<p>Just for the record Ohio state was an example. 
It was just one of the schools with which I was not very familiar with that has sent me numerous fliers in the mail saying that as long as I was national merit and satisfied the grade requirements I would be eligible for a full scholarship, or near it. Again, if it comes to this, which I hope it doesn’t, will it really be worth losing the opportunity to attend Stanford? So far it seems like yes. Also, I have received a preliminary offer from Stanford, which would come to me taking at least 50k in outside loans (with no outside help), possibly more depending on where my siblings attend college. In addition, has anyone had luck negotiating FA with schools like Stanford?</p>
<p>“Negotiating” means you have another offer in hand that makes them believe you have viable options. That means an offer from what they consider a “peer” school.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m looking at another school similar to Stanford, in my backyard, Princeton. Even though there’s certainly no guarantee they’ll admit me, with their early estimator, I would be paying a considerably smaller amount for college (<15 k per year) because Stanford considers home equity as opposed to Princeton, if anyone knows about NJ housing prices they’d understand what I mean. Also, Stanford will only consider an offer from a “peer” school?</p>
<p>If it were me, and it was between Stanford for $100K and Ohio State for free, I’d go to Stanford. </p>
<p>Here is my thinking (rightly or wrongly): 1) Most Stanford grads are unlikely to have the personality to just “take a year off and travel.” They are usually very ambitious and driven and anxious to start their careers. 2) It is reasonably likely that a Stanford degree will garner you $13,800 more in after-tax income than Ohio State. That would be your annual loan repayment. 3) Waiting 10 years to buy a home doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. My H and I didn’t buy a home until we were 29, and that was early for our peer group. 4) You will regret not going there. That regret could last a lifetime.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>There are others on CC who are/have kids who are NMF, and I haven’t seen them talking about automatic full rides at OSU for NMF status. It gets one in the door with some $$, but the big money comes in subsequent interviews/essays, which I believe are happening now (not following it that closely).</p>
<p>No way would I be co-signing $100K in loans for my kid. Might take out the debt ourselves given the right situation, but I’m not going to let my kids put me on the hook like that.</p>
<p>I remember a girl from last year who was choosing between Yale and big scholarship, as described on this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/317435-yale-full-ride-uva-plus-perks.html?highlight=jegan+yale[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/317435-yale-full-ride-uva-plus-perks.html?highlight=jegan+yale</a></p>
<p>I also recall seeing a more recent message from her about financial issues, so you should search for the post if you want more info on how her Yale choice is working out. I gather she’s happy, but stressed about money.</p>
<p>Again, I’m sorry I mentioned OSU. It was just a school that came to my mind when thinking about schools that have offered me scholarships for National Merit. Thanks rainmama for the thread.</p>
<p>Quote: “1) Most Stanford grads are unlikely to have the personality to just “take a year off and travel.” They are usually very ambitious and driven and anxious to start their careers.”</p>
<p><em>laugh</em> So, how many Stanford grads do you know, Bay? Because I basically live, work and socialize with 'em all the time. Many of my good friends are Stanford folks. (That’s what happens when you live in Silicon Valley.) Either you know a very strange subset of alumni, or you’re just guessing. </p>
<p>While kids may start out as Type-A overachievers when they arrive, and there are certainly very focused subsets of students, I’d say that the average Stanford grad is not obsessively driven to start their career and would not consider taking a year off to travel a bad thing. Such urges are <em>so</em> common, in fact, that Stanford even has programs in place to make that easy to do – it’s easy to take a year off during your undergrad at the Farm. There are also many of grads who take time to volunteer locally or globally. </p>
<p>Of course, those things wouldn’t be options for this poster. Most loans of the type he’s discussing require payments starting even while the student is still in school. Even the ones that wait until graduation also require repayment starting 6 months after full time classes end. </p>
<p>1000+ plus a month is a <em>large</em> burden for a young person to handle, unless that person is going to devote a large chunk of their pre-tax income to the loans alone. I know it’s very hard to understand before it happens, but that kind of payment means doing without during a time of your life (early 20’s) when you want to have fun, go out with friends, date, start your life. </p>
<p>I guess what I’m saying is, “Is 4 years at this school worth spending the 10 years after that staying at home, eating ramen, watching basic cable, and taking dates to the discount movie house?” And no, I’m really not kidding. What young people forget is that if they’re making more money, they’re also paying more taxes, and the end result is the same – gosh, that’s a lot of money NOT going into your pocket for a long, long time.</p>
<p>(By the way, I ran the comment quoted above past my sweetie who was engaged to a Stanford grad among other things, and he laughed out loud, too. Look up the “Stanford duck analogy” sometime.)</p>
<p>$1150 per month is an ENORMOUS amount of debt for a recent college graduate. We are talking after tax dollars, so you’re really looking at the equivalent of about $20,000 per year in salary. With respect to the job situation, you have to consider several factors:</p>
<p>First, at this stage, you have no idea whether you will want to take a long hour, high pressure six figure I banking job (or equivalent) when you graduate from college.</p>
<p>Second, even if you wanted such a job, there is no guarantee that you can get one. The median starting salary for graduates from the top undergraduate business programs in the country is only $55,000.</p>
<p>Third, you might be able to get the same type of job with an Ohio State degree, particularly given the fact that a student who is simply above average at Stanford is very likely to excel at Ohio State.</p>
<p>Take the money and run.</p>
<p>No way I take a 100K burden on at age 22. There are superb schools that will pay for NMF’s! You claimed you would probably not go to graduate school, I would suggest you may change your mind. If you do, how are you going to pay for the graduate school. Add to your already high debt? Take the cash an dyou will have options!</p>
<p>TrinSF,</p>
<p>While I do know quite a few Stanford grads (I lived in Silicon Valley, too!), they are in my generation, not recent graduates. So I will defer to your assertion that recent Stanford grads are not in fact, generally ambitious, driven and anxious to start their careers.</p>
<p>My nephew just graduated from Stanford, and he took a semester during his undergraduate years to study abroad, not post-graduate.</p>
<p>I still hold to my opinion that if it were me, I’d go to Stanford. My view is likely colored by the fact that I took out student loans to finance my own education.</p>