<p>My D wants to major in International Studies, got in to the school of International Studies at American Univ. She got scholarships at both schools, but with in-state Hope scholarship can go to Rhodes almost free. Wants to be in DC for internships/big city/more international flair at American Univ. Should she go to American even if it means going $30,000 into debt? She could graduate early but would prefer not to do that to save money.</p>
<p>Thanks!
Heather</p>
<p>American is not worth a nickel of debt go to Rhodes.</p>
<p>$30,000 a year, or $30,000 total.</p>
<p>If $30,000 total, and it wasn’t an undue hardship on your family, I’d recommend American.</p>
<p>$30,000/year would be much harder to justify, though FWIW, we have justified a similar expense with different schools.</p>
<p>American has an Amazing international studies program, top 10 in the nation. plus she’d be able to do internships in DC and theres just so much more opportunity in American. In addition, it’s a well regarded school in the DC area and east coast, so it should definitely help in finding a job after college. </p>
<p>I will be attending AU this fall and this year I got about $10,000 in loans. My mom is taking care of all the finances and we might not accept all the loans for the following years because I got a great grant, but overall upon graduation I should be about 30K in debt as well. </p>
<p>Some of the internships are paid. Your D could also do work study programs. </p>
<p>I don’t know a lot about Rhodes, but keep in mind your daughter could always transfer after two years at rhodes! </p>
<p>Good luck with your daughter’s decision!</p>
<p>Can you clarify…</p>
<p>How much are the annual grants for American?</p>
<p>how much are the annual grants for Rhodes?</p>
<p>How much is Hope? about $5k? more? less?</p>
<p>She has, I think:
American: $20,000 annual scholarship + $5000 subsidized loan (annual)
Rhodes: $27,000 annual scholarship + $5000 Hope scholarship.
plus one year of National Merit $2500.
With the money her father and I can pay, I think she is looking at a total over 4 years
of $30,000 debt to go to American vs. almost none at Rhodes. </p>
<p>Rhodes is in Memphis and is ranked about 50 in USNWR. It is a small liberal arts college.<br>
We know 2 girls who went there and hated it because they were not in sororities and they felt that the social life revolves around sororities. My D is also not a sorority type.</p>
<p>Her only other “affordable” options are William and Mary or UNC Chapel Hill, but since
she got no aid she would have to graduate in 3 years to get the loans down to $30-40,000.
Those schools are better but they don’t have anything particular for international studies and are not in a big urban diverse city. She really likes the sound of internships and living in DC. We hear American is great for International Studies/Public Policy, which is what she wants to do. But borrowing $30,000 to go to American? I am still wondering whether this is a great idea. She also got into JHU and WUSTL, but pretty much no aid.</p>
<p>And thank you all for your responses!
Heather</p>
<p>fliqer, can you elaborate?</p>
<p>It seems that literally everyone these days wants to major in IR and/or do something with international affairs.</p>
<p>American, GW, and G’town must have 1000’s of people graduating each year in this field and likely a limited number of good jobs and internships. I would suspect that if you are not a top student at one of these schools then the options for good jobs and internships could be limited. There can’t be enough good jobs for all of these DC wannabes.</p>
<p>Why not consider Rhodes where the number of students majoring in that field is smaller? Go there, kick arse, get great grades and experiences, and see what happens. Basically, be the big fish in a smaller pond. Do a Washington Semester while at Rhodes — sixteen weeks at American University. </p>
<p>[Rhodes</a> College | Studies Off Campus & Abroad](<a href=“http://www.rhodes.edu/academics/440.asp]Rhodes”>http://www.rhodes.edu/academics/440.asp)</p>
<p>Another thing to consider, your daughter will probably need grad school, perhaps a MAster of Public Policy. These types of professional degrees very rarely come with full funding so your daughter will likely have to pay for all or some.</p>
<p>I was very, very impressed with Rhodes. Beautiful campus, strong undergraduate focus, and a very nice location. Memphis gets a bad rap, but the areas most attractive to students are pretty safe, and there’s definitely a lot to do. The Midtown area (where Rhodes is) is fun and quirky with the art museum, the zoo, Cooper-Young, etc. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about Greek life…frats and sororities are not residential (though each has a house), and about half don’t rush. I knew many very happy people at Rhodes who weren’t in a frat or sorority.</p>
<p>Haystack’s suggestion about saving money for grad school was an excellent point.</p>
<p>She can only take out the Stafford loans on her own, and that comes to a grand total of $27,000 for all four years. Anything beyond that will require a co-signer or that you take some PLUS loans.</p>
<p>AU may be worth this much debt to your family, but it will be family debt, not just her’s</p>
<p>Seems like American is a better fit for her academically and personally, and $30K is a reasonable amount of debt to take on. I would go to American with those choices. Even if she changes her mind about her major, American is great in other fields too.</p>
<p>Have you visited each campus? That will help make the decision for you.</p>
<p>I think Haystack offers some great advice. I was actually thinking along the same lines. Your D will have a better chance of distinguishing herself at Rhodes and will not have to compete as hard to find faculty mentors. Plus, you are talking about a field that demands graduate level education so don’t be oversold on the advantage of proximity to D.C. for undergrads. There will be plenty of opportunities to get experience there. </p>
<p>But here’s another thought: What if she changes her mind midstream and decides on a different major? Many students do and you shouldn’t ignore that possibility. Which would be the best school under those circumstances? Would the debt for American still be worth it if she decides to go with something other than IR?</p>
<p>American is simply not a highly regarded enough school to go 120K vs 30K over ANY school. It’s not Harvard and they are not “top 10” in anything and Rhodes is on par if not BETTER academically. It’s a no brainer really.</p>
<p>I agree with the recommendation that visiting both schools may help. I think it is especially important to visit Rhodes before deciding to go there. Rhodes is a small LAC and may/may not fit her personality. </p>
<p>Not sure I understand the math. If part of the aid package at AU is a $5000 annual loan, then will D be $55,000 in debt when she graduates? </p>
<p>BTW, is her option to graduate in 3 years from AU is thru the Global Scholars program at SIS? That seems like a program that will get special attention from AU, elevating her career prospects. Although rigorous, perhaps no more so than 4 years at JHU.</p>
<p>Fliqer: it’s $30,000 debt at AU vs. $0 debt at Rhodes.</p>
<p>Her father worked the math, but she received a $20,000 Presidential Scholarship at AU and a $27,000 scholarship at Rhodes.</p>
<p>To the question about Global Scholars: She didn’t apply! She didn’t want to have to finish in 3 years. She did get into the School of International Studies and was accepted to the Honor’s Program. </p>
<p>I agree that everyone and their dog appears to be trying to major in International Relations, even here in Tennessee! Her father and I both have PhD’s in Computer Science so it pains me to see her entering a field with so much competition and questionable employment prospects. She has excelled at public speaking at Youth Legislature and Model UN, winning awards almost every time she went. That’s what she loves. She probably will need to go to grad school for public policy, so $ for that is indeed a concern!</p>
<p>Also I am from Memphis, so we know Memphis. Memphis is a negative for her because she wants to escape the south and live in a big city for a while. I’ve never seen American so we’re going to visit this week, if possible. </p>
<p>Again, thank you all so much for the great advice!</p>