Would like advice/help on college options and majors

College Search & Lists
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<p>Okay so I am a 17 year old white gay male, rising senior in high school. I attend a small private school in Dallas, TX and have a 3.9 (on a 4.0 scale). I got a 1980 on my first SAT and plan to bring up my scores in October after taking a prep class. I am very involved in community, leadership, and local politics, but also like to have a good time. I travel a lot with my family and am always busy. I am currently in the midst of the college search process and would like some input. As of now I already have 13 transferable college credits from SMU and WUSTL, plus AP credits.</p>

<p>Basically my parents told me they will pay for however much the most expensive private school education would be (approx. $170K). I am free to use this money however I wish…ie go to an expensive, good school where i would not receive merit aid (NYU, USC, etc.) or attend a less competitive college and receive merit aid, or go to UT-Austin (approx. 70K). Any “leftover” money would go towards graduate school (which I otherwise would have to pay for myself) or to buy a condo or house. Also, I am already accepted in to UT-Austin because of the TX top 10% law, but would still have to gain entrance to the Comm School.</p>

<p>I plan on majoring in either PR, Advertising, or Print Journalism, with a possible double major or minor in one of the others or Marketing, Political Science, Sociology, or Social Psychology. I don’t NEED to major in those areas but I want to get into them (so other major options would be good!).</p>

<p>My “dilemma” is the simple wondering if I should be concerned about the cost of graduate school at this point in my career. You probably know there is no Advertising advanced degree so it would either be in print journalism or an MBA. I’m not for sure that I will be going to grad school, because professions like PR do not really require one. Should I really be thinking about this or make the most of my undergraduate career?</p>

<p>Also any suggestions on college options are well appreciated…here is my tentative list:</p>

<p>UTexas-Austin
USC
Washington University in St Louis
NYU
Brown (reach)
Columbia (reach)
SMU (safety + legacy)
American University
Boston University
UNC-Chapel Hill
UCLA
George Washington University</p>

<p>ANY SUGGESTIONS, DIRECTION, OR HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!</p>

2

<p>pleasssseeee? :-D</p>

3

<p>what school in dallas?</p>

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<p>You are in a pretty nice position since your parents are willing to let you keep any leftover money for other life expenses. Since UT is an excellent, well respected school you really do have the option of getting an excellent inexpensive education. Therefore, you need to think carefully about how important it is to you to have the privileged experience of going to a relatively elite school. I’m not saying this in any judgmental way. In fact, I went to my state university for financial reasons (accepted ED; never even applied anywhere else) because I knew that I wanted to go to medical school. I did well and went to an Ivy League medical school, but I always regretted not going to an out of state college or even applying to some Ivies or equivalents for undergrad and seeing what kind of financial aid I could get. Other people would never think twice about it. So you need to do some soul-searching about how important it really would be to you long-term to stretch yourself at the undergraduate level. Just be honest with yourself and don’t think about what the “correct” answer is or what other people might think of you for you response. If in your heart of hearts you really would like to go to NYU or Wash U or some other like college, then go for it. If it really is not that important for you, then going to UT makes more sense because it is a sufficiently well respected university that if you do very well there you will have very similar opportunities for jobs or post-grad compared to going to the private universities.</p>

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<p>collegedad1…thanks so much for all your input! but i do think i would be able to “stretch” myself at UT…there are departmental Honors schools, which I would most likely become a part of. I think my best bet is to apply to around 6-8 private schools (plus UT), weigh the benefits of merit aid against UT, and then make a decision. It does feel good to know that I’m already in at UT though!</p>

<p>and shoegal2…i go to Lakehill (it’s very small, by White Rock Lake).</p>

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<p>Replace UNC-CH with UVa maybe? 18% of UNC students are out-of state, while 33% of UVa students are out-of-state</p>

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<p>UVA doesn’t have my major, is expensive for not having my major, and is too conservative for me, but thanks for the input!</p>

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<p>kcirsch,
“Stretching” might not have been the best term to use. I agree that a state U like UT can provide a comparable intellectual challenge and quality in the classroom, especially with an honors program. One thing to also consider is how important it is to be surrounded by a very motivated student body. I don’t know anything about UT but at my state school many of the kids were not that academically motivated and that probably would be different at an “elite” private college. But there is a difference between being motivated to get good grades for grad/professional school and just being enthused about learning and you need to sort that out for each individual school. I think that your plan is a very good one. One last comment on your selections: they are all in urban enviroments. Is that a conscious decision? You might consider adding a more rural or suburban campus to your list and check it out.</p>

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<p>Overlooked Chapel Hill; nevermind about the rural choice.</p>

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<p>thanks for your insights! and yes, it was a concious decision - i don’t want to live anywhere but in an urban/close to urban environment…definitely a city kid. UNC is just on there because they have a good communications school and I know how great of a school it is, but I probably won’t be going there because of where it is.</p>

11

<p>bumppppppp</p>

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<p>You have a good application strategy for your situation and career interests.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that as long as you have a degree from a solid school. . .verbal and written communication skills, internship experience and general networking are going to have the most impact on initial success in the areas you name. Having a bunch of money left over for a condo down payment, or for savings (invest $50,000 at age 22 it will be worth over $1,000,000 when you retire, unless the US keeps electing Bushes in which case all bets are off) would be a really good thing.</p>

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<p>thanks! </p>

<p>does it make sense to major in PR or Advertising and then go back 3 years later and get an MBA??</p>

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<p>If you are happy as a practitioner at an agency no need for an MBA. </p>

<p>If you want to move up the management ladder in a large agency or corporate situation an MBA may be a good idea, as much for the credential as for the content of the program. You will find that some senior management positions will require an MBA, or indicate that one is "highly recommended, " though the rush to require them across the board in your areas of interest is starting to slow down.</p>

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<p>is there an alternative to an MBA (other graduate degree) that would be beneficial in earning when I’m around 25 if I want to do Advertising/PR?</p>

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<p>Really talented art directors and writers can do well when they are young, but they make it on their work, not on their degrees.</p>

<p>You can check out account planning as a discipline. A social science masters degree (psychology or anthropology come to mind) from a top school might help you there.</p>

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<p>any other opinions? schools?</p>

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<p>Does being gay have any relevance, I mean being a member of some political movement can score some points on admission, but bah nevermind. Atmosphere is all I can conjure up?</p>

<p>ps: You didn’t mention the color of your eyes…</p>

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<p>of course it has relevance! do you really think I’d be comfortable going to Notre Dame??? hell no - i need an accepting and open minded student body, not a bunch of closedminded Catholics in the middle of nowhere.</p>

<p>and actually there are several schools where being a sexual minority is a plus.</p>

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<p>Correct me if I’m wrong. I thought the typical American Catholic tended to be liberal. If it gains points on the admissions process, than were all gonna say were gay!</p>

<p>For business majors, I was recommended towards seeing University of California Santa Barbara, if you opt for a business major, and it probably is liberal enough to your liking.</p>