Hi, did you make a decision?
Yes, I committed to Duke! Logically, it doesn’t make as much sense as some of the other schools, but after attending admitted student days for all of them it just felt right and I could really see myself thriving there in the academic, social, and geographic environment. There are a lot of chances to explore different things I’m interested in, and even though the music program is not very robust, I liked the faculty better than at any of the other schools and because it’s so small, it’s super customizable and I’ll get tons of individual attention and help doing anything with my music that I want to. Also, I liked Durham’s feel and even though it’s not a very big city, it actually does have big problems with educational inequality, which is what I ultimately want to focus on, so I think it’ll be a really good place for me. Everyone told me CMU was a shoo-in choice, but through this whole process I’ve been praying that I’ll be guided to wherever I’m supposed to be, and I just felt like Duke was that for me!
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Also, as far as financials, I’ve talked extensively to fin aid people everywhere and everyone said that looking more closely at their calculations, my price would not go up much when my brother graduates, and my family has decided to stick it out without any extra income for the next couple of years until we get past the years when taxes will matter. I also got to talk to an educational economist as part of a news story and she said that even though a difference of a couple thousand a year seems big now, it really will not matter down the line when compared to the vast differences in earning potential that will come from picking a school where I have great opportunities and will be able to thrive and graduate in 4 years. That really helped me give myself permission to pick the school that felt right, and I will figure out the finances somehow! I also won over $10,000 in cash scholarships and plan to work a full-time and part-time job this summer, as well as work-study and subsidized loans that will just sit in an account and accrue interest in the case I don’t need them, so all that should help too.
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Congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful college experience!
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