<p>I'm a 21-year-old community college transfer student in LA and I found out last week that I got into Columbia University School of General Studies as well as UCLA. My initial thought was that I had to go to Columbia. My major is Art History, so their program for that is incredible and the NYC location would be amazing for my field. I am hopeful that a Columbia degree would help me get into top grad programs as well as give me some clout in the art world. I'm fairly ambitious about curating, and from what I've heard it's unlikely to get curator jobs at respected museums unless you've got degrees from top schools. While I know that applies mostly to grad school, it seems like I'd be more likely to get into a MA program at Columbia if I finished undergrad there. </p>
<p>The thing that is getting me a bit conflicted now is that UCLA is offering me $20k in gift aid, and though I don't know what Columbia will offer yet, from what I've heard it is unlikely to be substantial. The other drawback of moving is that I have great friends here, live in a wonderful area, and generally love my life in LA. I also have been interning at galleries here, so I'm starting to get to know the LA art scene. And, UCLA is still a great school with a strong AH program. </p>
<p>So, my question is -- is it worth it to pay to go to Columbia? Will the prestige of the degree and the possible connections I will make while there justify the price tag?</p>
<p>Well, it’s difficult to say at the moment. Until you find out how much aid Columbia will give you, I can’t really answer fully.</p>
<p>With that said, if Columbia offers you good aid, and the difference in cost between UCLA and Columbia would be minimal (though I doubt this will happen), then Columbia with a doubt. While UCLA is a great school, it’s no Columbia.</p>
<p>But like I said, cost is going to be a big factor, so hold off until you find out what sort of aid Columbia will give.</p>
<p>In terms of moving, I know it is difficult. I moved in the middle of high school, and the beginning was horrible. I got used to it eventually, and now, moving isn’t a big deal anymore. To be honest, you’re very likely going to move at one point in your life. If not, your friends will. Don’t stay somewhere because of your friends; I can assure you that is something you will regret big time. Also, you can always move back to LA after finishing college.</p>
<p>Like I said though, for myself, it would really all come down to the cost. I would never, ever pay $200,000 for a college education.</p>
<p>Btw, may I ask what your GPA was/how many credits you had completed in community college? I also attended a community college in California and was strongly considering applying to Columbia, but didn’t because I thought I had no shot (3.82 GPA/86 quarter units completed).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Actually, our GPAs/units are almost identical. I have a 3.87 from my current community college with 89 units, but 3.7 or so if you include courses I took several years ago at other schools. But I did apply to GS, not Columbia College, so I had a strong set of reasons that make me a nontraditional student and I suppose they liked my essay for those reasons. (Family members struggled with mental illness, so I had a really unstable childhood, dropped out of high school, and returned to college several years later.) I also had pretty strong extracurriculars that demonstrated interest in my major. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’ve heard that Columbia doesn’t really do financial aid, but you can’t see what their package is until you’ve accepted their admission offer. Therefore, I’m assuming I will not get much in the way of scholarships on the 40k+ of tuition, so in that case I’m looking at roughly 100k in loans for two years, by conservative estimate. My grandfather said he may be able to help pay for some of it, but I don’t want to rely on that. If I stay in CA, I’m eligible for a 12k Cal grant, 5k Pell grant, 2k in UCLA scholarship money and 2k in work study. So I’d really only be paying for cost of living. The Pell grant should apply out of state, but it makes a minimal dent on the Columbia tuition.</p>
<p>Then the choice is easy; UCLA :)</p>
<p>Agree, that’s too much money to pay for UG, particularly when you know you need to go to grad school in a field like AH which may not be funded.</p>
<p>While C may be worth ‘some’ extra money, that’s way too much.</p>
<p>Olivia, </p>
<p>We are in similar situations, and I am an Art History major as well. I am ultimately choosing UCLA over NYU. Because I want to eventually get my PhD, I feel as though going into massive debt at NYU for undergrad would be a huge mistake. However, I do want to go to NYU for grad school. </p>
<p>If you aren’t planning on continuing your education, go for Columbia. If you are, I’d really think about the financial aspect of it, since MA programs usually are not well-funded. You could always go to Columbia for grad school.</p>
<p>Columbia GS doesn’t give aid like their other schools do. If you cant pay the $60K it will cost, it’s not an option.</p>
<p>leeshkeesh, are you also a transfer? Congrats on NYU and UCLA! Perhaps I’ll seeya there next year. 
</p>
<p>I’m feeling like UCLA will probably be the smarter choice given that I want to go to grad school. I think the main benefit of Columbia would be that I’d be pushing myself out of my comfort zone and living in NYC, where I assume I’d have different opportunities for internships and work experience. But it’s hard to turn down a free education at UCLA, which is still in the top ten for Art History programs. </p>
<p>AND, I just saw the World University Rankings for this year, which place Columbia at #12 and UCLA at #13:
[Top</a> 400 - The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-2012](<a href=“World University Rankings 2011-12 | Times Higher Education (THE)”>World University Rankings 2011-12 | Times Higher Education (THE))</p>
<p>I wouldn’t trust any rankings. One critical question you should ask yourself is what city you’d rather work in, LA or NY.</p>
<p>^Where you got your grad degree is going to determine where you work much more than UG.</p>
<p>@olivia- Yep, also a transfer I totally understand the comfort zone thing. It’s been my dream to live in NYC for such a long time, but I can’t turn down a practically free UCLA degree. I’m going to apply for the summer internship program at MoMA next year, so hopefully I’ll be able to get a taste of New York before grad school. </p>
<p>If you turn down Columbia, see you at UCLA!</p>