<p>Hanna: I agree that 120k is steep, but what amount of money would make it reasonable to go to Duke over Rutgers, in your opinion.</p>
<p>Also, I'm not sure if this is a good example because I dont have all of the information, but I understand you did attend a top 10 law school. </p>
<p>If someone was interested in doing that it seems that the logical decision would be to go to the more brand name college. For instance, at Harvard Law right now there are 200+ Harvard Students and 3 Rutgers students (over the 3 years). Possibly the main reason I ask this question is because I was in the same position as the OP. I had to decide between my state univ honors program and several top colleges that offered $0 in financial aid. I decided on Duke, but will not carry any debt (currently I am going to be pre-med).</p>
<p>It would be easier to support going into debt if you planned on working or going into finance or business or something other high money field right out of school</p>
<p>What is really important to consider is how are prestige degrees viewed in the field of your choice. In biomedical engineering, it does not matter where you went to school. New grads are quickly thrown into projects & must prove themselves by creating marketable products. Internships are going to give a college student a huge leg up in this field. Consider carefully that the biomed industry is heavily centered in NJ. Duke has an excellent rep for med school admissions. But the chance for university/industry connections in the biomed field would be much greater at Rutgers. </p>
<p>Outrageous tuitions coupled with a dearth of merit aid are sending many top students to public honors programs. You wouldn't be surrounded by second rate students at all. I'd also suspect (but don't have data on this) that the caliber of the kids entering your field of study would be higher than the general Rutgers population.</p>
<p>Proelite, I already voted for Rutgers, and agree with the posters who have said that a Duke degree will not get you a higher salary and that you can't count on it getting you a better job. However, if Duke is really important to you, and you plan to take on the loan, I have a suggestion. Do not plan to pay it back while working a regular job, living a regular lifestyle. Look into some high earning situations. Working overseas can do that for you- high pay, low expenses (maybe free housing), tax advantages. If you can spend say three to five years really trying to make money, you could have a financial cushion ready, or else even have that loan paid off. I would not let the loan hang over too long- get rid of it (or a lot of it) before marriage and a family come along. I've seen it- with engineering and high tech jobs come expenses. The jobs are nearly always located in an expensive area for housing, taxes, etc. And they always require cars for commuting.</p>
<p>If someone was interested in doing that it seems that the logical decision would be to go to the more brand name college.</p>
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<p>As long as the brand name college didn't require borrowing $120k.</p>
<p>Think about it. Are you then going to borrow another $120k to pay for Harvard Law, as you will presumably have to do? Then you're a quarter of a million dollars in debt when you graduate. That is a horrible hole to be in, even on a $135k salary. Alternatively, are you going to sacrifice going to Harvard Law -- which really DOES matter to your future career as a lawyer -- and go to Northwestern instead, because you got a full ride there? Much better to make the sacrifice in brand name as an undergrad than as a law student.</p>
<p>Proelite: Your question about the advantages of a Duke education vs. Rutgers (without considering $) is hard to answer. Certainly Duke has more name recognition and prestige than Rutgers - but prestige is not a good reason to select a school. Look deeper. What are the classes like? Let's say that Duke has smaller classes and more faculty interaction (not sure if this is true) - and that's the type of environment you're looking for. That would be a valid reason for leaning to Duke. Overall though, I can't conceive of making a decision without taking $ into account (unless those $ are easily available). IMO, 120K is a HUGE amount of debt. I know it's hard to have perspective now, but you'll need to save for many other things as you get older. Rutgers honors sounds like an excellent value. My son chose to go to a highly regarded state U honors program over quite a few quality private schools. And it didn't all come down to money - just a sense that it was a much better fit than his other choices. If you do choose Duke, maybe you could figure out how to work to get that debt down before you graduate. I know quite a few Duke grads - not all of them make a lot of money!</p>
<p>dude.....120 K debt + interest....will lead to a debt total of probably 200 K when you are done paying it. I don't care if you were off to harvard. This is not a wise move buddy. It may take you about 30 years to pay this off, which could mean postponing a down payment for a house, etc....</p>
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Why are we discussing this? It's after May 1. Hasn't the OP made his decision where to go, and so isn't this a totally academic discussion?
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<p>Good question as OP was not called off of the waitlist and should have submitted his statement of intent to register already (unless he double deposited)</p>