<p>I chose SUNY Fredonia over NYU or Ithaca and I don’t regret it one bit. A large part of the choice was the cost (obviously there’s a huge difference between the two), but it was also because I loved the campus and the staff when I visited. I still do. 
The way I see it, if you go to a cheaper school for undergrad, when you go on to get a Master’s and maybe a Doctorate, you can afford to go to a more prestigious school.</p>
<p>^ Not really, because aren’t PhD programs free? In the sciences and engineering usually you don’t have to pay tuition and get a stipend to boot; I don’t know how it works in other fields. What you said makes sense for not being in debt after college though. I think debt is the bigger issue, because it’s hard to get a graduate degree with so much debt hanging over your head.</p>
<p>That’s true, I forgot about that haha. Whoops.</p>
<p>altruition, lol</p>
<p>If I get into USC, I’ll be choosing either UW or SDSU because of finacial reasons.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies I’ll be honest with some of the talk around CC sometimes I was a little worried that most of the responses would berate my choice, so it’s nice to see I’m not the only one who’s struggling with this choice. Honestly, the thing that first got me considering staying with my safety after being accepted to the “dream” was financial aid (graduating with ~$15,000 in debts, as opposed to $50,000+). Being that I’ll be funding my own education (though my parents will be giving some personal spending help, thankfully) it’s a major concern when I factor in graduate school in the future. But there are other perks to going to the safety: friends, locked-in job, and of course the ability to do a lot of things I wouldn’t be able to do if I’m worried about the money constantly. Plus, I’ve been accepted to their honors college so I’ll still have access to some more challenging experiences, even if not the same prestige.</p>
<p>The unfortunate part comes with convincing all the adults around me that I’m not making a mistake I’ll regret for the rest of my life <em>rolls eyes</em></p>
<p>I understand how you feel, too. I’m not turning down any name-brand schools, but that’s because I didn’t apply to any name-brand schools, because only safeties offer the merit aid I’m looking for. People just keep assuming I’ll end up at an Ivy League because I’m smart, but they don’t really understand how the system works- for me, the school I’m going to would probably be cheaper than any lower-tier Ivy League, and the application was certainly less stressful.
Turning down a top school for financial aid is a great decision. I’ve heard horror stories about how excessive student loans have ruined lives. Good for you for seeking another path.</p>
<p>This is a tough one for me. I applied to NYU for film. If I get accepted, I’m probably going to find whatever I can do to go there (I live in the city). Maybe it’s because their program is so prestigious and I’ve been wanting to go there for years! Regardless, I still have safeties to choose from if I have to. :)</p>
<p>I chose the well known school, then ended up transferring to my safety. I was doing well, it was just the people, administration, etc. And, it’s undergraduate. I am definitely going to graduate school, so I think I’m better off spending less undergrad.</p>
<p>When I transferred, I had people tell me I was “downgrading.” If you choose the safety, you’ll always have some of that.</p>
<p>
I think you missed the point of my post. I am saying that talented students in the science fields will have opportunities to exercise their talent and ambition, and it does not take high tuition price tags to do so. Some will start at no-name but solid universities and then migrate to Ivy grad programs (as I posted earlier); others will find excellent post-grad programs outside of the Ivy league. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the expensive, private LACs or the prestige places. If you can go cheaply, you are one lucky person. I am saying that attendance is not a prerequisite to success.</p>
<p>The short answer to your question why we were willing to foot up to a $20k/yr bill for my daughter: she is not majoring in a science field, and she did not think the local full ride flagship had a good department in her area of interest. Her other reasons were personal, and were about Uni size and desire to live out of state.</p>
<p>I just decided that I’m going to either go to U of Idaho or U of Wyoming instead of West Virginia University. Both Idaho and Wyoming have a beautiful campus, and they both know how to have a good time. West Virginia was always the #1 school on my list, but being that its $17,000 out of state kills it.</p>
<p>I have never understood why a student pays tuition to get drunk.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>School and alcohol can coexist easily enough.</p>
<p>Actually, no. A lot of school and no alcohol, or some of both, or a lot of alcohol and very little school. Don’t fool yourself, the two are a trade-off, not a coexistence.</p>
<p>Apologies to the OP for the off-tangent remarks</p>
<p>I’m intending to major in Chinese/ International Studies, and I chose Ole Miss over Northwestern. At the time, it was for purely financial reasons (NU gave me an over-the-top EFC that was unaffordable even after an appeal), but I’m becoming more content with how things turned out. Ole Miss has a great International Studies school, plus one of the best Chinese language programs in the country (or so they tell me). Plus, it will be practically a full ride with all the scholarships they’ve given me. And there’s always grad school</p>
<p>My S chose Berkeley over Columbia two years ago. He’s very happy and has no regrets as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>i believe as long as you do good in school, you will get into a good Graduate school(good test scores too) because not every person in the US that goes to a good GRAD school went to a great undergrad school.</p>
<p>just google a few people and you willl see that many of them didnt go to top undergrad schools</p>
<p>I’ve nearly decided to attend the CUNY honors program at Hunter College (Macaulay honors). It’s selective (<10% acceptance rate), free, you get a nice mac laptop, $7500 stipend for research/internships/study abroad, and great opportunities (a friend of mine is going to Belarus to engage in a political science study with a think tank there). While I’d love to go to Columbia or any other school that deigns to accept me (which I’m starting to doubt more and more as the date draws near), I won’t be able to afford it. My parents have nearly been driven crazy, and I’m not willing to subject them or myself to more stress just for undergrad. That can wait four more years. HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, HERE I COME! ;)</p>
<p>Yes, I could easily accept school with less “prestige” I really wouldn’t think about it either. ie. I’d rather go to ucsc or ucsb rather than ucla/cal easy. My parents would probably kill me, but that’s another story.</p>
<p>Why do they think they are always right when almost half the time they are not?</p>