<p>Greetings; long time lurker first time poster and only posting in PARENTS forum as, well, I don't know where to begin - just another confused parent I guess.</p>
<p>DD Science and Liberal Arts student (ACT 32/SAT 2150) accepted to McGill (Canada; DD is dual French citizen, and bi-lingual), Tulane with money ($30K or so per year) - and then Colgate, Colby and Bucknell with no assistance. Here's a laugh - Bucknell admit letter indicated DD eligible for a guaranteed loan (!) of $5500 (yes, STAFFORD loan). DD would have to carry at least STAFFORD obligations by end of college ($27K+) and then family would have to take additional loans. And there's a DD sister on same track by junior year (FAFSA and CSS not friendly to the NYC based family)...</p>
<p>Seems like McGill or Tulane are fine school for science and liberal arts study. However DD pines conceptually for quintessential American college experience, and has no grasp of debt (not that any high school senior really would). </p>
<p>I like to hear specific feelings/thoughts about schools mentioned; and would also relish links that might demonstrate what its like to carry x amount of debt at y graduation date. I plan to sit and go through some of the threads here with real world stories but maybe there another way </p>
<p>Thanks, in advance, and Ill try to clarify if there are questions.</p>
<p>Tulane may be too quintessential in one way; DD concerned about ‘partying’ reputation - however will concede that those that wish to party will do it in any academic institution…</p>
<p>Quintessential American college experience is going to the community college at the age of 24, while working full-time (Actually, the average community college student is 29; at four-year colleges it is 24.)</p>
<p>What is the NET cost of each of these over four years, and what does she (not you, but she) have to carry in loans in each case? And what are you willing to spend?</p>
<p>Discard any information about so-called “assistance”. It doesn’t exist. They set the list price, then sell you the product at a lower cost. All you should care about in the money department is the cost. </p>
<p>(My own personal opinion is that no student should leave college owing more than a *maximum *of $23k. There are rare exceptions, but not that many.)</p>
<p>(Students definitely don’t party more at Tulane than at Colgate, Colby, or Bucknell.)</p>
<p>Bucknell, Colby, and Colgate want to charge you and your d. $225k over four years for the right to drink, oops, study. Tulane about $100k. What does McGill work out at?</p>
<p>If it were my kid, it would be McGill in a heartbeat (assuming costs penciled out). Beautiful city. Different culture. Great school. But it will be different strokes for different folks. (What does she want to study?)</p>
<p>DD in science, computers with liberal arts interest (lit, history, etc.); she was accepted to Science college at McGill </p>
<p>Re: our case, amazingly b/c she is a French citizen our cost basis at McGill same as if she were Canadian; about $10/$12K or so per year (excluding housing, etc.).</p>
<p>So, strictly on the money, McGill for us would be about $30K a year (including ability to maybe provide car, tutoring, etc.). Tulane, given distance (we are NYC family) maybe about $40K (less able to provide tutoring, extra support structure). The other three, realistically, that $55K is more like $65K with every red cent for anything being extra.</p>
<p>There are tears at my household; my kid wants a sweatshirt, lanyard and bumper sticker to compete with her peers.</p>
<p>It is sad that your daughter does not seem to understand the value of a dollar. When I was applying to colleges two years ago, my number one concern was to make sure that my parents did not have to sacrifice too much to pay for my education. I do not want to have them to take out loans under their names or have to pay interest on unsubsidized loans that are funding my education. </p>
<p>It is completely unfair for parents these days that their children expect then to pay absurd amounts and take on crippling debt to pay for a college education. I believe it is the child’s job to find and apply to colleges that are both affordable and adequate. The lack of motivation in high schoolers these days to do this is very alarming. Additionally, a parent’s willingness to take on crippling debt or pay absurd amounts for their children’s education only makes the problem worse.</p>
<p>If your daughter is a dual French citizen, she would pay the in province Quebec tuition of $3600/year at McGill. Also, in Montreal, a car for a student would be more of a hassle than a benefit, excellent public transportation system there.</p>
<p>However, McGill is the opposite of the “quintessential Amercan college experience”.</p>
<p>Kat, we are actually NJ; 12 miles outside of city; SUNY not really an option - although we may have done better in the merit aid college analysis than we did…</p>
<p>Agreed. At my HS…if the above were the choices on hand…they’d take McGill in a heartbeat…regardless of cost. The fact she can pay Canadian citizen tuition just sweetens the deal. </p>
<p>If anything…choosing any of the other choices other than for a near-full/full ride at the other institutions would have been considered downright foolhardy.</p>
<p>Canadian Universities are more like European universities, i.e. large lectures and definitely not the typical college experience. It seems that only about 12% of undergrad students live in on-campus residences. For what it’s worth: All but one of the 5 kids I know who went to Canadian universities transferred back to the US after a year.</p>
<p>Look, of that set McGill is by far the strongest university, the cheapest cost, and a great city. The drinking age in Quebec is 18, so if anything it can be even more alcohol-sodden than any of the other choices. But (applying common sense, rather than typical American self-defeating Puritanism) they more or less encourage entering students to binge continuously for the first couple of weeks, after which 95% of them calm down about the whole drinking thing. And anyway, not being forbidden, it’s not such a big deal.</p>
<p>There are plenty of US students at McGill. My daughter’s BFF went there, had a great experience, and is now a PhD student at a top program at an Ivy university. In many ways, it offers the typical American college experience, but it’s the typical American college experience at Wisconsin or Texas, not Colby. It’s a big public university with bureaucracy and lots of different kinds of people.</p>
<p>If she really can’t handle McGill, Tulane is a great option. While there is lots of partying at Tulane, trust me there is a lot of partying at Colgate, Bucknell, and Colby – and the music and art aren’t nearly as good.</p>
<p>DS prom date went to McGill. She has dual citizenship, US and Canadian. She went for cost reasons – she is a practical girl. She came back and went to Barnard. She just found the size too daunting.</p>
<p>For the right person McGill would win hands down. But one must be able to really use those resources and be comfortable sort of on one’s own in Montreal.</p>