Hi, I’ve been accepted at Boston University and Oxford @ Emory for business and UT Austin for Econ, and I’m having a bit of trouble choosing among these three. I’d have to pay around $30k a year for both Boston and Oxford, while I’d get in-state tuition for UT. I plan to study things like econometrics/risk analysis/finance or something of the sort regardless of school.
Preferences: I love urban areas, want an open-minded student body, and not really into frats/drinking/partying much.
If you guys have any suggestions, please post them with your reasoning! Thanks so much!
I’ve also been accepted at Fordham, Northeastern, UIUC, and Texas A&M, if that widens the range…
If you are going into economics, the choice should be very clear. Unless there is a very wide gap in the quality of the education, go for the one that causes you to incur the least cost.
@Torveaux The problem is that there’s only about $5k difference between the three schools (I did not receive any aid from UT), and I really did not like A&M (the cheapest one by far: full tuition+a little more) at all. I would like to work as a financial analyst/related to that field on Walll Street in the future, so would majoring in Econ @ UT Austin be a major disadvantage compared to going to BU/Oxford Emory?
Unless you really want to work in Boston specifically, BU will not give you anything that UT will not. I am not a big fan of UT. S1’s GF goes there though. I do have to recognize they are a highly respected school, both in and out of Texas. For business related things, UT would be preferable to TAMU. If you are looking for success on Wall Street, it is as much about your personality and your ‘look’ as it is about the school…though unlike most places, the ‘Street’ tends to be more conscious of the brand of the school. UT has a great brand. They would not be a back seat to either of the other schools.
Remember there are added costs to going to school further away. Travel is the most obvious, but it is often the hidden cost that bites you. If an emergency arises do you have support?
@Torveaux No, my family would be living on the west coast by the time I enroll and I’d be taking more way more private loans at BU… :-SS I guess UT really is the best choice for me. Thank you so much for your input!
If you’re interested in Wall Street, Fordham (Gabelli?) would make sense.
If there’s only a 5K difference between UT and Emory, I’d go for Emory, because the undergraduate experience will be much more personalized and if you struggle you’ll find more support.
However, you don’t seem to have calculated exact net price for each, so can you list:
net price = (tuition+room+board+fees) - (grants+scholarships)
for each?
@MYOS1634
Problem is that Fordham is the most expensive option for me (yikes), and there’s the risk at Oxford/Emory that I might not make it into Goizueta.
These are my options with my cost per year
UT Austin (Econ only, rejected from McCombs): 25k cost - 0 aid/scholarships =25k net price per year
Oxford College @ Emory: 59k-26k=33k (Looks like I was looking at something else, sorry)
Fordham: 70k-28k=42k
Northeastern: 65k-34k=31k
Boston U: 68k-37k=31k
UIUC: 52k-14k=38k
A&M: 27k - 12k = 15k
Should throw in that I was waitlisted at Emory College and Boston College, so there’s those options…
Based on your list, I’d go with Northeastern. Best value (since you didn’t get McCombs) - and with the co-ops you’re sure to graduate with plenty of experience (plus salaries can help with costs). Otherwise Emory - as far as I can tell, admission to Goizueta is selective -you need to have certain grades and specific pre-reqs - but is not competitive - if you have the grades, you’re in. Not sure it’s worth 2K more per year and where that money would come from. Can you afford those with stafford loans + work, but without imposing loans upon your parents? Can you decrease the amount of loans you take on if you go with Northeastern rather than Emory?
@MYOS1634 Actually for Northeastern, the aid goes up to 41k with federal loans. My parents’ income will go up significantly (like by >40k) next year, though, and we expect our need-based aid for all schools to go down to 0 when that happens, hence why I’m seriously considering UT
@coffeebreaks
NEU actually guarantees aid for all 8 academic semesters, even if your family situation changes. Look up and confirm it, but check out the Northeastern Promise.
Try running the NPC for both with the new income.
Will the extra 40K be a one-time thing, or will it be your soph-jr-sr year situation (happy situation! congrats to your parents! But messy for college FA.)