Dream School, Nightmare Tuition

Paying for College
1

Hey everyone I’m in a huge predicament here. I just got into UCLA. It is everything I have wanted since I was a little kid. I mean every fiber of my being wants to go to this school. Needless to say, I’m out-of-state. My dad does well but without getting into specifics due to a company fault, money that was formerly guaranteed for my education evaporated. So I am looking at paying nearly sticker price for UCLA and taking on 90% of that as debt.

I’m not dumb, no education is worth a lifetime ($180,000) in debt. So here’s the catch. I plan on applying for Air Force ROTC scholarships that would make it feasible but it’s past the deadline. Should I defer my acceptance in order to receive these scholarships (that are not guaranteed, I simply think I would get them because of my stats in comparison to those who received the scholarships in the past)?

Now here’s the second catch: I got into some decent other schools. VT, UMD-CP, Penn State, and I got AN ABSOLUTE FULL RIDE TO the University of Alabama. (Still waiting on USC and UMich)

So I guess what I’m asking is: at what point should I tell myself to take the free education, not go into debt, don’t delay my education, get on with my life and be happy? Are my dreams worth the mountainous price tag? Will I be that much happier coming out debt free?

Thanks to all who reply

2

Do you want to go to college now…or are you willing to wait a year for a scholarship that isn’t even guaranteed?

You are OOS for CA. Without a ROTC scholarship…which is NOT guaranteed next year…you won’t be receiving any aid from UCLA.

Someone posted here that the CA Board of Regents voted to discontinue all aid to OOS students as of this admission round.

3

I’m honestly unsure about a gap year. It really sucks that they use OOS to subsidize in-staters. Anyway my answer is that I am willing to wait a year if it means realizing my dreams

4

@jaw653 They do NOT use OOS to subsidize in-staters. CA taxpayers do! It’s not that OOSers pay more, it’s that in-staters pay less because the schools are supported by taxpayer dollars.

5

There is NO guarantee that you will receive that ROTC scholarship. NO GUARANTEE. You could wait the year…and not be able to attend UCLA anyway.

It’s a great school…but you have other very affordable acceptances…and at some great schools.

6

Now? Full ride…

7

Thanks to everyone. I think I knew the right answer I just needed someone else to tell me again. If anyone else has input, please feel free to reply

8

Full ride. I went to my second choice (full ride all the way up to COA, get a nice scholarship refund, stipend etc); best decision I ever made.

9

it’s a tough pill to swallow, but you are blessed to have other options, especially the bama option.

10

Alabama is a fantastic school! Take the full-ride from the school which showed you such a lot of love:)

11

Go to Alabama if it is the only affordable option.

12

It isn’t a dream school if it is unaffordable. Go where you can afford to attend.

13

If you plan on majoring in something that pays immediate dividends (Computer Science, Engineering), go to UCLA because you can pay it back. Otherwise, go Alabama.

14

Engineering is the least tied to institutional prestige. Why go into debt when you can get the same starting salary after graduating from a fantastic engineering school (bama) on a full ride?

15

If a school is offering you a full ride,take it!!! Debt-free is the way to go.

16

Even for an engineering or CS major, the amount of debt mentioned by the OP (which would require parental cosigner) is too high to be realistic. It will severely constrain the graduate to chase the money at every career decision (which can come at a cost of career development or general freedom of choice in life) for a long time.

Also, engineering and CS tend to be less school-prestige-conscious than many other career directions.

Better for the OP to take the full ride or some other school that is affordable without parent loans or parent cosigned loans.

17

180k in loans would cost over 1800/month, every month, for ten years. No one should tell another kid to go into that based on a false concept of reality.

18

Only another kid would give that advice. No sane adult would.

19

<<<
you plan on majoring in something that pays immediate dividends (Computer Science, Engineering), go to UCLA because you can pay it bac
<<<<

The above quote must be from someone who is under age 22. It has to be from someone who doesnt really comprehend how much debt that is. An eng’g degree or a CS degree is NOT worth $180k in debt. It’s not even worth half that much debt.

No one is going to pay this new graduate more just because he went to UCLA, so the debt would not only be a waste, but it would be painful to payback.

This kind of scary advice is usually found in the Chances forum…an area that really needs some adult supervision.

20

Interesting that you’d be willing to go to those lengths to attend UCLA. I’m guessing that you have no idea how many students at University of Alabama come from Southern California. Some are on scholarship, but many are paying the full cost of attendance at UA . . . given the cost of attending a UC, even for people paying in-state tuition, full cost at UA is still a bargain! And their students would rather attend UA . . .

So, if you haven’t visited Bama, you should do so. It has a lot of advantages - not the least of which is being able to apply all your AP credits to your graduation requirements. (I don’t know what the policy is at the UC’s.) And, although you said you were admitted to UCLA, you didn’t indicate whether or not you were admitted for engineering. Regardless, chances are that course selection will go a lot more smoothly at UA, and you’ll easily be able to complete your degree in four years (and perhaps even a second degree!) . . . and there’s no such guarantee at UCLA.

I am wondering, though, about your “full ride” at Alabama - are you a National Merit Scholar?

P.S. You can still go to UCLA for grad school!