Cheap state school vs. Expensive dream school?

Parents Forum
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<p>Okay, so here's the situation: I was accepted early action to both my dream school (UChicago) and my state flagship's honors program (UGA). I would've left it at that, but my parents wanted me to apply to some more schools RD, which I did to appease them. Also, the calculated EFC for UChicago was rather . . . discouraging, so I'll admit that half of the reason I applied to more schools was financial.</p>

<p>So, today, I received the rest of my results, and the score stands as follows: Four rejections and one waitlist. So, my only options are UChicago and UGA at this point. Time to make a decision.</p>

<p>Now, I have a brother in college at UNC Asheville and my parents make ~150k, give or take. My brother did not apply for financial aid last year and probably is not going to apply for financial aid this year (the reason for this decision escapes me; I'm going to try talking to him about it, but the chance that he'll actually listen to me is small). So, here're my options:</p>

<p>UChicago (~35k): My absolute dream school. I've wanted to go here for the longest time. I adore the student atmosphere, love the campus, am infatuated with the Core to the greatest degree. Not into partying and am into talking about quasi-intellectual topics. I like quirky intellectualism, as many of my best friends who I've hung out with since elementary school are quirky intellectuals. Also, I'm interested in anthropology, and UChicago's the best in cultural anthropology. But it's expensive and my brother's sucking up some money, so if I take the deal here, I'll be loading my parents down. Also, I'm planning on grad school later, so debt'll be bad. :(</p>

<p>UGA Honors Program (~7k): Not much to say about it. It's cheap(er). I have no objections to going here because I have friends going to UGA, but I'll admit that I'll feel extremely sad for a couple months if I have to go, since I'll be giving up on my dream school. But I have no problem with attending UGA, as it's a great school, and I'm sure I'll get over UChicago eventually. (Let's be optimistic!) :)</p>

<p>Problem: My parents don't want to shell out 35k for UChicago. Perfectly understandable; I'm fine with going to UGA. But my mom also doesn't want me to go to UGA; she thinks that if I go to UGA, I'll be wasting my potential or something. And then she starts going on about how I should've applied to more colleges, written better essays, gotten into Allstate Orchestra that one year, etc., and she never actually answers my question about which one she prefers. In the end, after the millionth conversation about this, she ended up getting angry with me and telling me just to choose a school without consulting her. So, my questions:</p>

<p>a.) Which school?
b.) I really really really really need/want my mom's approval. Is there any way for me broach this subject with my mom without upsetting her? :(</p>

<p>Sorry if this post is one of those disjointed, unorganized tl;dr posts, but I need advice. Thanks in advance.</p>

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<p>Give it a day. Maybe two.</p>

<p>On this board, we most often hear from families in which the student is having a strong emotional reaction to admissions decisions.</p>

<p>But in your family, I think it’s your mom who is reacting that way. I suggest giving her a day or two to process and then discussing the subject with her when the emotional intensity has died down a bit.</p>

<p>Is your dad in the picture? A third viewpoint might also be valuable in this situation.</p>

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<p>My dad is perfectly willing to support whatever decision I make, though he has made it clear that he prefers UGA for the cost; he doesn’t make anything of this “wasting potential” sort of stuff like my mom does. However, as of right now, he’s just telling me to make my own choice as well.</p>

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<p>Your mother is feeling guilty for not being able to afford your dream school. Her anger and second guessing of your choices of schools to apply to this late in the game is not rational. You seem further along with the acceptance of going to the school you and your family can afford. Thumbs up for being the mature one.</p>

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<p>U of Chicago is not normally the kind of school where one would say a student is “wasting potential”!</p>

<p>Re the financial aid: a really important point is that with 2 kids in college on a FAFSA should make a difference in your own aid. Did you file a financial aid app with UofC that showed there are 2 kids in college in your family? It might be worth running a FAFSA calculator showing both of you in school and see what that changes. It may mean your parents will pay less for UNC-Asheville which could mean more for you at UofC.</p>

<p>UGA is an excellent school, but if you truly love Chicago, I’d work on your mom. Your dad sounds like he’d support you either way. Your mom is probably a little freaked out by the $, which again, could look different with 2 students in college at the same time.
PS Congratulations! You have 2 really good choices.</p>

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<p>This is the fifth instance on CC this year that I’ve seen of someone choosing between UGA Honors and another, more “prestigious” school, so at this point I’m thinking UGA’s Honors class next year is going to be one of the best ever. </p>

<p>While quirky intellectualism probably doesn’t describe the majority of UGA students, I can attest to the presence of quirky intellectual circles on campus. For instance, I’m typing this from a 206 year-old literary society’s hall on UGA’s North Campus right now. There’s a bust of Voltaire with a baseball cap on his head and a whole library of random books from comics to rhetoric to old minutes of the society from the early 1800s. Weekly debates usually go on into the wee hours of the morning on every range of topic you could imagine. Quirky intellectuals would certainly feel at home here. </p>

<p>UGA’s anthropology program, while nowhere near the level of Chicago’s, is not bad and there are several very well-known profs here, according to an anthropology grad student I know. Through UGA Honors, you could get started on anthro. research almost immediately and start getting ready for grad school, if that’s what you want to do. </p>

<p>I do wish that UGA had the equivalent of the core curriculum, but it’s relatively easy to get into upper-level humanities courses here so you could easily create your own “core” through the philosophy, religion, etc. departments. Plus with UGA’s generous AP credit policies you’ll have the room in your schedule to take a very wide range of classes in addition to your own major. There are also a good number of Honors Book discussion groups and other book groups on campus. </p>

