<p>My friend probably won't be going to Columbia, where he wants to be, because of money, but he is going to NYU, which he likes too, so it's not so bad for him.</p>
<p>
</a></p>
<p>I'm so glad you referenced this post. It's something positive to think about now that's its time to do some soul searching and make some heart-wrenching-very difficult decisions!</p>
<p>I'm not going to Smith or Lafayette because I can't afford it and I got almost full tuition scholarships at other(decent) schools... I'm okay about it but not really happy.</p>
<p>My friend got into Chicago, his dream, but got no money, so he is going to Ohio State Honors Program. He deserves better, but i guess life isn't fair.</p>
<p>I had to give up UVa because I received almost no aid. I can't afford it and it really makes me sad. I always dreamt of sunny, happy Charlottesville. I got aid from Penn State and got into the Honors program there, which is where I will be going. In state tuition will save my family tens of thousands in debt.</p>
<p>i'm going to uva or uga honors instead of penn</p>
<p>I'm probably going to have to turn down Rice, Georgetown, and Chicago based on money. Oh well, Echols @ UVa isn't so bad...</p>
<p>However, if I get off the waitlist at Princeton, I'll go, regardless of cost ;) .</p>
<p>Same here. I might have to. The UC system is a great bargain but getting money from public institutions is harder than getting money from private institutions.</p>
<p>So I may have to give up UCSD. That's where I really, really want to go, but I have a generous scholarship from my 2nd choice and my chances of going there are increasing simply because it's practical to. When I graduate from my 2nd choice in 6 years, I'm already guaranteed a job anywhere because of my chosen field. And I can pay off my loans faster.</p>
<p>Just thinking about it breaks my heart.</p>
<p>Northstarmom,</p>
<p>Thank you for the posting by EvilRobot. It should be framed. What a coherent and elegant story.</p>
<p>Sobb... I dunno what to do. Got a full scholarship plus a state scholarship for the University of Maryland, College Park so I'd be paid $3000 a year to go there... but I really want to go to Yale, MIT, or UPenn. They actually are giving me an okaayy amount of financial aid (I'd pay $33000 for the first two, $28000 for Penn) but the money is still killer. I know UMCP's a decent school but I live wayy too close to it so it seems so less appealling. I'll know so many of the people there, especialy since I spent like eight weeks of my life there for a summer job. What should I dooooo?</p>
<p>How much is too much debt? At what point do you decide a school is too expensive? My D is deciding that now.</p>
<p>ProudMary,</p>
<p>That would depend on what field she's going into, i.e. what her expected earnings may be. If she's going to Wharton, she'll probably be able to pay off the debt comfortably whereas if she's going to be a teacher, it will be a huge struggle.</p>
<p>My son wanted to go to CMU, but may have to go to Case (nice scholarship), PSU Honors or Pitt Honors (state schools are just plain cheaper!) I guess it depends on how much in debt we/he decide to be. It seems so important now, but I wonder how much it will matter in 10 years?</p>
<p>I want to go to Indiana University's School of Music, but can't because of money, so I'll have to choose between BU and Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>I really wanted to go to school out of state ( I was really looking at Spelman, and I currently live in CA), however, my financial situation makes doing so impossible.</p>
<p>I hate the idea of a Dream School. Hah! I had several choices including Cornell. I'm choosing BU Honors. I'll have a half tuition merit scholarship that will make a difference when I look to grad school. I am not choosing it because of the costs. It's a better fit to me and I'm not one to get caught up in having to attend an Ivy or else....I want to be in an excellent school and there were several on my list. I feel I will be successful at any one of them.</p>
<p>The whole dream school fad is difficult for me to comprehend. There are a lot of schools that can serve any student's needs. A lot of wonderful schools interest me, but I don't get particularly attached to any because I know there is only a small chance I will be able to attend one of them.</p>
<p>I think that is a mature and realistic way to view this decision. A large debt burden can take years to get out from. I have a friend who started at a CC then Northeastern and MBA from Harvard. Between Northeastern and Harvard he accumulated a huge debt. It took him years after graduation to be able to buy a home, even though he was making a very good salary, because of the debt he had from student loans. The only way he got a down payment together was from moving bonuses. Now he's doing great, beautiful home, very successful, kids starting college but there was almost a decade where they had to skrimp, rent homes, drive used cars. The Harvard MBA certainly helped him get the jobs that allowed him to pay off the debt, it also helped that he is very, very good at what he does. A bachelors in history from Harvard could generate a huge debt but by itself it isn't going to help you get a job to pay off that debt. If you get through grad school, accumulating more debt as you go, it might qualify you to teach at a university. There's a lot of competiotion for those jobs. Though full professors at prestigious universities can make quite a bit entry level is much less.</p>
<p>how about this... i'm a junior but i already know how to pay for college...</p>
<p>i'm gonna get into ROTC...
they pay as much as ALL of the tuition... for 4 years...
of course, you have to apply...</p>
<p>but that's how i'm gonna drill my way through college.. heehee</p>
<p>yes, I agree. Starting out with huge student loans is really, really hard. Especially in this job market. </p>
<p>And if you plan to live in calif., you know that the housing prices have tripled in the past 10 years. Be cautious about getting yourself in debt too far!</p>