<p>(not including travel, personal expenses, books)
Also, is Calgrant the same amount for all four years? Thanks!</p>
<p>Do you have some idea of what area you’re likely to major in? Is distance from home a factor for you one way or the other? How workable is that 10K x 4yrs + books/personal exp/travel?</p>
<p>Probably psychology and hopefully going to grad school for psychology. Distance doesn’t matter. My parents can help out with a lot of it-- I just don’t know if I can go to Amherst with a clean conscience. Plus, the satisfaction of being able to pay for my own education if I go to UCSD must be nice. I really want the small school feel and the focus on undergrads though, and I visited and loved Amherst (never been to UCSD, but the largeness of Berkeley was off-putting for me). The only thing only me back is that I have no conception of how much 9k (or, over the long term, 36k) is.</p>
<p>From the viewpoint of an adult who understands that this definitely is not Monopoly money, do you think it’s worth the extra cost? (open to be answered by anyone, really)</p>
<p>That’s a slippery question. If the question was ‘is it worth 36K of debt?’, I’d say probably not because as a psych major, and with grad school in the picture, that would be a very detrimental burden for you to carry.</p>
<p>If it’s money your parents are willing and able to pay (your guilt about their paying set aside for the moment), then I think it’s a valid argument to opt for a college experience that will be very meaningful for you, and with that incredible undergrad educational experience you can get a school like Amherst.</p>
<p>If you feel badly about your parents paying out that amount of money, the first thing I’d suggest is to talk to them about it. Tell them your concerns, don’t make it about them reassuring you or absolving your guilt feelings, make it just a conversation about how they see the balance between money and preference of school… just an exploration of the issues involved. If you can have an open conversation with them, you’ll have a much better idea of which way to go on this. You may find it’s something they really want for you, or you may find it will cause them more hardship than you previously thought.</p>
<p>In any case, remember that you can help ease the load if you do choose Amherst. Even though Amherst does not put loans in its financial aid packages, you could opt to take out a smallish amount each year --not an oppressive amount-- and you can work summers and part-time during the term.</p>
<p>That said, UCSD is a very popular choice too. Congratulations on having such good options!</p>
<p>I think I’m going to go with Amherst–though I probably knew that before I typed this question. I don’t know whether this is the wrong approach to take, but I’ve imagined myself as an older person with a stable job and all. If I were a parent with the means to pay 36k more for Amherst, I’d probably do it for my kid. Even if, theoretically, I found a solid group of friends at both places, the UCs are missing the liberal arts spirit that I want in a college. I think (and I really hope, given the price!) that it’ll be an amazing four years spent in a nurturing environment conducive to taking academic risks.</p>
<p>Another consideration that bolsters the argument that 10K/year for an Amherst education is an amazing value is the fact that “the college’s actual cost of educating a student at Amherst exceeds the annual fee by more than 50 percent.” (quoted from the Amherst website.) The Amherst endowment subsidizes the true cost of an Amherst education, even by 50% for students paying full freight ($48,000+/yr for 2009-10 academic year.) The value of a strong endowment to the quality of academic program cannot be overstated, and Amherst has a HUGE endowment! Since I didn’t see this mentioned in earlier posts, I think it is worth considering as you make your final decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>Amherst-your first car will cost more than 36K for goodness sakes.It’s a fabulous deal, California is going broke, and who knows what will happen next year there. Amherst will likely be constant.
Don’t risk it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the support! I thought of that too, collegiate, and I felt kind of bad for hesitating to meet the college halfway. They’re paying more than I am. I guess I was just hesitant to enter a contract involving so much money (at least, to my 18-year-old eyes). At any rate, I’d rather have Amherst than two cars.</p>
<p>Right! Congrats on your accomplishments, and good luck!</p>
<p>How about $17k a year, vs. a free ride at schools like Villanova and UPITT?</p>
<p>That’s a little trickier.Now you’re talking $68k…Did you like Pitt, or Villanova? They are all so different.
I would still lean Amherst, but if you want to live in a fun city, Pittsburgh is great, and Pitt has great resources-kind of like the UMass of Pittsburgh, I guess.
All I know about Villanova is basketball…</p>
<p>While $68K total for 4 years at Amherst is in a different category than the OP at $36K for 4 years, it is still an incredible value considering full freight (@ $50K+/year) plus the true cost (including value of the Amherst endowed subsidies by another 50%) In other words, if the value is upwards of $75K/year, then $17K/year seems like a great deal, IF you have the funds to support it. (If, however, $17K/year is a stretch financially or requires carrying loans, then the full ride at Pitt or Villanova merits a much closer look and may, ultimately, be the wiser choices even though it’s hard to beat the quality and intangible benefits of an Amherst College education – particularly at a $17K/year pricetag.)</p>
<p>Kind of thinking that $68k for 4 years, is paying for 1+yrs. for a 4 yr. education. It is going to be a little tougher/not all debt, but hoping the small classes/quality of education will offset that.</p>
<p>Agree, if you can afford it. if you liked Amherst A LOT, go there. If unsure, go where you feel you would be happiest.</p>
<p>If you are still deciding… by all means, go to San Diego to determine whether you could tolerate living in a beach community. La Jolla is stunning, but obviously in a different way than somewhat rural Amherst. The psychology department at UCSD is science-based (my experience with UCSD is that if they can make it a science, they will). My daughter is at UCSD now and so far has had no problem with the budget, although the CSU system absolutely has. Good luck to you…</p>