Hey there! Thank you for checking out my post.
With college apps done and May 1st coming in faster than I would like it to, I have to make a decision regarding where I want to go to school. I got accepted into two of my top choices and got an offer of guaranteed transfer into my dream school. I’m really happy to have been accepted here, but now the question is, where do I go?
I want to study psychology, and all these schools will allow me to get a foundation as a psychology major. I know that in order to obtain a career in clinical psychology, I should aim for a Ph.D. That means that I should make it through both undergrad and grad school in order to achieve this. I want to see which of these schools offer me the best path towards this career.
UT is one of the top psychology programs in the nation and, on top of that, is the most affordable out of the three schools. I would be getting the best bang for my buck from one of the top programs around. My only concern is that I won’t be going to UT directly. I would have to spend my freshman year of college in UTSA and then use my guaranteed transfer offer for my sophomore year. I’m a little concerned that I will receive a lower quality education and I won’t be prepared to handle the workload at UT. Another thing that makes me a little uneasy is that people would perceive me negatively due to being a CAP transfer. I haven’t heard of any type of case like that, but it’s still something I can’t shake off my head.
My other choice is Pepperdine. They’re expensive, but they are willing to give me half the tuition on grants. It has a beautiful location, a great campus, and I feel like I would be more motivated to study in an environment like this. However, it is a Christian school. I’m Catholic, but I’m not thrilled about having to take religion classes. I’m also not 100% sure where its psychology program stands, making it a little bit risky in that aspect. On top of that, I still have half of the tuition to worry about, so going into debt too deep too fast is a very likely scenario.
My last choice is NYU. I love this school; everything from the campus to the school of psychology to the student body makes me excited to have gotten in here. The only problem is the price. They offered me even less financial aid than Pepperdine, meaning I would have to pay over 60k with loans every 4 years. I contacted the admission office asking for more funding since my family was affected by Hurricane Harvey and we’re already having a handful with that, but I’m not expecting a miraculous half ride offer.
I’m having a tough time deciding between these programs, and I would appreciate your help helping me sort this out.