Yes, this is a late decision question post.
The cost for CUNY is $0 vs. $6,000 a year at Carleton. I’m paying myself. I almost have enough to pay for the first two years.
I’m interested in continuing with a neuropsych PhD., neuroscience PhD., or med school.
I feel like Carleton will offer helpful resources. Is the extra cost worth it?
You have been offered an incredible opportunity, at the equivilent cost of tuition at a Minnesota community college. Your question is worth asking but your apparent doubt leaves me speechless.
In other words, hell yeah it’s worth it
Yes, it I totally worth $6000 a year to choose Carleton over the others. Sounds like you might qualify for a subsidized fed loan too, if needed. Carleton will give you a great start in life at an affordable price.
I’m hoping your query is simply like an ace pilot manuvering a victory roll.
Oh yes. Wow. Congratulations for getting into Carleton!!!
We live near Carleton. I have taken both my sons to tour it. It is, to me, the ideal of a LAC. Elite without being elitist. Pastoral, yet not isolated. Competitive, yet collaborative.
I guess we are all saying that it’s a no brainer. You have to remember to factor in flights to and fro MPLS, though, as part of your costs. I would also caution you that, like all top LAC’s, it can be a shock to be exposed to the amount of wealth that many of the students come from. Carleton is a bit more down to earth than most, though.
It is also a school known for it’s excellence when it comes to teaching traditional sciences. It will be rigorous, but there will be plenty of help available if you reach out.
BTW, the Mayo clinic in Rochester is a relatively short distance away. You might be able to wrangle some internships there during the summer, given your interests.
^Carleton (and St Olaf) have a partnership for summer internships with the Mayo Clinic indeed.
@MinnesotaDadof3 Don’t get me wrong. I fully appreciate Carleton’s value. It’s just that all my life I’ve been taught to spend as little money as possible.
I’ve been saving up for college since the beginning of high school, so I’m surprised I’m having this struggle now when I’m one foot through the door. It’s just hard to sign away all my savings and then some. I’m also scared of debt. I know that after college I will hopefully have an easy time paying the comparatively little debt I’ll have, but again, I can’t comprehend anything other than minimum wage jobs.
My main reason for posting is because I’ve seen people advise against talking out debt before medical school even when it means going to a lower ranked college, so I wanted to make sure CUNY wouldn’t be a wiser option. Also I’ve seen people suggest going to a school where a high GPA is easier to earn. I’m not dead-set on med school, (I’m scared of loans) but it’s definitely an option.
I didn’t mean for this to be a low-income post. I’ve never felt disadvantaged by being low-income, but I guess I’ve never known much different. As @57special pointed out, Carleton will be a culture shock so acknowledging it before I go is probably smart.
@57special 6,000 is the cost with flights. I didn’t calculate books though. Is it really $1,000 a year?
Email Carleton Admissions and say you’d really really like to commit but are $1,000 short, which is a lot in the current situation for a low income student. “Is there an institutional scholarship I could apply to that’d help bridge that gap?” Odds are high they’ll say they can offer you an extra $1,000.
Don’t deprive yourself of this amazing opportunity.
Borrow the subsidized amount and put it in the bank. This way, you can use subsidized loan money only should you need it.
No, books aren’t $1,000 a year. You can use the library. You can rent books. You can buy used. You can even discuss your predicament with a professor and see if they’d have an instructor’s copy they could let you borrow for free.
Please use compassion. The student is paying all costs his or herself. This is a very hard row to hoe and even with such an excellent scholarship for someone who has had to scrimp and save for every penny, $6K is boatloads of money, breathtaking amounts and because every penny has been precious it feels much larger to someone who is earning his or her own way than someone who hasn’t. As someone who did the same, I can attest that having a big scholarship at a great college such as this person earned for him/herself there remain many challenges and snarky replies are not helpful.
OP–I agree with taking the Carleton offer as described in the above post. These colleges often do have a little more money that they can offer. You won’t regret it. Congratulations on your amazing offer. Well done!
Can I ask another question? I got off the waitlist at Scripps. Between Scripps and Carleton is one significantly better than the other?
I’d say Carleton but it really depends. The weather would be very different! Also, how important is the women’s college factor? What do you want to major in?
What’s the net cost* at both?
*That’s
(Tuition fees room board )-(scholarships, grants)=
There are some things about Scripps that are better. Each has its pluses. What’s the financial aid at Scripps?
Similar cost. I like the idea of a women’s college. Want to major in neuroscience.
Carleton has a great alum network. You’ll qualify for an on campus job. You probably won’t spend all of your $6,000. It may end up cheaper than staying in New York and attending Brooklyn or Baruch. You’ll be with some amazing students and taught by highly rated professors. The Twin Cities are close by. Plenty of internship opportunities. You’ve done incredibly well to save that kind of money, that strongly suggests to me you’ll be the type to take advantage of all a school like Carleton has to offer. Well done, what an incredible opportunity.
Contact admissions they are wonderful and helpful people.
Congratulations.
If you like the idea of a women’s college, then Scripps is an incredible place to be. A small women’s liberal arts college with all the resources of a medium size research university. The intimacy of a small women’s college but the social scene of the 5000+ undergrads at all 5 Claremont colleges plus thousands more grad students. And a goog place to study neuroscience. I’d grab that opportunity in a New York minute.
@nobody555 what did you decide?
did you end up deciding?
@hshj123 @“Youdon’tsay” I’m going to Carleton! Thank you to everyone here for helping me feel confident in my decision!