original501

I'm a junior living in the Houston area. I'm currently in the process of college searches, and one caught my attention. The only possible problem is that it's OOS and maybe not too well known. I want to attend The University of New York: City College.
I want to major in journalism or international relations, so I can't go wrong with NYC, right?
Anyways I don't want to waste my parent's hard-earned money and my time getting a degree that won't get me anywhere.

What are your thoughts??

In case you're wondering, here are my basic stats:

GPA: 3.7 W
Class rank: 10/617
SAT: 2110

(I'm a blue collar Mexican immigrant, so I can't really afford a private school.)

*I do plan to bring up my stats!^^

*Any suggestions??

Thanks! =]

budda

CCNY is extremely well known (within the northeast it is held in high regard for a public institution), and a very good education for the money. Given your stats and URM status, I would recommend applying to the CUNY Honors College (Macaulay).

OHKID

^I don't know if you realized this, but you have a pretty good shot at 99.9% of the universities in this nation with such a stellar SAT score and class rank plus your minority status. I'd shoot higher.

Still, if you want to go this route, you can, but I would highly suggest looking at prestigious journalism schools, which I know nothing about. A little more run-of-the-mill journalism schools that may suit your fancy include Syracuse, Ohio, Indiana, Ithaca, NYU, and Quinnipiac.

LaRokin

I think you'd be great at CCNY. Also, Indiana University has a great journalism program on a beautiful campus. Ohio State is good too. Check 'em out!

Dad_of_3

> (I'm a blue collar Mexican immigrant, so I can't really afford a private school.)

With your credentials, you really shouldn't write private schools off because of money. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much money you may qualify for at private schools, so I urge you to investigate further before dismissing them.

hmom5

Your stats can certainly get you into much better colleges with better job potential. As others have said, good aid may well be possible from many schools.

mom2collegekids

You might get a lot more aid from privates than you would from an OOS public. Publics can't typically meet the financial needs of an OOS student. The cost to attend as an OOS is around $28k per year.

Are you now a citizen or a legal resident (green card?) If you aren't a legal resident, it will be more difficult for you at many schools.

Aren't there schools in Texas with good journalism and IR departments?

my-3-sons

Check out the University of Missouri. It has one of the top journalism programs in the country and merit $ with additional OOS tuition waivers for top URM students. You may qualify for some nice scholarships.

Scholarships at MU

original501

mom2collegekids:

I'm a permanent resident, in the process of becoming a citizen.
UT-Austin has excellent journalism and IR deparnments, but I don't like the location.
I would much rather prefer a large, cosmopolitan, world-class city. =]

Erin's Dad

Actually Austin is considered a large, cosmopolitan, world-class city, especially by anyone who knows music.

mom2collegekids

Since it sounds like you need financial aid, I don't think an OOS public is going to work UNLESS they will waive OOS costs and give you some merit money.

You don't want to end up with a big $$ gap in what you can pay and what a school can do for you.

juillet

City College is a pretty well known college, I think.

The answer to this really depends on you. Know that most CUNY students are going to be from New York - even more narrowly, most CUNY students are probably going to be from New York City, as it's a City University of New York College. However, that might not matter, since NYC is one of the most diverse cities in the world and these students are likely to be from all over before they moved to NYC and have different family backgrounds. In that sense, you might feel really at home at City College, because it has a big thing for serving underserved populations and is a relatively diverse place.

Also, people keep telling you you can get into better colleges with your stats. What they mean is, you can get into more prestigious colleges with more name reputation. If you want that, then I think you can shoot higher. Worry about financial aid packages at the end of the process. But I also think that some people think that there's more money out there than there really is, especially if your parents are lower-middle-class or working-class and make money but not a lot. My family was lower-middle-class growing up and my EFC was still $18,000, which my parents could NOT afford. I didn't even bother applying to schools that didn't offer merit aid because of this, even though with my stats and URM status I probably was eligible for some top schools. Do some investigation, first, but you know what your family's resources about. And in any event, City College could be the best fit for you.

Austin isn't a world-class city - it's awesome, but it's certainly not on the same level as NYC or Los Angeles or Boston or something. That said, I still don't think you should write off Austin, because it is awesome.

Cast your net wider, though - small private schools will offer you merit aid, especially with your stats. Look at the schools ranked in the ~50-100 range of the U.S. News rankings, especially the LACs. I had similar stats when I applied to college 5 years ago and I got into some LACs in that range with full scholarships.

original501

UT-Austin reached out to me, and convinced me.
But anyways, thank you all SO much!
=]

mom2collegekids

Good choice for an in-state student who needs F/A.

original501

Juillet:
Great idea!