bachelor's degree from NYU is a Bachelor's degree from NYu... but I could be wrong. What do you think? Anyone with personal experience I welcome to help me answer these questions</p>
<p>Hi Julia! </p>
<p>First of all, I think you should focus for now on enjoying high school, getting the best grades you can, and involving yourself in extracurriculars. That will give you a good shot at getting into good colleges out of high school so that you have the option – you also never know what scholarships and grants you may qualify for given that your family doesn’t make a lot of money. Keep in mind that colleges also look for being well rounded with club memberships, leadership positions on campus, volunteer work, work experience, etc. </p>
<p>Community college could also be a good option. I am about to transfer from a CC, and am deciding between UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Columbia University (GS) – which is to say, it’s entirely possible if you’re dedicated to transfer from a community college to a great school. Just keep in mind that a lot of people lose motivation because most students at community college don’t end up transferring. And if you do decide to go to community college, get involved in as many honors programs, clubs, internships, volunteer projects, etc., as possible. </p>
<p>Once you transfer, you get your bachelor’s degree from your transfer institution, so there shouldn’t be any stigma about your having gone to community college. Transfer applicants still undergo rigorous review from admissions committees. If you graduate from NYU, no one is going to think less of you because you spent your first two years at a community college (just like they wouldn’t if you had transferred from another university.) </p>
<p>Good luck with whatever you decide!</p>
<p>Do more research. While starting at a CC can be a good option, there Re lots of schools that give great financial aid to low income students who’ve done well academically. Art schools in general don’t, but the top academic schools do. Keep your grades up, get good scores and delve into ECs. You may have many choices.</p>
<p>Hey I am a freshman at a Community College who is looking to do the same exact thing your doing (its scary lol) and is going through a similar home situation. I was just interested in talking to you and seeing where is your progress so far on the whole situation.</p>