Right now I’m a junior in high school, and I’m stuck living in the Midwest. I want to leave ASAP, but I don’t know if I should. I want to move to NYC to pursue a degree in journalism, but I’m not sure if I can afford college there without taking out loans. I do however have the opportunity to go to a state school for free, but I am depressed here. I am also LGBT, and fear that I would be descriminated against in some way if I stayed here. I also have a relatively low GPA for the schools I want to go to. What do I do?
What’s so bad about the Midwest that makes you want to leave? Also, what’s so bad about your state school?? The Midwest is a pretty big area with many different colleges and universities with different cultures. I’m sure you can find a school in the Midwest that is progressive and LGBT supportive. Good luck 
There are Midwestern states and locations within other Midwestern states where you will meet no or little discrimination. What state do you live in? We can make suggestions. You can move elsewhere after finishing college.
It can be difficult being LGBT in many parts of the Midwest. A couple of suggestions come to mind:
[ul]
[]If you haven’t already, discuss college finances with your parents so that you know what’s feasible or not from a financial perspective.
[]Use the Net Price Calculator for the schools on your consideration list and see where you stand. Many people have incorrect assumptions about which schools are affordable or not.
[li]It’s quite likely that your state college campuses are more liberal and LGBT-friendly than your current hometown. Research whether your state colleges have an LGBT Student Affairs office…many do. Contacting them and arranging a tour may give you a better sense for how accepting the environment is.[/ul][/li]Good luck!
What state do you live in? Some states have reciprocity agreements. (South Dakota…with California! Minnesota with Wisconsin. Illinois…none).
Most campuses will be LGTBQ friendly. If you tell us what colleges you’re thinking of, we can tell you whether there may be a problem.
What are your grades, GPA, test scores? How many honors and AP’s have you taken (add them all up through expected schedule for 12th grade)? Which APs?
What’s your budget?(how much can your parents afford form income and savings, without loans?) Do you know your EFC?
For journalism, top schools include Mizzou, northwestern, but also Denison, Ohio University, St Bonaventure, U New Mexico…
If you have a free school option in hand make sure you do a fair investigation of the LGTBQ resources they offer and the real environment there. If you can live on campus, away from home, you’d be shocked at how different a school can feel from the town around it. In fact many kids at many schools often talk about the bubble they live in while on campus. The value of a scholarship option like that is pretty powerful and shouldn’t be set aside lightly. But don’t choose simply for money. If you really need to get away then you need to find a place that’ll meet whatever challenge you’re facing. If it’s people around you or specific relationships then moving a short distance across the state might be enough to clear the air. If it’s a more substantial issue then maybe moving too far away might make it hard for your current support network of family and friends to stay in touch. Heading out of state just to be able to say it’s too far to come home may be needed. Everyone’s situation is different, so be honest with yourself and pick something you can afford for four years.
And when you use words like depressed be sure to take time to stay well. Find out what is bothering you, find someone to talk to about it, and don’t get stuck in a dark place. I found college to be completely different from high school, many people do, so keep your eye on the next stage, make a plan and keep working toward it. Good luck.
If
You want to come to NYC and
You don’t have an extremely high GPA and
You don’t have a lot of money and
You want to find an LGTBQ±friendly environment,
then
you may want to consider attending a CUNY school. – http://www2.cuny.edu/
Here is where you can search for programs – http://www2.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/explore/programs/
CUNY is a university system within the city of New York. It contains the entire array of schools of higher education, from community colleges to regular four-year colleges, to specialized schools such as in business and criminal justice.
- OOS tuition is not very high ($17K) compared with the price of NYU or Columbia or Fordham. (if you are financially independent of your parents for 12 months prior to attending CUNY and live in NYC during that time, you may be able to be considered in-state student and your tuition would drop to $6K per year, about).
Brooklyn College is known for it’s writing program – it has all kinds of writing, including journalism.
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/programs/index.jsp?div=U
Best of luck to you.
- Make sure your college is affordable
- Colleges will be more LGBTQ friendly than your HS.
- Big State colleges will have more students therefore more LGBTQ students.
- Colleges near cities may have more LGBTQ students.
- What states does your state have reciprocity that may be good options?
- http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-lgbtq-friendly-colleges-by-state/
I live in Missouri