This past Friday we had a guest in my Advanced Web Architecture class, Matt Franklin. He graduated from my school with the same degree I am about to earn by this spring. I admit, before attending SMCC I held a sort of stigma toward people who went to community colleges instead of “real” schools. This view has completely changed and I really appreciate and enjoy the opportunities this education has brought me, but I’m still concerned about my future with this degree. After all, it’s still an Associate’s, and I still feel limited without a Bachelor’s when I check out many job postings.
I have devised a plan of sorts which I have begun this fall. It is in three tiers: “ideal”, “back-up” and “if all else fails”. I have put a lot of time and thought into this since this past spring and really feel these are my best choices.
IDEAL: Transfer to Montserrat College of Art, a four-year institution in Beverly, Massachusetts and choose the self-designed major. My major would combine new media with the arts, somewhat like a triple major in technology, graphic design and illustration.
The school is in a great location, has my desired major and is the type of institution I really feel I can thrive in. I need to attend an open house before I can truly attest to its relevance to my needs, however. Will it be competitive and challenging enough to push me to my limits? Is the atmosphere something I feel comfortable with?
The biggest downside is cost, and considering I will ultimately depend on scholarships and Federal aid, the steep tuition (plus what I might pay for an apartment) may not be covered. In that case, I will fall back on…
BACK-UP: Transfer to University of Southern Maine, another four-year institution here in Portland, which also offers a self-designed major. I would do the same thing there as I would at Montserrat, but if I can avoid going to another school in this area I would (I have already attended two, between MECA and SMCC).
I feel the need to grow up a little away from home and experience new surroundings, so I would be reluctant to picture myself completing my education there – but who knows, maybe I could transfer again, or do a program where I could travel. I’m a bit afraid that because USM is a state school that I will lack the challenges I feel I need to really push myself, but I don’t want to talk down their art department until I go check it out myself. I plan on making an appointment sometime this fall.
USM is an excellent backup considering its partnership with the Maine Community College System and its reasonable price. I will still rely on scholarships to fund my education here, even if Stafford loans will cover most of it. I could still live at home, at least for the first leg, saving a great deal of money. If that somehow doesn’t work out…
IF ALL ELSE FAILS: I will go out into the world with my Associate’s in New Media and see how I manage. There is a fairly regular amount of decent job postings I am eligible for between the North Shore and Portland on Craig’s List alone, so I feel confident I could get some sort of job relevant to my degree.
While I am doing this I may consider attending Harvard Extension School, the college from which my mother graduated. She was in a similar situation to mine, where she dropped out of school when she was young and decided later on to finish. At that point she had a family, though, so she chose to attend night classes. Harvard Extension School, of all places, accommodated her the best.
The Extension School offers ALBs (fancy Harvardian for Bachelor’s) in various concentrations, one of which is studio arts and film, which is right up my alley. If I join the Phi Theta Kappa honors society I would even be eligible for a scholarship that would cover my three preliminary classes that determine acceptance and eligibility for other financial aid. In spite of Ivy League schools’ pretentiousness, they do have some of the most excellent aid available considering their massive endowments, and that could work to my advantage. (Applying to their regular undergraduate college is out, however; they will not be accepting transfer students for quite some time.)
Choosing where I go next is going to be the biggest life-changing decision I have ever made. If I go to USM almost nothing concerning my current life will change. I will probably continue to live with my parents and work the same day jobs I have had for three years.
However, if I decide to make the leap and go for Montserrat or Harvard, chances are I will be obliged to move closer to Boston and make my first step as an independent young adult. I am at an age where I can’t expect to live as easily as straight out of high school students, so moving down there would consist of having to find a new job(s), an apartment and giving up the security blanket of having my parents’ support.
So stressful!
It is stressful! But it’s supposed to be fun too. Visit as many places as you can before you decide. I took a year between undergrad and grad to review places and visit them. Sit in on classes and ask lots of questions of both current students and teachers. Consider a school that has the facilities you need and the access to faculty-but also in that mix is where you want to be geographically. You won’t be happy if you aren’t living somewhere that also feeds your soul!