Parsons or Columbia?

[whenwillallthis]

grad school decision help needed! i was admitted to parsons, and am wait listed at columbia. i am still waiting to hear back from brooklyn college and the city university of ny (both art history programs that i am not super excited about; i applied to these schools as back ups and because they are cheaper). i was not admitted to the graduate center at cuny, but was encouraged by them to apply to their ma in liberal studies program which has rolling admissions.

 

what do i do?! obviously, i want to go into a program i am interested in and excited about (parsons and columbia), but i am super worried about graduating with excessive loans to pay off. doing work-study/teaching/doing a research assistantship would offer me a stipend, but i'd still have to pay about $20,000 a semester for tuition. but the cheaper programs i've applied to are not nearly as interesting to me, and i don't think they would give me the same networking and connections that parsons or columbia would offer.

also, the deadline to respond to parsons is the 15th! but i won't know if i'm off the columbia wait list until after the 15th. should i send parsons a $500 non refundable deposit to hold my place just in case?

 

also, i live in california, and my mom is losing her mind over the thought of me moving to nyc. like, trying to argue with me about it every day, always saying negative comments about nyc, etc. it's not helpful/making this any easier. any tips for handling that? i don't know what to say or do in response to her anymore, nothing i say stops her from commenting. plus, she keeps bringing up the financial aspect as well.

 

sorry, i just needed to vent. i greatly appreciate any advice!