college help : /

[gurlfromthea777]

i have already applied to 5 college/universities. 2 out of state and 3 in state.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by gurlfromthea777

i have already applied to 5 college/universities. 2 out of state and 3 in state.

Well, good for you! You started this thread by saying you were clueless as to which college to go to - glad you seem to be figuring that out. Again, I hope your school counselor is being helpful to you

[leavingthe513]

Originally Posted by anifani821

First of all, if you want a reasonably priced education, you need to stay in-state. Second - have you discussed any of your thoughts w/ your school guidance counselor? Don't you have someone at your HS who can guide you with this?

Third . . . what do you plan to major in? The main reason students select a particular school is b/c he/she wants to go to a college that specializes in that particular major.

And fourth . . . if you are really studying, you are not going to have time for a lot of exciting adventures off campus . . . plus, it takes a lot of money to do all that.

Decide what major you are interested in first . . . and then find out what your parents will be able to pay for your education . . . then you can apply for financial aid as needed.

Travel and an exciting lifestyle are things that come AFTER one pays one's dues getting that college degree (or degrees) . . . and lands a good paying job.

Well said

[Damemeow]

Originally Posted by gurlfromthea777

i've always wanted to become a lawyer, well my parents kind of push me towards it a little bit, for a financially secure future they insist; but recently i've had a change of hearts! i really want to work in the business aspects of the fashion or music industy; but in fear of giving my parents a heart attack or dissapointing them, i will settle for fashion or entertainment law : /

Think hard about being a lawyer. When I was pre-law, I looked around and suddenly noticed that every lawyer I knew was miserable or teaching. Also, these days even associate jobs are hard to come by. I read somewhere that there are currently more students studying law in schools than there are practicing lawyers in the field. Many lawyers I know loved studying law, but found practicing law tiresome and unsatisfying.

If you are indeed interested in the music and fashion industry, you may want to seek a school that offers a Business Administration degree with music and fashion business administration courses. Also, in those fields you will probably need to plan on doing an unpaid internship as well. And --- if these are the fields you are interested in you will need to head to the Northeast or west coast for more opportunities.

Also, as I have said earlier I still think its best not to declare a major, but better to focus on the liberal arts while you make up your mind. Learning how to think critically and clearly articulate your thoughts both verbally and in writing are skills that will be required no matter what profession you eventually choose.

Lastly, I know it's hard trying to be your own person and still please your parents. Remember what will make your parents happiest is to know that you are happy...even if they don't agree with all your decisions in the short term.

[ECM08]

Law is still a good field to go into. My husband just graduated from law school in May and we moved here so he could begin his career at a firm uptown. The vast majority of his law school classmates received jobs at firms as well (not teaching or miserable, as a previous poster mentioned).

Of course, talk to them in 5 years and they might all be miserable! But then again, you never know -- any profession might make you miserable if it's not your cup of tea.

Not to say that all law school graduates are as lucky as my husband and his classmates. There are a MILLION law schools out there, and each one is churning out 150 or so graduates a year. There are simply not enough good positions to accomodate them all. If you decide to go to law school, I'll give you two pieces of advice:

1) Go to the best school you can. And bust your butt to get good grades. If the best school you get into is not very highly rated, re-think law school. If you decide to go to a middle-tier law school, you MUST graduate at or very near the top of your class. You will NOT get a good job in today's economy if you were a middle-tier student at a middle-tier law school.

2) Re-think your goals for a legal career. I have never even heard of any recent law school graduate working in the entertainment or fashion fields. Those jobs have to be incredibly competitive, and they will not go to a junior lawyer or a new graduate.

As far as a career involving travel, I second a previous poster's advise about the military. My husband and I were both Army officers and believe me, we saw much more of the world than we ever wanted to! LOL. An ROTC scholarship will go a long way towards paying for school, even out-of-state school. Also, life as an officer in the military is much different than if you enlisted as a young high-schooler.

No matter what you do, good luck!

[crankygf]

I went to a CUNY school for my undergrad studies, and it was a great place for half the price of private school. You are the master of your dreams, there are so many opportunities and scholarship choices. I had one that paid for tuition. Living in NY is going to be expensive, CUNY is very budget friendly. FYI I went on to grad school and had no problems with getting in, I've had classmates that also went on to IVY league schools from CUNY- so don't let the naysayers deter you. Good luck in college.