<p>
</p>
<p>Burdened with crushing debt during what should be the best years of your life?</p>
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</p>
<p>And, given the size of these mega-universities, your chances of winding up in the same classes with any of them are quite small. And if they’re truly as hopeless as you make out, they won’t be around come sophomore year anyway.</p>
<p>Excuse me folks, but this kid can’t borrow anywhere near that amount of money without a co-signer. The OP is limited to the maximum for the Stafford Loans ($5,500 freshman, $6,500 sophomore, $7,500 junior, $7,500 senior year). This means that unless the OP has someone lined up who is ready, willing, and able to co-sign for upwards of $30,000 each year, all of these “dream” schools simply aren’t options. Period.</p>
<p>It looks to me like this student’s ONLY option is ASU.</p>
<p>*Go for it! You only live once. What’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t try, you’ll never know if you can make it. *</p>
<p>What the heck? </p>
<p>I can tell you this…anyone who lives with this philosophy is going to find himself digging himself out from a variety of short-sighted and impulsive bad decisions.</p>
<p>*“I don’t want to go to college with the same kids who goofed off in high school.” *</p>
<p>As an architecture major, the goof-offs won’t be in your classes…at least not for long.</p>
<p>“I can tell you this…anyone who lives with this philosophy is going to find himself digging himself out from a variety of short-sighted and impulsive bad decisions.”</p>
<p>Tell that to Bill Gates and anyone else who took a shot and succeeded.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>Are you serious?</p>
<p>the student is asking about taking on unnecessary big debt for something that can be had for much, much less money elsewhere.</p>
<p>^^^^ </p>
<p>Yes. I am serious. :P</p>
<p>The debt is irrelevant at this point. You said that anyone who lives with a “if you don’t try, you’ll never know” philosophy is destined for failure due to impulsive, bad decisions. You weren’t talking about debt or finance, you made a general statement about life and I responded as such. </p>
<p>I stand by my philosophy because it’s better to live knowing that you gave it your best shot than to always play it safe and wish that you had taken an opportunity when you were presented with one. </p>
<p>As for the debt that the OP may accumulate. He has to look himself in the eyes and decide if he will regret it. Only he knows, and frankly, he doesn’t even know how much debt he will really take on. He said that his parents were well off, so who’s to say that they won’t chip in and who’s to say that his siblings won’t be able to receive financial aid? The root of this thread is happiness. The OP said that he wouldn’t be happy at ASU. Why go somewhere that you won’t be happy at just because it’s cheaper? (counter argument is that he doesn’t know where he’ll be happy until he goes, and he probably will enjoy ASU. It’s a fun school. I have friends attending and planning on attending, so I have nothing against the institution)</p>
<p>DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT. </p>
<p>Your dream school is only your dream school because you want it to be. Personally, amassing any amount of debt isnt worth any school. Your education is only what you make it to be.</p>
<p>You should not consider it a “dream school” at all if it leaves you with massive debt. Consider it a “nightmare school”!</p>
<p>Check out this page:
[Best</a> Values in Private Colleges, 2010-11](<a href=“Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts)</p>
<p>Click-sort on the last column for average debt at graduation.</p>
<p>* You said that anyone who lives with a “if you don’t try, you’ll never know” philosophy is destined for failure due to impulsive, bad decisions. You weren’t talking about debt or finance, you made a general statement about life and I responded as such. </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>You left off a part…</p>
<p>*Go for it! You only live once. What’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t try, you’ll never know if you can make it. </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>A person who has this “you only live once”…“go for it” …“what’s the worst that can happen” without looking ahead and really considering the negative consequences especially in regards to debt and other very important decisions is "going to find himself digging himself out from a variety of short-sighted and impulsive bad decisions. </p>
<p>The adults here on CC could likely list numerous examples of people in their family/social circles who’ve lived their lives flying by the seat of their pants who’ve ended up in bad situations (and probably still won’t admit their lack of foresight caused their problems).</p>
<p>**And…I didn’t say **that the person is *is destined for failure * as you said. My point is that people who don’t think things thru and just have a “you only live once” impulsive attitude, will find themselves in deep “do do” from time to time which could have been avoided if they looked before they leapt.</p>
<p>this student needs to think things thru and look ahead and not just be short-sighted and take on huge debt without a very good reason…which, at this point, doesn’t exist.</p>
<p>You’re confusing calculated risk and just blind “I want this” risk.</p>
<p>Get the best education for the least expense. </p>
<p>No - Clemson is NOT worth $120,000 in debt for an undergraduate education. The economy is quite uncertain - except fees and expenses are almost certain to increase while salaries remain stagnant. Not a time to incur debt.</p>
<p>Good luck. No matter what, it will not be easy.</p>
<p>OP, with your stats, there must be some other good options. Check out the CC threads on universities offering great merit awards.</p>
<p>The only alternative to attending a school like Clemson for someone like you is to attend a community college the first 2 years and then transfer to Clemson.</p>
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</p>
<p>Private schools with apparently strong architecture programs include:
Cornell
Syracuse
Rice
Carnegie Mellon
USC
([2011</a> Americas Best Architecture Schools | Features | Architectural Record](<a href=“http://archrecord.construction.com/features/Americas_Best_Architecture_Schools/2011/schools-1.asp]2011”>http://archrecord.construction.com/features/Americas_Best_Architecture_Schools/2011/schools-1.asp))</p>
<p>Several of these (if not all) could be cheaper than an OOS public after aid IF you qualify for it (which the OP might not).</p>
<p>I really think it would be crazy to rack up 120K in debt for an undergrad degree that is very tough to find a job in post graduation.
