<p>About me first:
Political Science Major
Prospects after graduation are primarily law school. (so money > prestige of undergrad, but that doesn't mean rigor is terribly pointless either - I still need to be prepared for LSAT/higher tier law schools.) </p>
<p>I have narrowed down my college list to three schools: </p>
<p>University of Massachusetts Boston (Honors College)
- Commuter School (considered the lowest of the UMass system academically)
- Full scholarship, covers tuition, fees, etc.
- I'll leave school with a BA and no debt. </p>
<p>Brandeis University
- Most prestigious and academically challenging of the three options
- Leader-Scholars Residency Program for Political Science/Public Policy
- 35k in grants; 10k in federal loans, 16k in private loans per year
- I'll probably leave school with about 40k in debt, my parents will have separate debt </p>
<p>Boston University
- Largest of the three, a school that I've wanted to go to for a few years now
- 35k in grants, 10k in federal loans, 16k in private loans per year
- Leave school with 40k in debt, parents will have separate debt </p>
<p>I'm petitioning for more aid at Brandeis and BU but they'll be marginal increases at best. </p>
<p>^You will have to borrow a lot more for law school. So you’re right that to
for undergraduate schools.</p>
<p>Why have you eliminated Northeastern from your options? What was their aid package?</p>
<p>While a modest amount of loans is OK, it should never be more than the Stafford max. </p>
<p>@TomSrOfBoston - NEU’s grant package was about 10k less than BU and Brandeis (24k, I believe.) </p>
<p>Understood. The amounts of loans that you and your parents would incur for BU and Brandeis are untenable, even without law school plans. Did you apply to UMass Amherst? That would be a much better option than UMass Boston, as I am sure you know. </p>
<p>My husband’s business partner who makes mid six figures was faced with a similar choice but the state school in the picture was a SUNY. He wrestled with the decision for a long time. With three kids looking at colleges, he just did not want to go into debt and didn’t want his kids in debt in that they did have post grad plans, the one with BU and Brandeis on the table, wanting law school. He also did not want to lower his standard of living, cut loose the commitments he had made in terms of where he lived, his life style. So, the kid went to a SUNY. But he did have that choice to go away to school, as well as some CUNY choices where he would have commuted and gotten a full ride. In his case, it was a $20K vs $60K per year question and with 3 kids, it meant times three and then any professional school thereafter. Kid went to a SUNY. Second kid went to a private school that offered half price making it $10K more than a SUNY, and the third one went to an OOS public for about double the cost of a SUNY, is still there. But for him, the full cost of a private U was just not palatable. The oldest is currently in law school, and Dad is picking up about half the costs, so his loan load will be lower than otherwise, and he has no UG loans at all which makes this feasible. </p>
<p>@TomSrOfBoston - I did apply to UMass Amherst, and got into their Honors College (Commonwealth College) as well – however, their tentative financial aid package is leaving me with an out of pocket cost of 24k per year. I was actually surprised as to how little they’re giving me: my only aid is the Dean’s Scholarship (2k, merit based) which I found ridiculous since my EFC is 13k and UMB felt so inclined as to give me a full scholarship. </p>
<p>I would go for the lesser debt, especially for the undergrad degree. You may be top dog at a school like UMB. You’ll be in the state capital, and have opportunities there. Most of your US reps/senators have Boston offices. You’ll have money to do things, perhaps travel to DC.</p>
<p>If you absolutely hate it after 2 years, transfer to UMass-Amherst (you aren’t passing anything up since its award was only $2K), but I bet you’ll like it a lot in Boston. </p>
<p>Keep the debt low, especially if you have plans to go to law school. I am not sure that the prestige of an undergraduate school makes much difference. It will be your LSAT score that opens doors, won’t it? So take classes that will hone your analytical ability.</p>
<p>By the way, I hope you are monitoring news about what is going on in the world of law school graduates and employment statistics. One link of many available is below, but you ought to spend some time researching. I don’t want you to give up your dream of law school, but you might need to take a more proactive and practical approach, and plan to pursue an emphasis during your undergraduate years as well as during law school that will lead to a job. Best of luck.</p>
<p><a href=“The Job Market For Lawyers: Side Work On The Rise Amid Continuing Glut Of New Grads”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/emsi/2014/01/10/the-job-market-for-lawyers-side-work-on-the-rise-amid-continuing-glut-of-new-grads/</a></p>
<p>The honors program at UMB will provide ample opportunities that you will not find the other institutions. It’s big fish little pond but as the last poster stated, I think you will really like Boston. Plus, you get 4 years free? What was the question?!</p>
<p>Low debt. LSAT scores are crucial. </p>
<p>Alright, so the people on this thread basically just confirmed what I’ve been feeling for these past few months which is good.</p>
<p>What’s also good about the scholarship is that when I graduate from UMass Boston, I will have no financial obligations and I will leave knowing that I, and only I, put myself through college - not my parents (whether it be through immediate financial contributions or cosigning a loan.) Rather freeing. </p>