At the tail end of this whole college process, I’m presented with an interesting question. I got a generous combination of aid and scholarships from Brandeis, so the first year is actually cheaper than a SUNY; in the end, though, I would be borrowing 15 - 20k, after work study. (It would actually cost 40k more, but my parents have agreed to split it). Binghamton (or Geneseo, which I also got into) would leave me debt-free. I want to go into some sort of writing related field, most likely screenwriting, so not exactly investment banking.
My current plan is to go to Brandeis for 1 year (as that’s the cheapest year) and see how I like it, and see if it’s worth the money. Various people have told me the networks/contacts there are very valuble, and you get more attenton than at Bing; I also got into one of their “fellowship” programs, which seems to give you more access with profs, etc. However, the SAT scores are a little bit more than 100 points about Bing’s or Geneseo’s, so it’s not a massive gap.
My parents say Brandeis is managable due to all the scholarships, but I’d feel bad forcing them to spend more to go to a school that’s only marginally better. Thoughts?
Why you think that Brandeis is better school? It is private and more selective, but better? No. I went there for the graduate studies and it was very average, at least for me. Classes were really dull, and professors were disengaged.
At lower levels of debt ( < $30K total), I think the decision is a very personal one. Which one do you like better? Which one would you really rather attend? Do you prefer Brandeis enough to pay roughly $200-300 a month every month for 10 years? In relative terms that’s not a lot of debt, but in the practical sense that’s a lot of money every month. Do you only want to go to Brandeis because of some vague sense that it is “better”? Or do you really feel like the opportunity from there would be better?
Don’t deprive your parents of the joy of spending money on your education if they have offered it. They know their own finances and if things were tight, they would let you know.
Also, the debt is quite small. Go to Brandeis. If you like it stay.
Brandeis will have smaller classes and more personal attention (that’s what you pay for in a private university + Bing is having growth issues, with problems reported such as finding a seat in the library or not enough office hours). I would pick Geneseo rather than Bing for writing, as those problems would be alleviated. Another advantage of Brandeis is contacts in Boston for internships. Remember that to find a job, good grades aren’t sufficient, you need experience.