Would dropping out of school disqualify me based on the current version of Dream Act?

I go to CSULA and I am seriously considering dropping out in the near future.

The quality of instruction is terrible, and new policies have been introduced that reduced the class sizes causing many students to fight tooth and nail for spots. Bottlenecking the amount of available seats only causes a positive feedback loop that leaves more and more students unable to get the classes they need to graduate. It's nuts.

I myself have been attending on and off for 5 years now, and have been disillusioned at the state of the school for quite a while. I am pursuing a Bachelors degree in Art & Animation, but I cannot stress how unqualified some of the instructors are. It has gotten to the point where I learn far more outside of class on my own and through work/internships.

I fully understand that a piece of paper means nothing in the field I want to pursue and work in. Portfolio matters, work experience matters, connections and networking matters. After crossing paths with all sorts of working artists, I can safely say that having a degree has no bearing on the amount of success you experience in this line of work. I've seen self-taught artists with well paying gigs and CalArts grads struggling to find less-than-minimum wage jobs on craigslist, as well as vice-versa and everything in between.

Still, this is a difficult decision for me because I don't know how this will affect my eligibility for the Dream Act if the bill gets passed in the future. I have transcripts that prove I pursued a degree for more than 2 years, but no actual degree to show for it. I would also feel bad knowing that the money invested in my tuition would be going down the drain.

Should I just bite the bullet and keep trucking through school? I really feel like I am stuck in a rut, and I don't want to stay in an institution below my capabilities when I could actually be furthering my career and reaching my endgame. However, I don't want to jeopardize my eligibility for Dream Act in the process.

If you've read this far, thanks for plowing through my wall of text. Any advice would be most appreciated.

The Dream Act would give you conditional residency, giving you the chance to finish 2 years (into a 4 year degree) or 2 years of military service within a 6 year deadline to meet those requirements.

But as of right now there is no proposed legislation that would even suggest if the statement above would be true in a New Dream Act; this was from the original DA.

Since there is no Dream Act right now, just a proposal, I wouldn't worry too badly about dropping out. Maybe once it's a reality, you can enroll elsewhere and finish your degree.

I've always considered the option of going to another school, but really CSULA is my only feasible option at the moment, from a financial point of view.

Cal States are the next cheapest thing from 2-year community colleges and the next cheapest college from Cal States would be UCs, but there's a huge jump in tuition rates. That being said, I still have trouble affording Cal State tuition which is why I attended on and off and skipped several quarters. As for looking into other Cal States, I take public transportation everywhere and CSULA is the only campus that is most conveniently located.

I am thinking of just dropping out, saving money aside for tuition until Dream Act passes, and re-applying at a UCLA or if money allows, an art school.

The thing is I've had continuous education since graduating from high school so I have no experience with applying to colleges and transferring once you've been in higher education. Would UCLA still be looking at my old SAT score from highschool? Do I have to get a certain GPA at CSULA to increase my chances? Do I have to get recommendations? How would the courses I've already taken transfer over?

If anyone has had experience with transferring schools, especially after taking gap years and such, I would love to hear your story. Thanks a bunch.

I think you have a good plan, exactly what I would have recommended. Maybe in a year or two, your situation might be different so you can transfer elsewhere. If you start to work or intern, you might actually find even better advice as to where to go for school and whether or not it's a good thing to your career to finish a degree in your field.

Well I need clarification on the language of Dream Act because I am confused:

Do you or do you not need a degree to upgrade from Conditional Permanent Residency to Permanent residency?

I have 5 years of transcripts showing I "pursued" a degree at CSULA. But would it hurt my chances if it stopped at a certain point without getting the degree?

That depends on the legislation that comes out. The Original DA says you have to a least be on your way to getting a Bachelors (2 years into it). But having met the prerequisites doesn't allow you to directly get LPR, you would still need to wait the 6 years before adjusting

Honestly, I don't think it is a good idea to drop out. "Slow motion is better than no motion" so an option would be to NOT be in school full time. Earning 3 to 9 credits a semester will keep you enrolled and give you enough freedom and time to work on your artistic endeavors. Or become a "Non degree seeking student " or "Visiting student" in another California university to get a bulk of those hard to get classes you need to graduate. Even if you do not need the diploma for your career, it ALWAYS looks excellent in any resume and gives you options for graduate programs or other 4-year careers if your interests change.

Since you are great at teaching yourself academics, consider online education. I know animation may not be specifically offered , but you can get art degrees from reputable schools online: Penn State, University Of Massachusetts & Columbia College... To name a few. However, tuition may be more expensive, so it's a good idea to check out their websites for information. Personally, I was skeptical about internet degrees but my local university said they would transfer credits from accredited schools. Even if you earn the Bachelor's degree completely online, it will not say "Online" on it, that is a myth. Oh, some "For profit" online schools offer animation and tuition may be cheaper; But you have to research the school throughly before you decide to commit I.E. "The Art Institute" as an example.

I agree,

It's not a good option to drop out as in the near future individuals with college degrees and/or military background might be prioritize in case of a federal dream act passage. In addition, the California dream act application just became available which should help you pay for tuition. If the state is willing to pay for this, why not take advantage of it. I'm a sophomore at Cal State Northridge and I understand how difficult it is to pay for everything. I was raised by a single mother who has been working two jobs for the pass 15 years just to survive. I've been lucky enough to go right into college after high school, be given a nice car for transportation and money to spend but I do see my mother stress out quite often. I know one day, near the future all her work will be rewarded.

Well all versions of DA go through a similar process (the difference is the actual length before you can become a permanent resident and by extension, a citizen, as well as the max age cut off).


In order to qualify for the initial step you need to finish a US high school, or have a GED, not necessarily before the bill has passed, so people similarly as with DACA can get their GEDs and then file. I guess it is structured this way to not exclude children still in school.

For the second step you need to finish 2 years of college, or 2 years of military within a 6 year period. If you already completed 2 years before DA's passage you just need to wait 6 years, if not then you have 6 years to go back and finish. If by the end of the 6 year period you have not met the requirements you will lose your status, and go back to being illegal. It is unknown if you could reapply if you still are under the age requirement.