<p>‘there is nothing "unethical in a plan to transfer’ - Of course there isn’t, but I love the convenient wording. </p>
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<p>Similarly, nothing states that you’d have to attend UCLA all four years, more convenient wording.</p>
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<p>Note the wording, ‘down the line.’ The funds you will have used, however, will not replenish themselves. This is true for scholarships native only to UCLA, or within the UC system, or wherever else.</p>
<p>I’m not saying you shouldn’t do your plan of transfer. I just wanted you to note that you would indeed be using funds for someone who could use the money.</p>
<p>If you want to attend Barnard in New York City, just think of the $32K as opportunity cost, based off of a greater desire to attend a u in NYC. There are a lot of people who have far worse a debt load upon graduating from college.</p>
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<p>Lesser amounts of state funding are being made up by non-resident enrollment.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your help! I have read through all posts carefully since you all took the time to write it.</p>
<p>I definitely understand why you guys don’t want me to transfer. I would be hung up on Barnard during my time at UCLA. Truthfully, UCLA isn’t that bad. I actually really like the campus and the idea of going to Disneyland for the first time is tempting haha. Though I can’t guarantee anything, I am sure I would have a blast at UCLA and take advantage of all that is offered to me. But I still hope to transfer to Barnard.</p>
<p>Please free to keep posting comments until Monday. I’ll update you all on what I decide but there is a high chance I will be a bruin next fall! </p>
<p>OP. I’m confused. In one post you said “I love the idea of living in NYC. My whole high school knows that I would do anything to live there, I like the idea of a fast paced life.” Then in your above post you say you don’t plan on living in NYC so college is your only time to go there. These two statements don’t seem to make sense. Not attacking you, just trying to figure out what it is you really want.</p>
<p>I like the idea of living in NYC but it is definitely too expensive to live there after undergrad. I will most likely go back to CA. That is why college might be my only chance to experience NYC.</p>
<p>It sounds like your priority is volunteer opportunities; for this, UCLA would be better as being debt-free would allow you to volunteer in whichever way you want, even in the summer (although summer research/internships will likely become necessary soon but you could choose more easily or add volunteering.) This wouldn’t be possible if you attended Barnard, as you’d need to work through the summer as expected in the student contribution, as well as during the year. It sounds like sacrificing this volunteering opportunity - which is in line with your career plans - isn’t realistic for you and it shows that really you should choose UCLA.
For instance, you prioritized your summer volunteering opportunity over the “recommended” (which really means “required if you know what’s good for you”) summer program at Barnard, even if turning it down really would put you at a big disadvantage over other students. It’s really not “just an option” - they actually studied its effects and students who are “recommended” for the program essentially should take advantage of it as it makes a very big difference. (I’m afraid going to Barnard without doing that program may well be wasting your money.)
Essentially, Barnard would require many sacrifices (summer volunteering opportunity, other summers, not working) that you don’t seem to find worth it, so that means, as you indicated above, that UCLA is the better choice for you.
However it doesn’t mean you couldn’t spend time in NYC - check out UCLA’s “study away” offerings, they may be offering a semester in NYC for some majors?</p>
<p>That simply is not true. My daughter lives in NYC – technically she lives in Brooklyn, and commutes to a job in mid-town Manhattan. She’s living in an apartment that doesn’t cost that much more than a similarly sized apartmen would cost in San Francisco or Seattle (two other areas where I am very familiar with rental costs).One big cost savings for her is the fact that she doesn’t own a car. Transportation is essentially free because her employer pays for her monthly metro card – when i expressed surprise at that, she told me that is standard in NYC - all the employers do that. NYC is full of expensive things places to eat and expensive activities and events… but it also full of cheap places to eat and cheap or free activities and events. Obviously people who are living there opt for the less expensive alternatives.</p>
<p>Attending college in NYC is NOT an economical way to live there. Yes, when you have been offered a generous financial aid award, it seems that way – but when you are employed with a job, then you will find that the paycheck you get from your employer is an even better deal. My daughter has griped to me many times that it is hard for her to save money on her salary… but she never once has needed to borrow money to make ends meet. (Except now that she is in grad school part time – she does need to borrow to pay the tuition – but that’s the whole point: NYC is expensive, but college in NYC is way more expensive.</p>
<p>You’ve got it backwards.</p>
<p>When you graduate from college, you will have the option to live and work anywhere. Of course you will have to find a job – but there are plenty of resources for job hunters to find listings. </p>
<p>Also – college is 4 years. The rest of your life is…mmm … maybe 60+ years? That’s a lot of time to live and work in all sorts of places. </p>
<p>TBH, a lot of big words about passion and stuff throwing around but the actions don’t follow through. OP, you claimed dance is your passion but your are not going to follow through(is it really a passion?). Same with living in NYC, but you won’t do anything(working summers) so you can to try to live in NYC(even for just a year?). And UCLA is not bad but in other threads you said it’s not as prestigious that you didn’t consider it and now you are settling into it. Confused emoticon here.</p>
<p>OP is a teenager. I am not surprised she is confused. I remember D1 was so confused and so done with the whole process that I had to make the decision for her.</p>
