Georgetown v. American for IR, money is a consideration

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello! I was fortunate to get into both schools, but I'm torn between the two. For a long time, Georgetown was my dream school, but I gave it up because I thought I had no hope of getting in, and turned my focus to American. I really love DC and will pursue internships and the sort. </p>

<p>Gtown is the superior school - its SFS is world-renowned, the university itself is higher ranked and better regarded, its professors are higher ranked, the name appeal, it's a smaller university, to name a few. However, I am concerned about a cutthroat atmosphere at SFS, I have doubts about being "smart" enough to succeed, and the price. </p>

<p>Gtown would cost $70,000 per year, as I do not qualify for financial aid. This includes tuition, room and board, flights, books, cold weather clothes (coming from Hawaii) and the like. I received a $15,000 merit scholarship from American, so the yearly cost is $46,000. </p>

<p>My parents are generally vague, and they have not given me a definite answer about affordability - some days they're sure we can afford Gtown, other days we can't. </p>

<p>Do I pay the full price for Georgetown and give up a merit scholarship? Or do I go to American, which is not as "impressive" and renowned, but is more affordable? </p>

<p>Thank you! </p>

2

<p>I think this is a matter to discuss with your parents, to be honest. Have a conversation with them about what needs to be done if you want to realistically pay Georgetown. If you haven’t already, try to get an idea of what they’ve saved for college. If it’s not in the 180k+ ball-park, you’re going to have a very, very hard time paying for Georgetown. </p>

<p>You shouldn’t be taking out loans above around 30k in total. </p>