<p>I just wanted some advice. I'm having a hard time figuring out where to go for college. I've narrowed down my list to Wellesley, Barnard, Penn and Vassar. Penn is vastly different from the others, but I have a feeling my parents (especially my dad wants me to go there the most). Also Penn is very considered the "social Ivy" and I'm not the biggest drinker. I liked the campus well enough and adore the Kelly Writers House though. Barnard has been my dream school since sophomore year, but I did not receive that much aid and if I go there I'd have to get a job off campus which really frightens me because I'm not used to NYC and also it might be distracting for me my first year academics-wise. I visited Vassar and I liked it enough, but I wasn't wowed by it (partly because I visited Barnard before and kept comparing everything to Barnard). I'll be visiting Wellesley next week to see what I like about the place. </p>
<p>I want to be a journalist and the only schools that have something concerning media or communications are Penn, Vassar and Wellesley. However, with Barnard, I'll have a better chance of getting internships in the city and establishing myself. Also I figured if I was at Barnard, I might have a better in with Columbia's grad school for journalism.</p>
<p>I'd hope to double major in Communications/Media Studies and history and possibly minor in Political Science or Gender Studies at Vassar, Wellesley or Penn. At Barnard, I'd double major in Human Rights and History and possibly minor in film studies.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Which would be a better option for me?</p>
<p>A big question here is liberal arts versus university? As a Bryn Mawr student I’ve taken several classes at Penn, and have friends there who I’ve attended social events with. Because it’s an urban campus, it doesn’t have the distinct community you might find at Wellesley or Vassar. I’ve taken creative writing and journalism classes at Penn and they have a decent amount of offerings with interesting professors. Most are working writers and editors who teach on the side. Penn also has more formal communications courses if you’re looking for that. While I think it’s important to give your self options, you might find in a few years that you actually don’t want to go into journalism, so it’s also good to keep in mind where you would be happy in general, regardless of academics.</p>
<p>Currently I attend a really small school with about 85 total in my class . . so I’m thinking more of a liberal arts school. I honestly didn’t expect to get into Penn, but I did and now my parents want me to consider it.</p>
<p>Given that Barnard didn’t give you as much aid, I would absolutely cross it off my list. Journalism is a terrible field for getting paid internships. Your paid job will be waiting tables and that won’t give you much time for a great but unpaid internship. If the goal of Barnard is to get into a great journalism grad school-- first, Columbia is not the only one to consider; second, all of the other undergraduate programs you got into are great and Columbia will surely know that if you apply to their grad program coming from Penn, Wellesley Vassar. </p>
<p>If the goal of Barnard is to get an internship in an urban area, you could as easily get one in Philadelphia as in New York City. When you have programs at NYU and Columbia going, you may find it harder to get even an unpaid internship in New York. By comparison, the Penn name will likely hold more sway in helping you get an internship. If the city is a little grittier, that only gives you more material to write about. On the other hand, there are likely other good places you can write (or work in a local television station) if you choose Vassar or Wellesley–get someone at both schools to give you some specific details on this point. Ask what others have done.</p>
<p>For Wellesley and Vassar, I would also ask the schools’ admissions offices about what journalism or communications classes you could take through their 12-college consortium or other links with cross campuses. Here is one link:</p>
<p>Finally, for all three schools, check out their student newspapers online. These are the students with the same interest as you. And campus newspapers are a great place to start. Ask admissions if they can set up a meeting with one of their newspaper staffers when you visit campus. If not, stop by the newspaper office and say hello. Their response–even under pressure of getting the paper out–may give you some insights.</p>
<p>Wellesley and Vassar have really good Media Studies programs. I have seen all of their newspapers (except Wellesley’s but I’ll see it soon on Sunday) and they are really good too. </p>
<p>To be honest, I can’t really let go of Barnard because it’s been my dream school for like two years. And I absolutely love it there. And I don’t really want to go to Penn (which is very obnoxious of me, but I don’t want to!). I liked Vassar enough and might consider it . Wellelsley too. But at this point I’m crossing Penn off my list and I’m seriously sick of everyone telling me to go there!</p>
<p>Can your parents afford Barnard with the lower aid amount? I mean – it seems that Barnard is clearly your top choice – so the real question is whether it is affordable. Obviously Barnard thinks they have given you enough to meet need. (Note: you might want to try to tease out why other college’s need-based awards are higher – you might find something that one college considered that Barnard overlooked when figuring aid. I think it would be worth your time to set up a telephone conference with a financial aid officer from Barnard to go over figures and get a sens as to what went into the calculation. None of these colleges will “match” an aware from another school, but there could be special circumstances that impact your situation. When my daughter got into Barnard and I made that sort of call, it turned out that Barnard was willing to give us a grant of several thousand more than the award indicated, but it was a situation where they needed more documentation before approving the extra funds.)</p>
<p>The comment above about “waiting tables” isn’t true – my daughter found work that paid a lot better than that; and she was able to fund unpaid summer internships with the money she earned from working coupled with grants she applied for and received from Barnard. My daughter now has a job in media in NYC-- though my d. was not interested in journalism or media as an undergrad, and majored in something entirely different. But its NYC – she was looking for work, she saw a listing, she sent in a resume, she got an interview, she got hired. </p>
<p>Barnard students do participate on The Columbia Spectator, and I think that as a campus daily paper it is probably fairly well regarded as far as a college paper goes. </p>
<p>Many moons ago I was a lazy girl from a blue collar town who got into Harvard (huh???-I’m sure the applicant pool was a fraction of what it is now). All else being equal, including really money, go for the best education. Put yourself into new waters: you will develop skills and a unique and deep perspective. That’s why people get a true education. Balzac said that the truly educated person learns about life in his or her 20s, and I think this is what he meant. At 17 or 18, even the smartest or most mature of us doesn’t know what we want to do with our work life. You are just starting out. Go where you can grow the most, which sounds like Barnard for you. </p>
<p>You seem like a really good fit for Barnard. I agree with okeydokey4, go for the best education. I’m sort of in the same position, my number one school is Wellelsey, but their NPC is telling me that I have to pay more than I had hoped… But, it’s about the education. If you feel that Barnard will give you a better education and will land you more internships and grad school opportunities, go for it. That’s how I feel about Wellesley, and I don’t mind taking out private student loans to go there because of it. Everything will work out, and even if you do come up a bit short, call the financial aid office and submit a plea! Express your interest and just explain that it’s literally impossible for you to attend if you can’t receive a certain amount of aid.</p>
<p>Also, NYC is pricey. I visited their campus, due to the fact that I’m big on small women’s colleges, and I fell in love, but I had to cut it out of my list. There is no way I’m getting in, first off, and even if I did get in, I couldn’t even live. I know my parents wouldn’t be able to send money to me, and getting a job off campus would interfere with academics… This would be a major problem for me, considering Barnard is an AMAZING school, so in order to succeed, you probably have to spend a lot of time studying. However, if you can do, by all means, do it. You won’t regret an education at Barnard. Especially if you hope to get into a great grad school, Barnard and Wellesley are the place to go.</p>