Tough Decisions: A Q&A

by Jack

Ruba Elzein is a senior at Upper Arlington High School. This spring she was accepted to The Ohio State University on an academic scholarship covering the cost of tuition, and she was also accepted to New York University Tisch School of the Arts to study theatre, a highly selective fine arts program. This interview was recorded on April 25, 2014. Student responses for both schools must be submitted to the admissions office by May 1st (1).

Q: Which schools are you contemplating attending? Why?

A: I have finally narrowed my decision down to two schools, New York University and Ohio State University. I was accepted to New York University theatre program at Tisch School of the Arts, however I also received the Morrill Scholarship from the Ohio State University, which covers all costs besides room and board (2).

Q: What did you have to do to earn the Morrill Scholarship?

A: I applied for and received the Morrill Scholarship, which is technically a diversity scholarship. It covers all costs except for room and board. I had to write an essay about how I can be an ambassador for adversity at OSU, along with my common application for admission to the school. I originally applied for the Eminence Scholarship, the program that my brother is in, which covers the entire cost of admission and gives an additional $3,000 research grant (3).

Q: What were you planning to study at either school?

A: I applied to OSU with an undecided major, although I was planning on switching it to either zoology or biology. I applied to NYU with musical theatre, and got in with theatre in the Meisner Studio, so that’s what I would study.

Q: What were some high school achievements that helped in being admitted to OSU and NYU?

A: I payed a lot of attention to my grades and worked very hard. I have always thought that it is better to work hard in high school and receive scholarship money towards college than not to work as hard, and finish college with thousands of dollars of debt and have to work harder later in life to pay it off. I took AP, IB and honors classes and I studied for standardized tests. I scored a 2060 on the SAT and a 33 on the ACT. On top off all of my academic achievements, I am Lebanese, which is something that sets me apart from a lot of other students (4).

Q: Being a fine arts program, what do you think were some of the things that helped your admittance to NYU Tisch?

A: I have been taking voice lessons for six years, I have been in numerous musical theatre productions throughout middle and high school, and I spent a lot of time preparing for my auditions for the musical theatre programs I applied for. Being academically sound is also very important for acceptance to arts programs because it shows a person’s willingness to work hard (5).

Q: How are you going about choosing which school to attend next fall?

A: It’s a huge decision, and one that I am very fortunate to have to make. But it’s two very different things that promise two very different lives. On one hand, I could go to OSU and become a veterinarian or something like that, a much safer and more predictable lifestyle. And then there’s the money. But some people say that’s boring. If I went to OSU, I probably wouldn't leave Ohio for a long time. On the other hand, I could go to New York for a pretty good chunk of debt, although I wouldn't have to go to grad school, and have a completely different experience. I might double major which would be challenging... It’s hard because you’re not only deciding what you will be doing for the next four years, but what you will be doing 20 or 30 years from now. Do I want to be out auditioning in my 30s in New York, or do I want to be here working with animals or biology or something like that? It’s hard to know right now what I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s easy to say that you want to take it a year at a time, but it’s just not realistic. Each decision has its own consequences, good and bad.

Q: Do you feel a stronger pull towards either school?

A: I’ve been telling people that I feel a pull towards both schools, but for different reasons. My brother and my sister both went to OSU so it’s very familiar to me, its close to home, and it has a great academic program. I tend to just drift toward it. But at the same time, I also drift toward NYU because it’s something very different, it’s something very new, and it’s something I love. But it's also something unknown, so I know that NYU would be a lot more difficult and a lot more frightening than going to OSU. It sucks because it almost depends on the day, where I’ll lean towards one today and then lean towards the other tomorrow. For a while, after I was accepted, I was very inclined toward NYU, and then for a few weeks I was inclined toward OSU. And now... I’m really just torn.

On April 29th, Ruba surprised friends, classmates and teachers by wearing her college t-shirt to senior breakfast. Later that day she posted a Facebook status regarding her decision: “After a month of agonizing deliberation and debate, I have finally decided to attend the Ohio State University next fall! New York, I will always wonder what my life would have been like with you, and even though I love your school, I'm not sure that you can give me what I want in life. Ohio, good luck next time trying to get rid of me... I can't believe I'm going to college!”

(1) May 1st is the deadline for which you must notify all of the colleges you were accepted to whether or not you will be attending. Missing this deadline could result in possible loss of your spot at the school.

(2) “Admission to the Tisch School of the Arts is a highly selective two-part process. All applicants file the Common Application with the NYU Supplement; in addition, an artistic review is required for admission to all Tisch programs. Each department has its own specifications for the artistic review.” (NYU Tisch).

(3) “Morrill Scholarship Program recipients have ongoing opportunities to participate in educational enrichment experiences, such as study abroad, undergraduate research, and professional/graduate school preparation and career development programs. MSP scholars also enjoy a wide range of experiences that focus on personal and professional development as well as service-learning.” (OSU).

(4) “MSP is a very competitive diversity scholarship. Recipients of the MSP scholarship typically rank in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes, with middle-range ACT composite scores of 27–32 or combined SAT Critical Reading and Math scores of 1220–1420. Recipients generally bring experiences that will greatly enhance campus diversity.” (OSU).

(5) According to “College Confidential”, NYU Tisch School of the Arts has turned out a raw total of 67 alumni who have gone on to perform in a Broadway production. Although this is a relatively small number, it is the largest quantity of Broadway performers from a single school in the country.

Works Cited

College Confidential. N.p., 2001. Web. 20 May 2014. <https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1479281-best-musical-theatre-schools-based-on-broadway-alumni.html>.

Examiner. N.p., 2006. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.examiner.com/article/making-your-college-decision-may-1st-deadline>.

NYU Tisch. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://undergraduate.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html>.

OSU. N.p., 2014. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://odi.osu.edu/scholarships/scholarship-services/morrill-scholars-program.html>.