Decision help, please: Fordham vs. U. of Utah

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Ok, so here's the deal. I have to choose between Fordham (Lincoln Center) and my local state school (University of Utah.)</p>

<p>At the U I would pay next to nothing, about 3k for room. At Fordham I got a full tuition scholarship but would have to take 5500 in stafford loans to cover all of my expenses per year. </p>

<p>I like the U and everything, but I feel like I wouldn't live up to my potential. I really liked Fordham and loved the city, but I'm wondering if going into debt would be worth it? I have friends at the U, but I'm sociable enough that </p>

<p>I want to go to law school. I have enough AP/IB credit that I'll probably double major in philosophy and econ. Would either school be better suited for me getting into a top 10 law school maybe?</p>

<p>This is a really tough choice for me and my family.</p>

2

<p>Most parents would say that the Stafford loan limits are reasonable. If your package is set up so that you won’t have any more undergraduate debt than that, then Fordham is affordable. You may want to call the Financial Aid office to ask about the aid situation for future years just to be sure.</p>

<p>Law school admission is almost entirely numbers-driven. The name on your diploma barely matters at all. Read all about it here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/law-school/1132224-what-i-learned-about-law-school-admission.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/law-school/1132224-what-i-learned-about-law-school-admission.html&lt;/a&gt; U of UT would be just fine, and would have the advantage of leaving you with less debt. Chances are that you will have to pay for law school with loans, and keeping your undergrad debt low is a good idea. </p>

<p>Run both of your aid packages through this calculator, and see what you think: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid) Consider where you can reduce your expenses (books, housing, food, transportation), and where you can’t (tuition, fees). Check both university’s website to see what your AP credits can be used for. Fordham may not be that much more expensive than U of UT after all. Or, it may be more expensive than you first thought.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>

3

<p>Is living in NYC on your lifetime “bucket list?” If that’s a major interest, you’ll never again be able to do it for $5500 a year. Most of us could spend $5500 to take a week’s vacation in Manhattan!</p>

<p>Personally, I’d prefer U of U but I’m not a big city type of guy. My Ds are big city types. They’d jump at the Lincoln Center opportunity.</p>

4

<p>I’d go Fordham. Being in a big city, especially NYC, is a huge opportunity. The difference in cost doesn’t seem to be that much and IMO Fordham is a better school. Good luck to you wherever you end up!</p>