I was accepted EA in December into Northeastern University’s CCIS program with a combined major in Computer Science and Communication Studies. Although I was awarded the Ujima Scholarship of 15k and a university grant of around 18k, Northeastern would still cost me around 30k per year because the tuition is just that expensive.
I am well aware of all the amazing benefits of Northeastern CS program and as a minority female entering CS I can really see NEU as a place I would thrive as an individual. I have to pay for my own college degree so this would be a debt I would take on myself. So my real question is, does it really make sense to go 100k down for NEU’s program and opportunities. Is this amount of money something that a lot of people take on?
If you’re a minority female, what are your stats and what other schools do you have as options? You are in state for cali, it would seems you would have an embarrassment of riches if your stats are good.
All decisions haven’t been released yet but I have been offered a full-tuition scholarship to Howard University in Washington DC. Their CS program is not reputed as highly as Northeastern for sure and I haven’t heard much about it. I have also received admission to UC Santa Barbara and I have been invited to a top applicants luncheon, however, I do yet know if I have been admitted for Computer Science and Ive heard it is very hard to transfer into their CS program if not directly admitted as a freshman.
Yeah, as good as the program is, a much cheaper one is going to be ideal. If you can get into Northeastern EA and get a scholarship, you should have plenty of better offers. Howard is a great option to keep on the table, but I would be looking for a stronger CS program. UC Santa Barbara sounds promising. Where else did you apply?
@PengsPhils I am still waiting on Georgetown, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, NYU, GWU, Williams, Vanderbilt, USC, UCLA, UCSD, SDSU, Wellesley, and Spelman College.
@Sybylla All decisions haven’t been released yet but I have been offered a full-tuition scholarship to Howard University in Washington DC. Their CS program is not reputed as highly as Northeastern for sure and I haven’t heard much about it. I have also received admission to UC Santa Barbara and I have been invited to a top applicants luncheon, however, I do yet know if I have been admitted for Computer Science and Ive heard it is very hard to transfer into their CS program if not directly admitted as a freshman.
You should have a great chance at many - any chance for financial aid? Getting more merit money will be hard, but all it takes is one generous FA package. Once you get that, you may even be able to use that as a bargaining chip at a preferred program, perhaps even NEU, who I’m sure would love to have you and may be able to swing something. If you could get any of those schools down to total 50K debt, I think it would be plenty reasonable for CS. 100K is just a bit too daunting, and absolutely not worth it if you have the profile to get in here and be competitive at all those schools.
Just saw that you are in CA - staying in state there will absolutely be your best bet. I know it’s probably not as exciting, but there are so many great CS options there.
@PengsPhils I hope so! I applied for FA at all of the universities. The problem is my FAFSA EFC is around 25k while my CSS EFC is around 31k. My mom is a strong advocate of children paying for their own education so that is what she is expecting of me. Also she is dealing with her own debt at the moment. Thank you for the quote of a total 50k debt. It seems more reasonable for me given my major and finance capabilities. I will keep you updated on other packages and where I end up. Thanks for the advice!
I do want to add: If it’s 50K versus 10K between options, and the 50K is a better fit by a decent amount, the 10K is likley still the best bet. I would say a gap of 20K or less is a range where a fit consideration would be worth it. This is just one opinion, but just wanted to add all this so you can have some idea. If others can add in, that would also be helpful.
I do not think taking on $100K in debt is a good choice. One thing to do that has helped some other students on various threads is to put the amount in context by breaking it down into what your monthly payment will be @ 10 and 15 years.
Is it worth it? I would say not yet. Wait and see how all of the packages come in before getting too attached to any one school. You’ll probably have a lot of clarity once that happens.
“The problem is my FAFSA EFC is around 25k while my CSS EFC is around 31k. My mom is a strong advocate of children paying for their own education so that is what she is expecting of me. Also she is dealing with her own debt at the moment.”
OP, if this is the case, then you need to find a program that is accredited in CS and that is affordable. Is Howard’s program accredited? You also can’t pay for this on your own. You can’t. You can borrow $5500 your freshman year, and then that amount increases by a few thousand each year, but there is no way you can close the gap at many of your schools with that. Is your mother (or are your parents) willing to cosign loans for you?
