Where should i go for high school?

High school senior and I don't know where I want to go to college, HELP!

• Senior in hs and I want to major in either Marketing or screenwriting/film. Accepted to loyola chicago, depaul, michigan state, indiana U- bloomington, and SUNY New paltz. Indiana is my #1 but is far too expensive, and I fear that Loyola and Depaul are not very good if I want to get a high paying career, plus I researched and most people who went there regretted it my parents want me to go to New Paltz or MSU but I don't really want to go to either of them. If I had to go to one of these schools what would you recommend? Any other schools that you recommend? HELP! I really dont know where to go!

• Answer:

  If you are really going for that high paying career, you're going to need a masters. Which means graduate school. Even if you don't go to one of the top colleges in the country, kicking ass at a lesser college looks good on graduate school applications, which is what you need. Harvard MBAs (masters in business administration) come out of the 2-year business school, go on to do consulting work at Bain Capital, and make upwards of $250,000 in their FIRST YEAR. Not all of these Harvard grad school admits went to an Ivy League school for undergrad. Do you get the gist of what I'm saying? It's grad school that counts. Don't go to a really crappy undergraduate college (you're saying loyola and depaul aren't so great, I would DEFINITELY trust your instinct here). If you go to an average college and come out at the top, shoot for those top-tier colleges if you want instant gratification. Even if you don't get into an Ivy for undergrad or grad, even just getting a graduate degree will work wonders in your life and career. At this point, if you are not applying to any other colleges, I would say go with Michigan State University. It's a pretty average school, and it has the potential of being a good fit for you. If you are willing or able, I would also apply to some more colleges. I know the University of Arizona and the University of Pittsburgh operate on rolling admission bases (they decide a few weeks after they receive your application whether you've been admitted or not - you can submit applications all year), so I would consider applying to those. The University of Pittsburgh is a great college (the guy who made the polio vaccine, Salk, worked there), has like 10 different campuses, so you're bound to get accepted to at least one even if your grades/test scores aren't so great. I applied to 20+ colleges so I could know I had a diversity of places to choose from. Although you probably shouldn't be as obsessive as me and apply to that many schools, apply to some more if you can. If you are a good enough student, you might even get a $30,000-$50,000 scholarship to some. It also sounds like you're worried about debt. It is a fact of life for everyone. If you want to be a high-income earner, you're going to have t start out with a LOT of debt. Student debt is usually low interest, which means if you take out $200,000 to pay for your education, the bank in 20 years won't be asking for $1,000,000. Take the risk. If you are worried about debt, don't. It will not consume your life like credit card debt does, so just finish school, get your nice fancy degree, and kick ass in that job market. You'll be raking in the cash for the rest of your life.