<p>There are a lot of good threads discussing all the details of UGA’s Honors program on the UGA discussion page, but in short if you live in the Honors dorm, take a lot of Honors classes, and get involved in Honors activities you’ll find a like-minded community of good students who enjoy intellectual pursuits and go on to a great deal of success for grad school and in their careers. Your parents shouldn’t be worried about UGA “wasting potential”; if anything the financial savings will open up far more potential opportunities for you to explore your interests and enjoy college than even the fabled halls of Chicago could. Feel free to PM me with any more questions about UGA Honors if you want.</p>

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<p>Did you apply for financial aid at Chicago? I the $35K the tuition you are charged there, or the amount you have to pay after financial aid? </p>

<p>A rough EFC calculation under FAFSA for a family with 2 in college, $150K income, is about $17K – so I’m wondering whether the cost for Chicago can be brought down. (They use Profile and historically are not all that generous with financial aid, but they do promise to meet full need as they define it)</p>

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<p>see this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/660178-results-choosing-full-ride-state-school-scholarship.html?highlight=honors[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/660178-results-choosing-full-ride-state-school-scholarship.html?highlight=honors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Thanks for the responses! I have some updates to make (and more questions . . .) I was waiting until I got UChicago’s official FA statement.</p>

<p>The EFC for UChicago is now around 30k (nice - it dropped 5k due to National Merit + work-study, though the grant money they’re giving me remains the same), which is still twice the amount FAFSA says it should be (15k). Now, would this difference be a legit reason to call UChicago’s FA office to ask for more money?</p>

<p>Another thing: The FA statement I got today is, I think, based off what I sent to them back in the EA round, and then the FAFSA we sent off in January. My parents sent their 2008 tax returns yesterday so they cannot have gotten to Chicago yet. Should I call them to inform them the tax returns are on their way there (because on their site, they give April 15 as the deadline date for 2008 tax returns) and to ask for a reevaluation of aid once they get there? Or should I just leave it alone? (Because there’s no way to know whether they’ll increase or decrease my aid after they see the tax returns, to be honest. FAFSA’s EFC went up $600 after we filled in the updated information).</p>

<p>So, essentially, two/three questions (boiled down):
a.) If the FAFSA EFC and UChicago EFC show a difference of 15k, is that a “legit” reason for me to ask for more aid?
b.) If so, how would I go about doing this in a non-money-grubbing manner? (I’m terrible over the phone, so any advice would be appreciated).
c.) The 2008 tax returns have not gotten there yet. Should I tell them they’re arriving there soon and then ask them to reevaluate my aid (even though there is a possibility the amount of aid money might decrease)?</p>

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<p>“the amount FAFSA says it should be (15k)”</p>

<p>Are you saying your EFC is $15k on your FAFSA SAR?</p>

<p>If so, that is the amount your family should be paying per FAFSA rules.</p>

<p>Doesn’t UChicago use Profile? That means they can figure their formula any way they want.</p>

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<p>UChicago uses both FAFSA and CSS.</p>

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<p>I’m all for saving money, but damn, U. of Chicago? That’s a real feather in your cap. I would go for it!</p>

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<p>Oh, and I’d be sucking up to my father big time, if I were you, too. If there’s trash to be taken out, whisk it out of the house in a nanoseond, be pleasant, make the old man feel as if he’s spending his money on a worthwhile project!</p>

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<p>Is it possible that the $15k vs $30k EFC is due to showing only 1 kid in school (thus $30 EFC) vs 2 kids ($15 EFC each).</p>

<p>Just wondering…</p>

<p>I really suggest you make sure about this. It made a big difference for our family when we had 2 in college simultaneously.</p>

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<p>Ahhh, update:</p>

<p>Gave them a call today. No budging on the matter. (The lady I talked to was so nice that I didn’t push; I ended up feeling sorry for her for having to deal with kids like me all day long, so I gave up after a few minutes.) Well, time to hit outside scholarships. :(</p>

<p>On the other hand, my mom finally came out and told me flat-out ordered me to go to UChicago. So, I guess I’m going there. We’ll manage with a combination of loans and stuff. Thanks for all the help! :)</p>

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<p>I’m glad it worked out for you, neltharion! Now you have to think of something REALLY nice to do for your parents!</p>

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<p>Ask your parents if you can go to UGA without taking out loans. Your first year after graduation you will fully appreciate not having to pay back any loans, and not feel so bad about missing out on U Chicago.</p>

<p>BTW: You can always go to U Chicago for grad school. That is when the degree is worth a lot more.</p>

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<p>neltharion- congrats to you on your accomplishments! - Similar situation here - both Duke and Vandy gave about half the cost in aid, leaving around $25K/year in contributions whether loans or parent getting another job. Daughter definitely going to grad school so future debt possible. She will likely choose UGA Honors and enjoy being able to study abroad/research all without debt at graduation. Also, UGA has a very generous AP credit policy making it possible to get a Masters in some disciplines in 4 years. Weather/distance/college town/student body fit also a factor for her. Success in life is what you make of it - not your circumstances. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Loved the happy ending in this thread. Wish there were more!</p>

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<p>My child is now a third year at the U of C, her dream school. She had the exact same dilemna you do, having been accepted at the State University honors program with a major scholarship. All I can say is, if there is any way you can do it, there really is no question that the U of Chicago is the place to go. The environment, the education, the extracurriculars, just about everything is sensational. I can not calculate the extent of my child’s growth in every way since she had gone there. Her opportunities and the attention spent on her by the school have been phenomenal. As parents we were sceptical at first because the financial aid has been terrible and the sacrifice on our part enormous. But it has been worth it and I will never regret it. I wish your parents could talk to me. All the best. You have two great decisions to make. But Chicago is really special.</p>