Dream School VS Affordable School

<p>I need advice in making one of the most difficult choices of my life !!!
I got accepted to both University of Michigan and Barnard. UMich offered me a full ride for the first year, no loans… However if I attend Barnard I’m looking at around $4,000-$5,000 per year in loans and I would have to work. Barnard is absolutely my DREAM SCHOOL, but I really do like UMich… I can’t decide between the two !!! I feel like Barnard would provide me with more opportunities, but is it worth the student loan debt ? I come from a very low-income family so paying back the loans will fall solely upon me and I am considering grad school. OPINIONS? HELP?</p>

<p>Sincerely,
A confused student :(</p>

<p>What does U of M offer after that first year? What field of study do you hope to focus upon? What are employment opportunities and salary range like for that field? These are all things to consider…</p>

<p>U of M and Barnard are both outstanding choices. Congrats to you and good luck in your decision.</p>

<p>@churchmusicm If my financial situation doesn’t change drastically then I would assume that UMich would offer me the same amount of money for the next three years, although I am not positive. I plan on majoring in Biology with hopes of going to veterinary school, but I am also interested in business. & Thank you (:</p>

<p>OzzieBee, no one can tell you what you should do, but the realistic (or conservative) side of me wants to recommend the U of Michigan route unless you’re certain you’d regret it, which doesn’t seem to be the case. Michigan is highly thought of, and I’m sure it would prepare you for vet school and be a reliable springboard to it, while giving you the full big school experience. Barnard is a great school, but a lot of people have never heard of it. My daughter is a freshman there, and happily so, but if her grandparents weren’t able to provide substantial support for her college expenses, she wouldn’t be. I can’t see turning down a full ride. Peace of mind is a beautiful thing. You are obviously a very good student, likely to excel wherever you go. If you end up feeling you really have to go to Barnard, then go. You’re only young once. But debt can drag you down for a long time… Good luck!</p>

<p>Ah, vet school and/or a post-grad business degree are likely NOT to be free-rides. So, yes, if you are pretty sure the U Mich financial aid will continue during those undergrad years, the wise thing might be to go there. It’s a wonderful school!</p>

<p>HOWEVER, this statement:

is one I’d take with a huge grain of salt. People that matter in any applications to post-graduate study WILL be familiar with Barnard and aware of how excellent it is. I am absolutely certain that my D was admitted to her dream PhD program (and several other highly regarded ones) BECAUSE she went to Barnard. And I had never heard of the school before the end of her Junior year in HS. It’s true that a lot of my friends are not familiar with Barnard, but they are not in the business of deciding my daughter’s future. The ones that WILL be deciding yours when you apply to Vet schools or business schools certainly will know and recognize the value of that Barnard degree.</p>

<p>Churchmusicmom, I think you’re actually agreeing with me that a lot of people have never heard of Barnard. Though I can see how I might have given that impression, I didn’t mean to imply graduate school admissions people weren’t familiar with Barnard. They recognize that it’s a great school, as I do. What I had in mind is that there are a lot of potential employers that would need to be educated about Barnard, but who would immediately be impressed by an honors degree from U of Michigan. There’s more to the world than academia and professional schools, and the graduate schools are not going to look down on a degree from Michigan.</p>

<p>My daughter had the same exact choice although the difference in financial aid packages was not as significant. Because of the types of careers that interest her (journalism, editing/publishing, politics, etc.), NYC made sense for the opportunities available there that aren’t available in Ann Arbor. However, with a goal to go to vet school, and the significant difference in financial aid, I would advocate for U of M. </p>

<p>It’s funny that notakid brought up name recognition. When my daughter and her friend (who is at U of M) were asked by a peer where they were going to college, my daughter said “Barnard” and had to explain it. Her friend said “Michigan” and the peer got wide eyed and said “You got into Michigan? Wow!” </p>

<p>With such great financial aid from U of M, I imagine you are in state. We have found that we are spending much more on plane tickets back and forth from NYC than anticipated so that is another cost to consider too. At Thanksgiving, the cheapest ticket I could get for her was $586. For spring break, (not over the holidays), it was only $169. At Christmas, right after finals, it was around $480. The prices vary significantly by the time of year and it is a larger expense than we thought it would be because of that. There are other ways to get home, but they take a LONG time. The train from NYC to Toledo is about 15 hours. The Mega Bus takes almost as long. That is ok for longer breaks, but not for Thanksgiving. </p>

<p>Michigan is a great school!</p>

<p>OzieBee, I followed your posts from the Michigan board. I am an alumnus of Michigan. My daughter is student at Michigan. We are residents of Michigan and my income doesn’t qualify us for financial aid. When we looked at colleges, I told my daughter that if she was interested in going to a private school versus instate tuition at Michigan that there would have to be a compelling reason to make that choice. We were very impressed with our visit to Barnard and thought that Barnard offered a compelling alternative because (1) we were very impressed with the Barnard students and alumni we met, (2) as a young woman, Barnard is designed to advance the interests of assertive and intelligent young women, (3) the relationship with Columbia offers a co-ed environment that isn’t available at other women’s colleges and resources that are available at smaller colleges, and (4) the location in New York offers opportunities not available in other locations. As an example, look at the video where the history class is taking place on a sailboat on the Hudson River. She was waitlisted at Barnard and ultimately not admitted so she was never in a position where she had a choice to make but it would have been a tough choice.</p>

<p>No matter which choice you pursue, you are going to face financial pressure. For example, I presume you full ride to Michigan does not include football tickets and other expenses you will face. At both schools you are going to be surrounded by students from affluent families who will not face these constraints and will choose to take cabs because they think it is too cold to walk. You seem to have the personality that will not let you be deterred by this and I suspect you will find success at either school.</p>

<p>If Barnard is prepared to pay for you to visit, I would recommend going on the visit and then reflecting on your choice. There isn’t a right choice or a wrong choice but I would go with your heart. If Barnard is truly a dream and you are talented as both of these schools seem to think you are, I would think hard before you toss your dream away.</p>

<p>I also suspect that if you go Barnard and it isn’t what you expect, you could transfer to Michigan. If your aid package is based on EFC, it may still be available then.</p>

<p>As I said on another thread, there is not a school in the US that would haven my D what she gained at Barnard. The combination of nurturing, feminist LAC and strong coed research institution is unique. She was on FA, and it wasn’t our least expensive option.</p>

<p>For her, it was the right choice and she is in a fully funded PhD program now. She claims that for her that wouldn’t have been possible without Barnard.</p>

<p>But everyone is different. It might not be the right choice for you. Only you can evaluate the variables involved.</p>

<p>Michigan is a great school.</p>

<p>PM me with any questions if you have any.</p>

<p>Good luck with your journey whichever decision you make.</p>