<p>You sound like a strong student with great prospects but you are raising some red flags for me that suggest you might be about to ‘mispend’ your future. </p>
<p>So, take this with a grain of salt, but I am a little concerned about your natural affinity for research given your reliance on misinformation or hearsay instead of going to sources to arrive at your opinions, particularly as they relate to your own future. As a former journalist, editor, and present business owner engaged the communications and multi-media disciplines, I encourage you to carefully consider and align your natural inclinations with your avocation to enjoy a happy (and debt free life ;). Eg. if you generally don’t enjoy digging deep for info, you will be quite bored with news reporting, especially civic affairs, careful court coverage, et al. If you are bored by Nebraska in general, you may not have the natural curiosity that benefits reporters, because “bored” is a state of mind, not a place, and the truly curious are never bored.</p>
<p>Then again, we all know what it feels like to be restless, and maybe your instincts are pushing you to get away for your own good, and all will be well. But be very frank in your assessment of your natural strengths because the news world is highly competitive and not nearly as glamorous as some young people think, and certainly less rewarding today that it has been in the past due to gross and unconscionable conglomerated and partisan ownership that threatens the very independence of the press (coupled with our county’s capacity to “amuse ourselves to death” as Neil Postman would say).</p>
<p>On the other hand, you may very much enjoy other aspects of the communications field, publishing and “content generation.” But I will say this about long-form narrative: it’s future as a viable market continues to grow a little sketchy.</p>
<p>In either regard, NYU is certainly NOT the epicenter of education in the field of communications. Northwestern’s School of Communications is generally much more highly rated, and if you write well, your stats may be sufficient for entry. In that case, take a gap year and try. It’s just as expensive, so you would only want to go if you earned merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Another solid selection would by Newhouse School at Syracuse – a well regarded program. Another completely valid approach (and better, to my mind) is a broad liberal arts background undergrad and GRAD school (Masters) at Columbia. I’ve known some outstanding professionals who took this approach.</p>
<p>If your interest in publishing is due to an interest in fiction writing, Iowa has one of the continent’s leading creative writing workshops and programs, including an MFA.</p>
<p>So, just to give you food for thought, I don’t especially feel NYU is a great place for you considering how phenomenally notorious they are for giving REALLY BAD AID. I see no professional edge at NYU unless you actually intended to go to Tisch for Film or Screenwriting, but even then I would say do that for grad school, not undergrad in your financial circumstances. If you do elect to go into debt (and are even able to borrow the amounts you’ve discussed, which I think will be more difficult than you believe), then spend it wisely as it may take you the first half of your life to get out from under it.</p>
<p>And if communications is your calling, there is a school of thought that suggests this can’t exactly be taught, meaning so long as you continue to expose yourself to new situations, information and material and keep honing your skills, YOU ARE CONTINUING YOUR EDUCATION whether you’re in college at the moment or not.</p>
<p>I hope this has been helpful to you. I wish you the best in your search.
Cheers,
K</p>