It seems to me that you KNOW that she isn’t eligible for financial aid. Merit is the the only way she is getting money.
D3 schools are scrutinized as to how they give merit money. Unless she is truly merit material for Brandeis, chances are not good she will get it . Getting that kind merit money there is difficult. Not a good chance.
$80k is a lot of money to have towards law school.
My husband’s colleague would not cough up Brandeis money when he had it. Kid went to SUNY Binghamton instead. Went to law school just fine afterwards and they had the money to pay for it more comfortably
No, it’s not worth paying $280,000 for a bachelors degree. If they’re only offering you $20k a year, then you’re getting a bad deal. If someone wanted to sell me a Toyota Camry for $100,000, a 20% discount is still a bad deal. I would shop around for better schools at a more reasonable price. Law school is very expensive, and having low debt would be a huge financial advantage.
Is there a way to check each school’s law school admission statistics? While it may not make a difference, if your dd is a top student and is aiming for a very good law school, there may be a reason to pick Brandeis IF you can afford it.
If the answer is your dd would have $80k to $100K for law school if she picks Muhlenberg, that may sway her decision. If you can’t afford it, it is a moot point and she should not ED to Brandeis.
The other question is are there schools she would prefer to these, if she decides not to play softball?
Brandeis punches even above its weight academically, giving true support to its athletes, and I would try to make the reach (plus: great to be near Boston), though you’re right to inject realism money-wise; make sure you get hard commitments.
If you can work out the finances and the schools are still tied, look at the softball travel schedule. They seem quite different to me with Muhlenberg traveling or hosting longer tournament weeks or weekends. Travel can make a big difference in the amount of time spent on buses.
Thank you everyone for your input. My DD has applied ED to Brandeis. It really came down to which school she felt most comfortable with and Brandeis was where she really felt she would fit even if she wasn’t playing softball. For softball, the Brandeis conference is slightly more competitive but she really loved both coaches so that was making her decision a tough one. We’re all happy with the decision even though our wallets will most likely be a bit lighter over the next 4 years.
Brandeis has come up a lot in their rankings. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth spending a lot of money on. I have a personal opinion that very top schools are worth the extra money, else chose an affordable school that is in the same range.