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Ambitious High Schooler
Dear Elsa,
This isn’t an easy question. My family moved from Thailand to the States when I was 8. As you could’ve guessed, we overstayed our visa for a better life. I’m now 18 and a senior in high school.
The hard question is: will I go to college? Will I have a chance? I’m set to pursuing careers in art, as I want to be an industrial designer. But art schools are $30,000 to $45,000 a year! And I refuse to go to a community college, for some reason. All my life I managed to better myself ambitiously, such as winning awards and maintaining good grades. So why settle?
But now I seem to have hit rock bottom, because I have no money and no financial aid to pursue a higher education. Being in this situation makes me feel lower than dirt. Sometime I am embarrassed and ashamed for my situation, but I just want to know if something will ever come out of my life. Or a direction to go to.
Please help. Thank you sincerely.
Crushed
Dear Crushed,
First, I admire your ambition and tenacity. With your kind of drive, I think success is a given and the hang up here is really just that. A hang up.
What’s up with your refusal to attend community college? It’s not rational is it?
I checked on this with a pal of mine, who is sort of a peer to you, but fifteen years older. I say “Peer” because like you, he is an immigrant who is driven. These are his comments:
“There’s nothing settling about going to community college. In fact, plenty of people do it now as a way to save money! They go to community college for two years, then transfer to a four-year school with their great grades. It’s the “in” thing to do… saves you oodles of money, and you still get the same great degree.”
So there you go. Whatever your hang-up about community college is - transcend it and get on with your life. Good luck.
~~
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