<p>American University: I was accepted with a 10,000 merit scholarship and a 10,000 AU Grant Causing the COA to be around 33,000</p>
<p>Pitt: Was accepted with no Grants/scholarships but am in-state and the COA would be about 28,000</p>
<p>GWU: The COA will end up being 37,000</p>
<p>I have visited American and liked the campus but didn't like that it's kind of far from down town DC...also transfers aren't guaranteed housing</p>
<p>I visited GWU and really liked the area that it was in. Transfers are guaranteed housing but it is a bit more expensive. My major is Political Science so the internship possibilities of being 3 blocks from the white house is amazing. </p>
<p>Pitt: Is cheaper than the other two...haven't visited but kind of am not feeling it BUT it is cheaper. Also, I would have to live off campus.</p>
<p>What do you guys think I should do? Is GWU worth 3-4k more than American and 9k cheaper than Pitt??</p>
<p>Should I just go to Pitt which is cheaper than both even though I'm not feeling it and I wouldn't even get to live on campus...</p>
<p>Check out Pitts campus before deciding, especially since you apparently like an urban campus. DD and I have visited all three campuses and while all are different we liked PITT and its campus a lot. Visit PITT and if you still aren’t feeling it AND you can afford AU and GW, I’d say since you preferred GW campus don’t let the small differential in price between the two be the deciding factor.
But if cost is an issue- and no one here can advise you on that issue- Pitt is a great school. DD loved it but decided on AU since they have her more money.
Good luck</p>
<p>Understand that at Pitt, most housing is “off campus” since the University blends right in with the city (the Oakland area of Pittsburgh). There are tons of students living in the adjacent neighborhoods, so you can still have a college feel while living in an apartment or shared house. Also, housing is much MUCH more affordable in Pittsburgh than it is in DC. </p>
<p>If you are considering going to grad/law school, I would give the financial differences a little more attention. Washington DC is a great place to live and the opportunities for internships certainly beat out what might be available in Pittsburgh. However, DC is very expensive. Pittsburgh is actually a nice city to live in with all the advantages of a larger city, but more affordable and more manageable (I have lived in both DC and Pittsburgh). I think it is a tough decision and really depends on how much the higher tuition would impact you. Make sure you take a realistic look at the actual costs. Sometimes we tend to underestimate costs like travel, eating out, entertainment, etc. All those costs will be more if you go to school in DC. But, if the financial impact is manageable for you, then the opportunities for a poli sci major in DC are hard to beat… However, you don’t have to go to undergrad in DC to have a future in poli sci. DC is full of new grads from all over the county. I think the main thing is to be very realistic about expenses. Don’t fall into the trap of “oh, I’ll figure out a way to pay for it later.” Obviously I don’t know your financial situation, so I can only give you some things to think about.</p>
<p>@blprof You bring up great points, and I must admit I haven’t been thinking much about the other types of costs other than the school itself. Thanks!</p>
<p>Are you a sophomore or junior transfer? Over the course of two years, Pitt will save you $18,000 over GWU; over 3 years, it’s $27,000. I’m not sure whether that amount of money is worth going somewhere you dislike - it really depends. An extra $27,000 can be an extra $200-250/month in loans.</p>
<p>How are you financing this? Are your parents paying the balance? Because if not, none of these options is affordable for you.</p>
<p>If your parents are paying the rest and/or you have another, non-loan way to finance the difference - well, American U and George Washington don’t really differ that much in price. Over the course of 2 years, that difference is just $8,000. I think it’s worth it to pay that and be in the “better” location, although I think DC undergrads overestimate how important that is (chances of you getting a White House internship are slim, but you still are a lot closer tto a lot of things).</p>