[SingDanceRunLife]

I applied to transfer and have heard from 2 places so far and have been accepted!

One school I like okay, and I can afford without having to take out any loans or anything.

The other school I like much better, but the tuition is sky high and I would have to either take out loans or live at home to be able to afford go there.

I'm still waiting to hear from 1 more school, which I would have to take out loans to attend, but I'm excited about my two acceptances thus far

[Perna]

Congratulations! I would go with the "okay" school where you don't have to go into debt; once you graduate, what school you went to won't really matter, either in the work market (unless you are applying to somewhere that only hires Harvard Business School grads or something :-) or to you very much; I still remember when I graduated high school, graduation day and was trying to figure out how I would consider those "the best years of my life" :-) What we imagine something to be like before often isn't what it actually is like in our experience. With no debt, things might go lots easier in your "after" life with money, etc.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Thank you!

The school I like okay I really like just okay. It's a good school and all, but it's smaller than I would actually like, farther away from home than I'm sure I'm comfortable with, doesn't have much going on on campus, has a very urban campus which I really dislike etc. The other school has tons going on on campus, is super close to home, has a pretty campus, is a good size etc. So there are really arguments for both schools, but right now I'm definitely leaning towards having to live at home and going to the school I like better.

The other thing is, the program I was accepted into is a BS/MS program so when I graduate I'll have my Masters and be able to get a job that pays over 30k right away (I'm going for occupational therapy).

[Perna]

Yes, you have to get the Masters to get a job pretty much, that all sounds pretty good.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm

But keep track of your age/how long it will take you to pay off your loans/what else you might want to do. Life has a habit of throwing in surprises and if you want a certain lifestyle when you get out and are locked-in by having to pay loans, making other choices like marriage/family, etc. might get more complicated.

[SingDanceRunLife]

True, I was just saying that I'll have grad school under my belt so I won't have to worry about any more debt from that. Most people incur debt from their undergrad and still have to worry about their graduate work.

The average starting salary in NY (where I live and will most likely go to school and work after school) is $48,000. If I have to take out $10,000 in loans each year to make it work (and that's about what it would have to be) that's $30,000 which is a lot but with what I'll be making, manageable. Then there's living at home. If I live at home I don't need loans, or will need very little. Plus, as my mom said to me, "Happiness matters and you should go where you'll be happiest."

[SingDanceRunLife]

I've decided that I'm gonna go to the school I like a lot better. Even though I'll be in debt when I graduate, things will work out fine. I just feel like I should be somewhere close to home, close to my pdoc in case things get bad and of course, all the other positives I said about it earlier (pretty campus, good size, lots to do on campus etc). I'm actually kind of excited about starting this new chapter in my life.

[Fresia]

Congratulations on the acceptances and good luck with whatever school you choose! Nice to have options. Best wishes!

[essexgirl]

Congratulations on being accepted by these schools.
Choose the one you feel happy with though. . xxx

[SingDanceRunLife]

Thanks!

I've made my decision. I'm going to the second school I was accepted to even though I'll have to take out loans to make it work.