[jman197]

I am trying to decide where to go to college. I have decided on what I want to go for. I am planning on being a creative writer but sadly most of the colleges in my area don't offer any classes for that and those that do are not for degrees. I am thinking about going out of my county for college (I live in Michigan, in a big city), but I am concerned about leaving behind the support network I have here. All of my family lives in my county as well as most of my friends. My treatment team is based in this county and I don't really want to lose them. Another issue is my family. There are a lot of health problems right now and if I do move out there I will be at least and hour away. I don't drive so I would be stuck relying on my family to come and get me and I wouldn't be able to support my family. One big issue is that I don't have the funding. The schools that I am looking at are universities and I just don't funding. I have a two year scholarship to any place but after that I would have to rely on grants and loans and scholarship awards. I am scared because without my support net, I might not even get through the first year. I have never been alone without any support before, and I know I will have you guys, but its still hard to imagine that I will be alone once again. I have people relying on me though. I am contemplating just taking some classes and using a connection to get published. Please give me some advice.

[Talthybius]

There is a big problem with getting a fine arts degree. No one will buy your book or music or movies because you have a degree. And no one won't but your book, music or whatever if you don't have one.

So what are you getting? Especially considering the cost. I think it is only worth it for personal development and networking. This guy does a good review on getting a fine arts degree:

And I like the argument of being paid to write creative writing you aren't passionate about is not a nice experience. You will be locked in a job, if you are lucky enough to have one, writing stuff your heart isn't into. And then that drains your creativity and energy for writing something for your own in your free time which you are passionate about.

That being said, in my country there was a study showing what factor have impact on the likelihood to finish your degree. If you pick your degree based on what your parents advice, based on expected salary, based on status, those kinds of reasons for picking a degree, they are negatively corrolated with your expectancy to obtain a degree.

So ideally, you are passionate about something that has good job outlooks.
Personally, I would look at degrees that teach you concrete skills that transfer over well to industry.

I don't know about schools in your area, but if you go to a big college or a college town, there will be a lot of students living there, looking to make new associates and maybe friends, trying to organise activities. And, to find people that they can support on in their academic struggles. I only know of University of Michigan, but that's probably hard to get into.

You talk about treatment team and other things. I don't exactly know what you are referring to. I would normally say, "Just take the jump and charge forward." Either way, I still think you see too many problems. What about all the new experiences a life alone in an acdemic enviroment would offer you?

[biotitehippo]

I just started school at a pretty big university an hour away from home. It takes adjusting, and it does suck to be away from your support network, but ultimately I feel that I'm benefiting from it and it will be worth the pain.
However, community college isn't less valuable. It's usually cheaper and you can get just as good of an education if you're willing to put in the work. You might not get "top" professors, but that doesn't mean you can't be an awesome student and writer.

Do your best to make friends: be involved in clubs and on-campus events, go to study groups, talk to people even if you don't feel very comfortable, hang out in the student building (we call it the student union building here), and have fun! College isn't as scary as you will feel it is.

Utilize the student health center if there is one, and seek help when you need it. I recently went to the student counseling center because I've been feeling really suicidal, and they helped a lot despite it just being a triage session.

Never take out loans - stick to grants and scholarships. It's not too hard to get them, you just need to look for them and apply. (Google them! I just found over a dozen I can apply to.)

College is all about staying motivated and being proactive. As long as you focus on what you need to do, you'll be okay. I keep a planner and make sure I write down everything I need to get done each day.

I hope this helps at least a little bit.

[ken9018]

I think community college would be a good choice, it's cheaper and you get good education, if you have a community college if your area, you'll be close to home and your support team