<p>Okay, so ultimately, I’m going to have to make this decision myself…but I greatly appreciate ANY input from current Northwestern students and CC users. </p>
<p>I was accepted into Northwestern as a transfer, and it has been my absolute dream school since 9th grade. Not only will I be able to major in Communication Studies, but I will also be able to minor in Theatre (an education path effective this Fall). I am obsessed with Chicago, I am friends w/ a lot of the professors, and I’ll be a member of their Forensics team. Basically, this has been my goal since 9th grade…and I worked my ass off to get here. Unfortunately, (here’s the kick) I received NO FINANCIAL AID…even after appealing their decision.</p>
<p>I come from SMU in Dallas, Texas where I maintained a 4.0 my entire first year, and in their eyes…I **** gold. SMU throws me money left and right, and says that I qualify for the financial aid that Northwestern is too stingy to provide. (We put an investment on our home, and NU had the balls to tell us to sell our house to afford a NU education. Like ***.) At SMU; however, I was extremely depressed and unhappy with the education I was receiving. Though I made great friends and was involved in many activities, it just wasn’t the school for me. </p>
<p>My question to you all is, should I suck it up…attend SMU for free…and maintain an amazing GPA…in hopes of attending a great grad school? (My dad has offered to pay for grad school and a a car and other expenses if I attend SMU – he’d rather see his money go in my back pocket than the school’s). Or, should I not pass up the opportunity and dream that I worked for since 9th grade? Is Northwestern worth the 25,000 dollar student loans that I’m applying for? I need to make a permanent decision within the next few days, and any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much!</p>
<p>I don’t know if Northwestern is worth the money, but I do know that if you are depressed and unhappy at SMU, it isn’t the place for you. Nobody deserves to spend their four years at college wishing they were someplace else. </p>
<p>The financial decision is on your shoulders, however, and will depend on how much you plan on making upon graduation…</p>
<p>I would stay at SMU. Keep up the 4.0 and you’ll be able to go to any grad school you want, NU included. 25,000 in loans per year is a LOT of money. It will take you years and years to pay off. I firmly believe that a good education is more about the personal motivation of the student and less about the school.
I bet there are a lot of ways you could make SMU become a better fit. Try seeking out difficult courses, or try to find the best teachers at the school. Also keep in mind that NU might not be everything you hope it is. Yes, it is an amazing school, but what if you find it’s not that much better than what you had at SMU? So many things can go wrong: trouble making friends, finding the coursework too difficult, etc.<br>
I’m sorry you have such a ****ty decision to make.<br>
good luck with everything!</p>
<p>the thing is… I went out of my way to take 3000 level courses, join the honors program and load my semesters with 18 credits each. I was not challenged…at all. Also, I have done theatre my ENTIRE life…and SMU restricts auditioning to theatre majors only. @ Northwestern, plays are open to the entire student body…thus I’d be able to continue an activity I’m extremely passionate about. @ NU, I’ll also be a member of the Forensics Team…something I really, really excelled in during high school, and it’d be awesome to do this on the collegeiate circuit! I’m also really good friends with the director of this team, and he is nearly begging me to attend the school and compete. My mind is telling me to attend the school that will offer the most opportunities, and that is w/o a doubt Northwestern (in my circumstance). But…I don’t know if it’s worth the 25k that my parents are forcing me to pay…simply because my we can’t afford it! </p>
<p>This is killing me. My philosophy is: you only live once…so go to the school that you’ve dreamed of attending. Plus, NU’s grad program isn’t as notable as its undergrad. Does anybody have any information on some good scholarships? :/</p>
<p>This is all still up in the air. Thanks for all of your replies, thus far.</p>
<p>can you get any outside scholarships? how much can you make at a summer job? can you get a part-time job during the school year? </p>
<p>coming out of school with 75 grand in debt just doesn’t make sense … can you transfer somewhere other than NU where you’ll still be happier than you are at SMU? i suppose the deadline has passed, what about applying somewhere else as a spring admit? </p>
<p>lastly, i’m not sure what 3000 level classes are (at NU 300 level classes are the hardest undergrads can take, i believe), but can you take graduate level classes? can you maybe do research with a professor? write for teh school newspaper?</p>
<p>btw, i’m in dallas for the summer and met another intern at the law firm where i’m working who transferred to SMU from Emory after a year … she was very involved in the social scene there, but was equally unchallenged by the course work, so i definitely feel your pain!</p>
<p>you would probably bleed purple if you could! you only have 3 yrs, and they are 3 yrs that you can’t just get back…think of all the things you could do
-work in dining halls to pay board-save about 1000
-get another part time job and you can make at least 5-10k/yr</p>
<p>yeah being in debt would suck…but think of the opportunites you’d get grad from NU as opposed to SMU</p>
<p>you’ve wanted this for too long to give up now</p>
<p>I have a part-time job right now, and have managed to make about 2,000 dollars this summer. I also went up to Chicago and worked at Northwestern for about 400 dollars. I’m basically broke …lol. I am researching some outside scholarships, and tomorrow I am directly contacting the Northwestern Alumni Club in my city, and asking if I can apply for certain scholarships. </p>
<p>Do you think I should go to NU this year, be 25,000 in debt…and if it ends up not being everything that I hoped for, return to SMU for my final two years (if they allow me)? Oddly enough, I can’t transfer anywhere else. I was actually rejected by NYU, but accepted into Northwestern. Because Northwestern required 3 essays, rather than 1…I think they got to know me a little bit better. But yeah, I was still shocked. (It’s not like NYU is known for giving amazing aid anyway). </p>
<p>Thanks, again for all of your replies. I am still so confused as to what I should do. If I go back to SMU, that means I need to book a flight for next week and contact SMU housing immediately. Though I doubt that there will be any on campus housing openings.</p>
<p>Yes, I am transfering in this fall. They are actually giving me amazing aid for my first year at the University. But I’m legally independent, and I don’t make much money. </p>
<p>But JuJu seems to have proved the NU statement!</p>
<p>No problem. I hope that you go! I took out loans to pay for my first year at NU as well. Honestly, it was worth it all and more.
I loved my time there.</p>
…lol. I am researching some outside scholarships, and tomorrow I am directly contacting the Northwestern Alumni Club in my city, and asking if I can apply for certain scholarships. </p>