What is your potential earnings as an architect for the first couple of years out of school? </p>
<p>Consider these questions before making a decision that could bankrupt you in the future…</p>
<p>and I am not familiar with U of Arizona’s architecture school, but that is one pretty campus!</p>
<p>Absolutely not. It’s madness to borrow $100k+ for any undergrad degree, even if you find someone willing to loan it to you, not even for computer science at MIT.</p>
<p>Absolutely do not do it. Realize that at your age your brain has not developed fully (this is not personal, or a put down) so all your choices might not be the wisest. Clemson is just a temptation. So are booze and chocolate. Forget it.</p>
<p>In the 80s I had a similar dilemma. My father taught at the state university, in the town I grew up in. I had free tuition, so my parents said they would not pay for me to go away. The last thing I wanted to do was go to school there, and see the kids from high school. All my friends that were with me in the honors classes, got to go away to cool schools (CC, Grinnell, Bowdoin, Brown), while my parents told me I couldn’t even apply. So I get why you have no interest in ASU, I really really do. In your situation, I would go to UA, and get away a bit. Go for two years, rack up the credits, and see what you can do from there. If ASU is better for arch, go there after you have been away for two years. And who knows, maybe you will change your mind about your major. Many kids do. Your mind may change, but your debt will not. Taking on $120,000 could be the biggest mistake of your life.</p>
<p>(by the way, I didn’t end up at the dreaded school, but found an OOS school that gave me in state tuition, which I handled by myself, no debt. But that was 1980s money).</p>
<p>OP, massive debt for an undergrad degree is definitely not worth it. Please think it through because your dream school now will be a nightmare later. Will you still think fondly of that dream school 10 years after you graduate if you’re still paying your debt?</p>
<p>The New York Times frequently has articles on this subject. The latest one is here: <a href=“Young Women Go Back to School Instead of Work - The New York Times”>Young Women Go Back to School Instead of Work - The New York Times;
Forget about the gender/grad school issues here. Go to the end read about her $200,000 debt, and then read all of the hundreds of comments. (forget the weird sexist rants). The year before the times ran a similar article about an NYU grad. Read the comments there from all of those people mired in debt and unable to have a life. Read the college section in the huffington post, see the photos of the people holding up their college debt amount. Read their stories. You are not special. Your dream school is really magical thinking. If you take out debt like this you are only contributing to predatory lenders, and ultimately ruining the US economy. (do you know about the housing bubble? ), as well as your own future.</p>
<p>Since scholarship offers are best for incoming frosh, she needs to go to the school that she’s going to graduate from. So, go to the Az school that has the best Arch program where you also have good merit. Are the offers similar from UAz and ASU?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that Arch majors often do some “study abroads” in other countries, so it’s best not to rack up a bunch of debt/costs for undergrad, and then not be able to afford those adventures/opportunities that your other Arch students will be doing. </p>
<p>I don’t know what the Az Arch schools do, but some Arch schools spend a year or semester in Italy or some other cool spot.</p>
<p>Look into what the Az Arch schools do for Study Abroad.</p>
<p>*I applied instate at University of Arizona and ASU, those will be about 10K a year. There is really no in between. I either stay instate for cheap or go out of state for big bucks $$$.</p>
<p>Regarding private schools - there are very few of them that are accredited by the NAAB for architecture programs, and I wasn’t very fond of the ones that were. </p>
<p>I’d really like to go out of state. Everyone and their mother goes to ASU around here, and I worked my butt off in high school (4.56 gpa, 2130 SAT) so I could go to the college of my choice. It upsets me to think I’ll be going to the same school as some of my classmates, who shloozed their way through school. ASU is 10 miles up the road from my house, there are 70,000+ kids, its not an attractive area, and I don’t enjoy living in Arizona. Hahaha, I apologize for sounding so whiney. </p>
<p>UofA is an option, but** ASU has the better honors college and architecture program.**
*</p>
<p>Go to ASU…and look into their Study Abroad programs for Arch. And their honors college is awesome!</p>
<p>You’ll live on campus even if it’s 10 miles away from home.</p>