<p>Again, I love dance and would probably have pursued a professional career if I was from a well off family. Realistically, I don’t have the luxury of having parents who will be there for me if I fail financially. I have met countless of artist who went to college and put off art for the sake of being able to have a stable and steady flow on income. Truthfully, following your heart is great and all but I just believe in following your brain.</p>
<p>Again, I love NYC and all but will not live there for any reason other than grad or undergrad. I see it as a great experience because I would be a young and exited college student in Manhattan. Other than that, I am not too sure if I would want to live or work there.</p>
<p>Also, I’m not sure if I mentioned this before. UCLA was my last choice. I never seriously considered it. But once I saw my financial aid that was when I started looking into the school.</p>
<p>Here were my choices: #1 Barnard, #2 Berkeley, #3 UCLA</p>
<p>DrGoogle – the OP said it herself in a post a few hours ago – she is a “very confused teenager.” </p>
<p>I don’t think there is any need to bash her for that disconnect between her dreams and goals, and the preparation/work required to achieve them – she seems to be very respectful of the opinions being offered here, and very much understanding of her options. She really has been offered a good opportunity at Barnard as well – and for another student more willing to make sacrifices along the way - the answer might be different. So she is rightfully confused.</p>
<p>To me, the real defining point is that she asked whether “NYC” was worth the money… not whether the college itself is worth it. NYC will still be there in 5 or 10 years. I understand that it is hard for a teenager to quite appreciate something that seems so obvious to we older folks, many of whom have moved around to many different locales during our adult lives, often traveling to or living in places we never dreamed likely or possible. To me, those 4 years in college seem like a tiny blip in the distant past… to the OP, it is the biggest decision of her life looming large. </p>
<p>How much would Berkeley cost? Is it manageable? What are the dance opportunities there? Haas is one of the few great business schools in the country and either Berkeley on its own or Haas could take you to NYC after graduation relatively easily.
The advantages that UCLA provides to you as part of that program are great though.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call the #3 choice a “last” choice - I would call it one of the “top 3”. My daughter’s “last” choices were UCSB, UCSC, and U of Washington. Barnard was her #2 choice, I think perhaps U. of Chicago was #3. NYU was #1. If things had been different and Chicago had offered more aid than Barnard, I don’t think she would have ever called Chicago a “last” choice.</p>
<p>You are very fortunate indeed if you can view UCLA as your safety! I’m sure that you must have friends from your high school who will be attending community college in the fall-- that’s what my niece who ultimately graduated from UCLA did. Two years at CC, then transfer to UCLA. </p>
<p>You have been given a wonderful opportunity. Seize it. (And be very grateful that you have an option that so many other teenagers would envy)</p>
<p>MYOS, the OP posted in another thread - Berkeley would actually cost her more than Barnard (though perhaps she could save money by commuting from home rather than living on campus – though then you’d have to weigh in the commute costs. </p>
<p>With her interest in ballet, I don’t think the opportunities at Berkeley for dance are much different than UCLA – most campus dance programs are focused on modern dance. Neither Berkeley nor UCLA are strong dance-focused schools in any case – in California, prospective dance majors usually head toward the audition-based program at UC Irvine – but again, that’s a modern program. </p>
<p>The young women I know who were seriously interested in ballet as a career opted to apprentice with ballet companies after high school – ballet is very taxing on young bodies, and if a young woman isn’t well on her way to a professional career by age 19 or 20, it probably won’t happen. And a professional dance career is an all-day, every day sort of thing-- many, many hours spent practicing every day in the studio.</p>
<p>Hi MYOS1634! Cal would cost around 8k per year for me too (but $500 more expensive) so if I were going to spend that money, I would go to Barnard. I believe Cal is a good middle between UCLA and Barnard. There is a club dedicated to ballet there and a ballet studio that is 4 minutes away from campus! But again, the same financial situation as Barnard but just more complicated. I am a runner up finalist for the incentive award at Cal and the actually winners are most likely going to choose Harvard and Brown leaving me to that award. If that happens, then I would have a full ride to Berkeley! But nothing is guaranteed, the winners might end up at Cal and rejecting Harvard and Brown instead. Who knows?</p>
<p>Hi calmom! I did apply to San Jose State but it is now costing more than UCLA ahaha. I am definitely VERY lucky to have such great options this is the best kind of stress. </p>
<p>Thanks. It means Barnard must have been very generous if it is cheaper than an instate flagship known for giving generous financial aid to lower income students.
A minor in dance is always possible - keep up the passion and the skill while not pursuiing a career?
When will you know about the UCB award?</p>
<p>The actually winners (2) are in my class so I can ask on Monday what they decided on haha. But it is very risky since UCB has the option of just taking away those awards and not giving them to the finalist. I will find out official after May 1st. </p>
<p>I’m not sure about minoring in dance since it is not ballet or modern focused. Most likely will go to classes everyday at a local studio.</p>
so if I were going to spend that money, I would go to Barnard. I believe Cal is a good middle between UCLA and Barnard. There is a club dedicated to ballet there and a ballet studio that is 4 minutes away from campus! But again, the same financial situation as Barnard but just more complicated. I am a runner up finalist for the incentive award at Cal and the actually winners are most likely going to choose Harvard and Brown leaving me to that award. If that happens, then I would have a full ride to Berkeley! But nothing is guaranteed, the winners might end up at Cal and rejecting Harvard and Brown instead. Who knows?</p>