<p>Tomorrow is D-Day (Decision Day)</p>
<p>I cant decide between:
-fellowship at U of Arkansas which would pay for everything +study abroad money
-Rice U with Trustee scholarship+great fin aid (EFC of 11k)</p>
<p>I guess the overriding question is:
Why pay alot of money to go to Rice over a free/cheap state school?
Is it for the name?
Are the undergraduate academics really that much better quality?
What am I paying for if I attend?</p>
<p>Thanks for any comments</p>
<p>In today’s economy and with the future so uncertain, it seems quite foolish to choose a school based on name. There were kids in my class who turned the Air Force Academy for instance (he was #3 in our class of 250) for Minnesota, but he has his full tuition paid for. It is hard to put into perspective now as a senior I’m sure, but as somebody who has lived in college and works as well, you appreciate your money. It is a blessing to graduate debt free nowadays. If you are planning to go to law school, the average debt for somebody here at my school which has a top 20 law program is $97,000 - place that on top of any undergraduate debts, and that’s a serious load of money. There was a 20/20 special recently (you can still watch it on their site) which shows college graduates in debt and can’t get a job and have had to do things like move back in with their parents. I certainly don’t mean to sound negative, but if you can start saving your money now by going to the state school so that by the time you graduate, you have enough for a nice apartment or home, it would be a nice investment. I am just trying to put forth a side which is rarely looked at.</p>
<p>You raise a great point, especially if you choose to go to Graduate school (where you’d get a lot more debt). It really comes down to what school you think will give you the best chance to succeed and get you into the position you want to be in the future I guess, and if you are okay with putting on a lot of debt before Graduate school.</p>
<p>funny… I had the exact same choice (with a couple other schools) 3 years ago. I went to Rice paying some 10k odd </p>
<p>From my reading, I liked the sound of the school better. It wasnt just the academics and ranking, but the atmosphere. </p>
<p>In the end I think it was a good choice</p>
<p>You don’t mention how you feel about each school. If you’re comfortable that you’d be equally happy either place, then go with the less expensive option.</p>
<p>11k/year is a real bargain for the education you’ll receive at Rice. If you account for food expenses, mortgage/rent payments, etc., your parents/guardians probably spend close to that much on you during the school year when you’re living at home. Basically, you’re paying for an undergraduate experience to accompany your education: the residential college system, the quirky traditions, the exceptional professors, and the combination of great undergraduate teaching and research, among other things. Most state schools really just don’t compare. I’m sure the fellowship you received would make resources considerably more accessible to you compared to everyone else at Arkansas, but, at the end of the day, the people you’ll be interacting with are still a lot of the same people you’d deal with with without the fellowship. I turned down the honors program at my flagship state school for that very reason. And when I recently visited my friends there, I realized that the students at Rice are just so much more intellectual and engaging. It was sort of depressing! The overall environment at Rice is simply more conducive to academia. If you were debating between a better public school (Berkeley, Wisconsin, Virginia, Texas, etc.), I think you’d have a tough decision, but Rice (for a relatively small amount of money) vs. Arkansas… go to Rice! Plus, you really won’t need a bunch of study abroad money… schools in other countries are <em>typically</em> cheaper than Rice, and fin aid at Rice will cover it. A lot of people save a bunch of money by going abroad. For example, University of Buenos Aires is free even for internationals. Also, if you’re just planning on going to grad school (not professional school: med, law, business, education), going to a better school for undergrad will help you get fellowships. A lot of the seniors I know at Rice are going to grad school in the humanities/social sciences/natural sciences for free. That’s not to say that this doesn’t happen at Arkansas. I’m sure it does. But I would think that it’s more common at top schools like Rice. And even if you do have med/law/b-school aspirations, you can always go to a state school and declare state residency after a semester. It’s not free, but tuition is usually halved.</p>
<p>You also didn’t say in your post how much your parents have saved for your college education (understandable since this is a public forum), but that’s definitely something to consider.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about U of Arkansas, but I would go with Rice for the reasons Hermes stated in the first half of his/her post. If I had the opportunity to go to Rice for 11k a year, I would choose Rice in a heartbeat. FYI I’m also a senior and was accepted into Rice. Ultimately, though, I’ve had to turn down Rice because I didn’t get any financial aid at all. (I would’ve had to take out loans for half the cost of attendance to go there, with my parents paying the other half.)</p>
<p>I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m envious of the decision you have to make. Sorry if the stuff I’ve said about me hasn’t really helped you.</p>
<p>I completely agree with Hermes. Arkansas isn’t even in the same tier/range/of the same caliber as Rice. If it were a free ride to other top publics, then I would say go to those schools. Also, if your parents are willing to pay like 5K a year, you’d end up only having 25K of debt. That may sound a lot but it’s a good deal compared to the original price tag of Rice. Trust me, you won’t regret coming to Rice. It’s a great investment.</p>
<p>It depends. You ask us if $11k a year is a lot, but you didn’t tell us anything about your financial situation. Do your parents make $50,000 a year or $250,000 a year? If the latter, $11k is probably manageable. If you have to come up with $11k a year yourself…personally, I would go with the full ride at Arkansas (as much as I love Rice).</p>
<p>well thanks for your opinions
my parents have recently divorced and all of the assets split
on top of that my dad lost his job
he is getting a new one soon, and has pledge to pay 5k a year
so, like modulation predicted, I would end up with about 25k loans assuming my fin aid situation does not change</p>
<p>Despite all of the financial gloom I’m going with Rice…
While I love both schools, Rice seems more conducive to learning</p>
<p>Despite all of the financial gloom I’m going with Rice…
While I love both schools, Rice seems more condusive to learning</p>
<p>see you next year owls!</p>
<p>Yay!!! I think you’ve made a great decision! =] See you in a few months!</p>
<p>lol how did those last two lines get copied?</p>
<p>oh and to Fenton7, the second poster, arent the service schools free?</p>
<p>“There were kids in my class who turned the Air Force Academy for instance (he was #3 in our class of 250) for Minnesota, but he has his full tuition paid for.”</p>
<p>Congrats! And don’t worry too much about your finances… if your dad lost his job recently, your EFC will most likely go down when you reapply for aid sophomore year. Plus, there are tons of scholarships out there you can apply for–both at Rice and elsewhere.</p>