Our daughter is interested in Global/Public Health and most likely plans to attend med school. We are both professionals and will not qualify for any need-based financial aid at all. We have saved for her and her 2 sisters to attend college. We live in FL She was accepted at UF, UVA, UNC Honors, Georgetown, Dartmouth, UW Seattle and UGA Honors where she was awarded almost full academic scholarship with stipend for study abroad. She is leaning towards Dartmouth and UGA. UGA would leave money for grad school and she could come out of grad school debt free. It seems to allow for many research and internship opportunities. But does not have the reputation or name recognition of the other schools. Would it be foolish to turn down these other great schools? We are struggling with this decision and would appreciate input.
She is also wait list at Vanderbilt and Duke (but again no financial aid).
Well you told us UGA is free but you have not told us what other schools will cost.
Those are ALL great schools. Congratulations to your daughter and your family!
Dartmouth is phenomenal. The problem is, for undergraduate, it is not $320,000 phenomenal. In my eyes, no school is.
UGA has a very good reputation. Grad schools definitely know it, and employers do too. And the Honors College is special. My daughter is attending an honors college in the fall, passing up higher ranked schools. They are a great way to have a small college learning experience within a bigger university–the best of both worlds.
If someone walked up to you on the street and said I will give you a new car, a top of the line Toyota, and $320,000, or a Mercedes, with no money, which one would you take? They both get you to where you want to go. That’s kind of like what you are deciding on.
I would take the offer.
Everything else will be out of state/sticker price since we do not qualify for any financial aid. ($200-320,000 for 4 years). And we have 2 other children who will attend college and mist likely grad school as well.
I think you have arrived at a decision, and it’s a good one. No one really cares where you went to undergrad if you’re a doctor, and even for med school. They care that you’re the best in your field.
With two more kids, and grad school likely for all three, save the money. She will have a great experience, and you will leave them with an excellent education and no debt, hopefully. That’s the best any parents can do for their kids. That’s a huge leg up in life.
How does UGA compare to UF (you’re resident flagship which is very inexpensive, especially after Bright Futures and any other scholarship she may have received)?
That’s a good question. Yes UF would be very economical as well but the Honors Program does not seem to be as robust at UF. Unfortunately the school seems less personal from what we have experienced. I do think UF is a good school. They are widely considered to be the best in-state option. But we have gotten more of a “you should be happy we let you in because we are hard to get into” feeling. Other schools have reached out and seem to be more dedicated to helping the honors students get the most out of their education.
Do you currently have any college savings? If not, take the free money as borrowing 200-300k is foolish.
Yes we have the savings to pay for 4 years of private or out-of-state but again would then likely have to pay/borrow for graduate school.
Is there a difference in class size or teaching styles that will impact your daughter’s learning and potential GPA? If so, money aside, I would lean towards the school that will best support her ability to get into med school. I would also consider the non-academic elements of college life such as community involvement, friends, dorms, etc.
I am not familiar with UGA and I know that Dartmouth social life frequently gets panned on this site but my daughter has had a wonderful experience, has made life long friends, taken several leadership roles and been in a sorority. She has several pre-med friends that have also loved their experiences - from volunteering as an EMT to doing research to dancing with Sheba (dance club.)
I am not familiar with the programs at either school but we are in the process of making a very similar decision - An honors program at a school that is highly ranked and extremely cost effective vs non honors at other schools which are more highly ranked but are full pay.
We had a frank conversation with our child about her future plans and showed her how much money we had saved for her education. We asked her to decide if she wanted to spend the money on undergrad and take out loans for grad school or if she wanted to save the money for grad school. She chose the later.
My only comments about UGA vs Dartmouth is that Dartmouth is relatively remote and farther from home. What medical resources are available at each school and how easy or difficult would it be to get her home or get to her in a time of crisis?
One other thing I would like to add to this discussion. In my analogy about whether you take the top of the line Toyota (UGA Honors) and $320K for med school, or a Mercedes (Dartmouth) and borrowing money for med school, by picking UGA Honors, you are modeling behavior to your kids. You are telling them that money is a precious resource, and sometimes there are good alternatives in a brand crazy world that are just as good as the premium version. That’s an invaluable lesson for kids, as beyond college, they will have to decide on things like where to buy a home, what type of vacation to take, etc.
Consider yourself lucky not only for the scholarship, but that you’ve raised an open minded daughter that gets it. You won’t have to disappoint her, dragging and screaming, that she can’t go to Dartmouth. She wants to go to UGA too.
Thank you for your thoughtful advice. It is an excellent analogy and it’s helpful to hear that as we approach decision deadlines. I think she will do well wherever she goes. She’s a very bright, hard worker and she does get it. We are very fortunate. Go Dawgs! 