<p>I would really appreciate any tips because this is a decision I am having an extremely hard time making.</p>
<p>I was awarded the stamps foundation scholarship at the university of Washington, which covers tuition, room and board, books, and potentially a semester abroad. I was admitted to several other schools, but Harvard is the only one that has me doubting going to UW</p>
<p>Currently, I plan to go to law school after my undergrad studies, and maybe do a dual degree program and get my MPP as well. After the financial aid award at Harvard, my cost would be about 20,000 a year.</p>
<p>I guess my main questions are if where you go for your undergrad matters once you're into law school, and if Harvard is truly worth the extra money. My parents are divorced, and their financial situations are rather complicated. My father, who was making quite a bit (but whom I do not live with) was laid off months ago and is near declaring bankruptcy. However, due to his navy pension and income prior to loss of employment, my finances seem more stable on paper. A big concern is that if I attend Harvard and take out the loans for the first year, I may not be able to continue to do so for the years to follow.</p>
<p>Call the Harvard financial aid office (617-495-1581) to discuss your current financial situation. If your FAFSA, IDOC , etc do not reflect your father’s job loss then they may work with you to see if it justifies adjusting the offer. At the end of the day, they do want you to attend. </p>
<p>I am not saying which school you should attend, only that you should make sure all of the cards are on the table so that you make an informed decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>A number of students face this type of decision every year, including the daughter of curmudgeon. She chose a full-ride over Yale, and subsequently was admitted to med school at Yale. For details about that family’s decisionmaking process, send curmudgeon a PM.</p>
<p>If you cannot get reasonable assurance from the Harvard financial aid office that you won’t be forced to drop out due to unstable family finances, then the safer thing to do would be to take the full ride at Washington, assuming that it does not have any extremely difficult conditions to renew the scholarship every year. Of course, some people may be willing to take the risk because of potentially greater rewards of going to Harvard (though such potentially greater rewards and their value to you depend on your major and post-graduation goals – if you are interested in working at elite investment banking and consulting firms, Harvard would be a significant recruiting advantage, but the advantage is much less so for other post-graduation goals, such as working as an engineer).</p>
<p>No. Research shows that those who are admitted (but enroll elsewhere) to prestigious schools end up with the same earning power as those who enroll. You will do well well in life wherever you go, assuming you work really hard, which is probably second nature to you.</p>
<p>IN GENERAL, research shows that going to a more prestigious school means little in long-term earning power, and even less so if the higher cost of attending is factored in. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, the research also shows that attending one of the top 1% or 2% of colleges (as ranked by selectivity) DOES confer an advantage in gaining admission to law, medical, and graduate business programs.</p>
<p>If Harvard is not giving you substantial aid, your parents must have significant income and assets. How much can they contribute?</p>
<p>I know many here will tell you undergrad doesn’t matter. I respectfully disagree. As a Harvard grad I can tell you that the contacts you make there will help you enormously throughout your career. You can get into a top law school from UW, but you will not be meeting, in great numbers, those who will run the top law firms, be Supreme Court judges and international leaders. If you can, go to Harvard.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, the research also shows that attending one of the top 1% or 2% of colleges (as ranked by selectivity) DOES confer an advantage in gaining admission to law, medical, and graduate business programs.</p>
<p>Some differences in circumstances facing the OP and my kid.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>$80K and <a significantly="" larger="" number=""></a></p></li><a significantly="" larger="" number="">
<li><p>Law school and med school. IMO, law school pedigree matters more in big law. May well be more of a closed-shop. Big practicing med (as opposed to “academic med” that my kid wants) is more about your residency and fellowship than your med school. </p></li>
<li><p>Mid-sized research U vs. state flagship / mid-sized research U vs tiny LAC that she loved after 4 visits and a scholarship weekend. </p></li>
<li><p>And probably the most compelling clue that something is a bit different here, that MPP. Government is one area that UG pedigree helps significantly. </p></li>
</a></ol><a significantly="" larger="" number="">
<p>Remember folks, one size doesn’t fit all… tweak a variable or two and you might very well get a different result. </p>
<p>It’s not all about the Benjamin’s. But, admittedly, $80K is a lot of Benjamin’s. </p>
<p>And, yeah. My kid made the right choice for UG for who she was at the time and then made the right choice for med school for who she became at Rhodes College. It’s been amazing to watch. ;)</p>
</a>
<p>You’re looking to go to grad school which is going to cost you even more money. It seems that appeal of Harvard is the intangibles. I only skimmed annasdad’s reference but I think it’s basically saying attending more selective colleges there is some small difference, less than 2 to 4%, in life-time earnings. The interesting thing is that at least one significant measurement of selectivity is test scores. This is why there are studies supporting what snarlatron is saying. By being accepted into this UW program, you already have met these selectivity requirements. Therefore, it’s likely that you’ll get accepted into the same law schools going to UW as you would going to Harvard. If you attend UW, you’ll do it without undergraduate debt. </p>
<p>The choices represent two very different experiences. Even if you make the assumption that Harvard is the superior experience, is the difference worth $80,000? If someone told you that you would increase your chances of getting into the law school of your choice by 10% if you paid $80,000, would it be worth it? </p>
<p>Sorry you’re having a tough time with the decision but it’s a wonderful decision to have. Congratulations.</p>
<p>This is obviously a really important 4 years of your life and the professors and students who will inspire you and be your friends/colleagues are really crucial----they are simply going to be very different at these two schools. So it goes way beyond the question of whether you will get into the same law school from either undergrad institution. If at all possible, go to Harvard.</p>
<p>This is one of those decisions that pits a sound financial decision versus prestige/elite education. HEre are your choices: 1) An excellent education, solid university, no financial problems. 2) An excellent education, the cultural capital of going to Harvard, and financial challenges. </p>
<p>In terms of the actual education experience, I don’t think Harvard will necessarily offer a better education, though it probably has better resources in some areas and a good number of smaller classes. Oh yes, and a lot of students from the 1 percent. The big difference is in the cultural capital - a lot of people will assume you’re smart because you went to Harvard. And then there are the possible connections. The people I know who went to Harvard are always calling one another about jobs, etc. </p>
<p>In other words, if you want to be on the Supreme Court or have dreams of running for president of the World, go to Harvard.</p>
<p>Harvard. There is little doubt that the combination of a Crimson pigskin along with the benefits of Harvard’s grade inflation (much more prevalent there that at UW) will confer significant advantages when applying to top tier law schools. I’d consider the $80k a wise investment.</p>
<p>If manageable, Harvard is the way to go. If Harvard were at full cost or if the alternative were Cal or UVa, I would have recommended against Harvard. But with a delta of $80k over four years, I think Harvard over UDbu makes sense. </p>
<p>As suggested above, your father and you should contact the Harvard FA office to explain your financial situation further. You could get more shaved off your own contribution.</p>