College Decision: Princeton vs. Purdue Beering Scholarship vs. USC Trustee Scholarshi

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I've had the good luck of getting into Princeton SCEA. I also got pretty good financial aid (20k a year). I thought I'd be definitely going there, until other news came out. After applying to Purdue, I received an invitation to apply for the Beering Scholarship. I did, and now I've been selected to receive it. It's an extremely selective (less than 10 people get it), little known scholarship that is a full ride not only for an undergraduate degree, but also a Masters degree AND either medical or law school at Purdue/IU. Finally, I will likely receive the Trustees scholarship at USC, which pays full undergrad tuition. </p>

<p>I want to major in Computer Science (BSE), while exploring other interests in college. I find it's a really tough decision. I feel like Princeton would give me the benefit of exposure to so many great and diverse students. And of course, it's Princeton! However, the amazing scholarship at Purdue would get me a lot of attention there. Also, although right now Im not particularly interested in studying medicine, having the opportunity to go to med school for free after my undergrad degree if I change my mind seems impossible to pass up. Finally, I loved USC from my visit, and I'd also get many opportunities there as a Trustee Scholar (guaranteed paid research as a freshman, funding for travel abroad, etc.)</p>

<p>Basically, what I'm looking for in a college is a place to explore my academic interests (computer science, math, entrepreneurship/finance, neuroscience, etc.) and to have lots of fun!</p>

<p>So, princeton alums and students, do you think the Princeton experience is worth passing over for a school like Purdue, given the size of the scholarship they are giving me (it's worth over $250,000). Or how about USC? And would having a Princeton "brand name" really open doors that a Purdue/USC degree can't?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Purdue wants me to let them know if I am accepting the scholarship by April 5th, so I'm pretty crunched on time. And I'm still waiting to hear from MIT and Stanford, by the way. </p>

<p>Please feel free to share any opinions, comments, etc. I need HELP!</p>

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<p>Hi alphabeta! First of all, congratulations – that’s an excellent position to be in!</p>

<p>I feel like the answer to this question depends a lot on your individual situation, especially w/r/t your family’s economic situation. I think that you’d have a blast at Princeton and that we’re strong in all of your fields of interest. Does it open doors? Eh, maybe, but I don’t think in any significant way. Clearly you’re already good at showing people how awesome you are. Especially with CS, I don’t think it matters that much; once you get an interview it’s mostly about your technical performance.</p>

<p>I don’t know much about Purdue or USC, unfortunately.</p>

<p>Good luck! There’s probably no “wrong” choice for you.</p>

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<p>What is the cost of attending USC?</p>

<p>You should ask Princeton to reevaluate your FA and see if they improve it.</p>

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<p>Cost of attending USC would be around $10k a year (could be 5k a year if I receive a Mork Scholarship). I guess I could try to have the FA re-evaluated by Princeton.</p>

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<p>It is possible that you may still get into other schools like MIT and Stanford. However, Princeton is considered to be one of best for FA packages and neither may top it. So you really have to work with your parents to decide whether you would want to attend a top school or take the money.</p>

<p>I would rank USC over Purdue for a better college experience if my kid was making this choice.</p>

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<p>Wow! What an amazingly enviable dilemma. If, hypothetically, I were not a naive 17-year-old, but a slightly cynical, grizzled, and blissfully proud parent of two kids, I would probably say something along the lines of “Princeton something something networking.”</p>

<p>But even as me, who’s not qualified to do anything beyond congratulating you here (congrats, by the way!), I kind of think it goes something like Princeton>USC>Purdue mainly because of the interests/goals/types of the people who apply/go there.</p>

<p>The Purdue deal sounds staggeringly generous, but somewhat restrictive with your options (which you seem to have a gold mine of). USC would be a great college experience with great weather and education (their CS fields also sound pretty cool as far as applications of it go, esp. to game developement, etc.). Princeton is, like, obviously the academic winner, with oodles of bright, bright students already (but I’m sure you’ll stand out regardless! :slight_smile: )</p>

<p>But seriously, from these heaps of money you’re being offered, you seem like the type to thrive anywhere you want. I guess it comes down to the kind of competitiveness of the college and the intensity/flavor of their CS programs. I’m guessing you’re not exactly struggling to pay for college? (I might be completely wrong.)</p>

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<p>As texaspg said, ask P’ton to reevaluate your FA package. I’d say choose either P’ton or USC.</p>

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<p>It all depends on the caliber of the Comp Sci faculty at either Purdue or USC. It’s very department specific vs. Ivy-focused. For example, the University of Illinois is way better than say, Penn, at Comp Sci. </p>

<p>If you want to work as a programmer, over your career you will get hired via forums and networking, i.e. the Ruby community, or GitHub, etc. Or plucked via recruiters. Where you get your degree will matter very little. And you will be in so much demand, if you have high grades, that entry-level employment will be easy.</p>

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<p>Congrats to you! I have to add my thoughts as I am an implanted Hoosier. Purdue is an excellent educational institution known as a stand out for your major and their offer is completely amazing, especially with the Masters degree included. Wow! I would think that would be very hard to pass up economically. Yes, Princeton would offer a lot more culture and you would be surrounded by a different population, but as the guy above mentioned, it seems like you would be a stand out anywhere you go. </p>

