This may sound very spoiled when I start telling about my problem. I am stuck between two colleges: Westminster College and Chatham University. Both have pros and cons but I am leaning more towards Chatham since I want a Pittsburgh area school. However, Westminster has offered me an AMAZING opportunity through a merit scholarship that gives me nearly a free ride, especially for me lacking in religion at this religious college.
I do not really like the location of Westminster and I really wanted to be in Pittsburgh to be in the city and around whatever I want or need. Again, I realize this sounds spoiled in that I chose expensive schools and that I am picky about things that are not a big deal when it comes to my overall education.
So here comes my dilemma: With finding out that Chatham is giving me a merit scholarship that isn’t nearly enough to cover its hefty tuition and board fees, my parents are putting a lot of pressure on me to go to Westminster. This is understandable though my dad makes well over , dollars a year (He is actually getting a raise so I am not sure of that number). So I am in the process of filing for FAFSA and I am not sure how to complete it. I do not fill the criteria of an independent student so I still need my parents’ information (I believe so anyway). With my father’s salary, I would not get much out of FAFSA. If I want to pay for college myself, this will be a bump in the road.
Anyway, sorry for the rambles of a stubborn and pouting girl. I just have some questions:
–Should I just suck it up and go somewhere I’ll be unhappy at (Westminster) for the amazing discount?
–Should I keep looking into paying for the rest of Chatham by myself (which is like , dollars or more that I am left to pay for)?
–Should I look into the University of Pittsburgh? Though I think deadlines passed…I’ll consider it still. My cousin teaches there so do I have an advantage in that?
–Should I go to Westminster for years and then to a Pittsburgh school for my Masters?
I want to be an art teacher (preferably for secondary level or maybe even college) and I know that is not the most lucrative of professions, as any teaching job, and that budget cuts are getting worse in the arts.
–So should I change my career path towards something with a larger salary margin?
I have considered being a real estate agent or …i don’t know really I have never seen myself as anything out of art. I realize I can do it on the side, I would just love to be able to have it in my career.
–So any advice towards other careers? I am pretty intelligent (I have a GPA ranging from . to .) So I think I can handle most career paths.
Thank you for any advice at all. I would love input to any of my questions, no matter what amount. Sorry for the length of all that.
Victoria
✅ Answers
– How do you know you’ll be unhappy there? For all you know, you might end up unhappy in the other school, except you’ll be paying a lot more for being unhappy.
– Unless you get scholarships to cover that massive difference, you’re going to need to.
– Your cousin working there won’t get you in, so no that isn’t an advantage. Most schools limit those sorta of things to immediate family.
– If you’re determined to go to a school in Pittsburgh, this would be your best option. Getting a Bachelor’s for little to no debt is more beneficial than you’re thinking it is. Considering your potential pursuit of a job that doesn’t have large salaries, minimizing debt is even more important.
– It’s not a question of what you can handle, but rather what interests you and what you really want to get into. There’s no sense in studying something you dread just to make a career out of something you, again, dread.