A Simple Choice, Nothing More

I began a draft months ago.

I was going to talk about the schools I had decided to apply for, and why. I was about three paragraphs in when I decided that I was boring even myself and stopped and walked away and haven't returned to this blog since Christmastime.

All the things that were applicable then have changed. They've PASSED. Facebook and, even moreso, Twitter, have made it so easy to document my existence without too much thought or detail. This is an important exercise for me, because the reigning queen of  Too Much Detail mustneeds learn to be straightforward and concise. Seriously. It's good for me. You've all met me; you know.

But that's not what a bloooooooog is for!

Per usual, I will be as long-winded as I damn well please, and if you have a problem with it...well, I assume no one is holding a gun to your head, forcing you to read this (though, what exquisite punishment! Enemies, beware.).

Over the past few months, I have had to begin the harrowing process of organizing my thoughts, my feelings, and my life in general. Z and I adopted a sweet little pooch, I completed my school applications, and we (read: I) have been talking and talking, and talking, and talking about everything that my school choice might affect in our lives. We (I) have talked about the "where", and the "why", and the "for how long"...about priorities, and options, and challenges that we both may be facing over the next couple years. I have lost sleep, and have wasted so many hours just WORRYING about what may or may not happen, in order to ultimately come to a decision.

I wrote up a priority list in my previous post that helped me narrow the hundreds of schools I researched down to only 19:

Good Location 
Style of training (Liberal Arts-based versus Convservatory-style) 
Affiliations with Professional Companies
American Sign Language/Deaf Studies/Hearing and Deafness minor 
Showcase 
Study abroad opportunities

This list helped lead me to the 6 schools that I ultimately applied to:

Boston University (Boston, MA)
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (St. Paul, MN)
University of Hartford (Hartford, CT)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)
Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle, WA)

I was admitted to four of the six schools, and my approximate Federal Financial Aid package is $2,600 in Pell Grants, and $9,500 in Stafford Loans. Based on the information I was sent by each regarding tuition, cost of living, fees, and scholarships/grants/work study available to me, I was able to compare them more carefully :

University of Hartford
BFA in Acting
4 year commitment
$48,000/year
$10,000/year approximate scholarship and grant allotment
 Total Debt: $152,000

UWM
BFA in Musical Theatre
3.5 year commitment (approximate)
$36,000/year out-of-state (first year), $24,000/year in-state (second year on)
$2,900/year approximate grant allotment (their Financial Aid department would not give me an estimated package to assist in my decision making)
Total Potential Debt: $96,400

Columbia College Chicago
BFA in Musical Theatre
3+ year commitment
$42,000/year
$10,000/year approximate scholarship and grant allotment
Total Debt: $96,000

Cornish College of the Arts
BFA in Musical Theatre or Acting
2 year commitment
$40,000/year
$16,500/year approximate scholarship, grant, and work study allotment
Total Debt: $47,000

I found that, when I had to sit down and think about how much debt I was comfortable incurring, my priorities rebalanced, and I found that the following list was more realistically pertinent than the original:

Overall cost
Location
Financial Aid package
Number of credits transferred (as it relates to overall cost)
Responsiveness of faculty and staff to my numerous inquiries
Information available at crunch time

In accordance with my original list, Hartford fulfilled the most requirements of the remaining four options, but I simply couldn't fathom putting myself $150k in the hole BEFORE Grad school, so I checked Connecticut off of the list. I was, however, torn between the other three. I knew that UWM had the potential to be the least expensive option, and they have an ASL program. However, I had to make my tuition deposits to each of  the schools by May 1st, and without any idea of what my Financial Aid package was going to look like, I was unable to commit to spending nearly four years at their program. I was absolutely tied to the idea of going to school in Chicago, but upon realizing that the program at Columbia College would take at least a year longer than Cornish, not to mention costing more than twice as much, I simply couldn't justify any other choice.

And so, after nearly three years of researching, organizing, planning, stressing, budgeting, and essaying my ass off, I have committed to spending the next two years of my life in beautiful, cloudy, culturally rich Seattle. I could not be more pleased with my decision (mostly for having finally made one), and I know I have a solid group of friends and family (and those who fall somewhere in the middle) who are ready to welcome me to their city with open arms.

It's on, bitches.