The decision is usually made weeks before the conversation happens. What separates a clean parting from a lasting problem is what is prepared beforehand.
A complaint lands in a queue, in front of a person with a script and limited authority. Knowing what that person can and cannot do changes how you write it.
The four year degree is treated as the safe option and the thing you do if you are unsure. It is a large commitment and it deserves to be chosen rather than defaulted into.
The first meeting with a preparer is a two way interview and most people treat it as an application. The questions below take twenty minutes and settle it.