<p>My daughter was accepted to some very prestigious college prep schools yet attended a very large public high school and thrived. It is not always where you go it is what you make of it. She was deferred from SCEA at Princeton, found out last night she was accepted to Wash U in St. Louis, and is holding out for some Ivy decisions later this month. She will most likely end up at Purdue (they have offered her 10K per year) unless by some miracle she gets accepted to Princeton and it will cost me the same as Purdue would cost. </p>

<p>What a nice dilemma you have. Congratulations again, and please keep us posted on what you decide.</p>

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<p>@ smoore, I wish you the best of luck to your daughter; did she get the President’s scholarship at Purdue?</p>

<p>@hopingfor better and texaspg or anyone else, How would I go about having Princeton re-evaluate my financial aid. Is it better to talk to them personally, over the phone, email, or through a letter? Would it be OK to show them my offers from Purdue, USC, and Vanderbilt (yesterday, I found out I received a full tuition scholarship there!)?</p>

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<p>@alphabeta11 Yeah definitely. They usually match offers</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t say that they <strong>match</strong> offers. They usually match need-based offers…not merit-based. Nevertheless they usually will give you a bit more aid if you ask. Email, phone, in person (at Preview for example) – it doesn’t matter, I think. Finaid has been pretty helpful / nice in my experience. :)</p>

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<p>Congratulations alphabeta11; you’re clearly a remarkable applicant.</p>

<p>I’m biased toward Princeton, but I’m sure you’ll do well where ever you end up. One thing to keep in mind about financing a Princeton education: Princeton offers incredible financial terms if the family doesn’t want to pay their expected contribution each year. We’ve chosen to utilize the Princeton parent loan program.</p>

<p>[Princeton</a> Parent Loan Program | PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - Office of Finance and Treasury](<a href=“http://finance.princeton.edu/how-to/tuition-student-billing-l/loan-options/princeton-parent-loan-pro/]Princeton”>http://finance.princeton.edu/how-to/tuition-student-billing-l/loan-options/princeton-parent-loan-pro/)</p>

<p>There are no loan fees and the application and approval process was simple and painless. We chose the variable interest rate, which so far has remained under 2%.</p>

<p>Good luck with your decision and your college experience.</p>

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<p>alphabeta - Colleges have a leeway to adjust your fin aid by making certain assumptions and the number can go up or down based on those assumptions. Someone recently told me about a kid who never applied for Aid, showed up on campus and asked if he could have some money and Princeton gave it (I was really shocked but I keep hearing Princeton is very generous and their students are even more generous giving back to school). </p>

<p>If you are serious about attending Princeton, call the admission office and tell them that with all of the great offers you have, your parents are more inclined not to spend so much more out of pocket. Outline COA at each school and let them make revisit the issue. Find someone to talk to and fax/email them a letter asking for more FA.</p>

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<p>First of all: Congratulations! You’re clearly an outstanding applicant to have received all these offers. They all sound amazing and I guess it comes down to two things: How much of a financial burden would Princeton place on your family as compared to the other schools that have offered you full rides? Purdue’s offer of free grad school sounds very appealing as that would mean that you wouldn’t have to worry about ANY debt, not negligible in this economy and it would also give you certain post-educational freedom.</p>

<p>Second, what do you want? If Princeton is your number one choice in terms of academic opportunities and fit and it wouldn’t absolutely kill your parents financially (though that is not supposed to be a problem at a need-blind school like Princeton), go there and don’t look back, if you’re worried about debt a degree from Princeton will likely ensure that whatever debt you may accumulate can be paid off at a future date.
Don’t just look at the brand as too many people do on this forum, if you are attracted by a particular offer made by Vandy, USC or Purdue go there and don’t worry about the Princeton prestige, your achievements indicate that getting a job or succeeding in some other way will not be an issue. However, if Princeton for reasons besides prestige seems to be the most appealing school because of it’s student body, academics or intangibles no amount of money offered should prevent you from going there.</p>

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<p>double 10char</p>

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<p>Congratulations. If you feel that Princeton is a good fit don’t turn this opportunity down. One of my kids turned down Princeton for a full scholarship. The problem is that the school was not a good fit so there was a huge price paid for making this decision. If your family is able to help you cover costs for Princeton and you are confident that Princeton would be your top choice without a scholarship then be grateful, hold on to the opportunity, and don’t look back.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>I am following this thread to see what you do so let us all know! My D will not be going to Purdue now that she found out Wash U is offering her a very generous Eliot scholarship that will now cost me less than Purdue’s offer.</p>

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<p>I’ve contacted Princeton financial aid, but they told me to first send them tax forms and W2s before I can officially make an appeal. I sent that today. I’m wondering if it’s better to try to ask for more money by a letter or in person.</p>

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<p>Congratulations alphabeta11! Your predicament is eerily similar to mine.</p>

<p>Though I, too, am still contemplating college choices, I have come to believe that success is likely more dependent upon the opportunities you create for yourself in college, rather than which college you attend.</p>