<p>For a while, my dream school has been Georgetown. My parents have always been very skeptical since the cost is so high. Since we are middle class, the amount of financial aid I would receive would be very low. We live in Maryland, so I would qualify for in-state tuition at UMD. Regardless of my grades/stats, would it be better to go to UMD debt free or Georgetown and owe a ton of money? (I need to know weather or not to apply to UMD early decision)
Thanks!
(Sorry, I'm new to CC so I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this thread!)</p>
<p>I think it comes down to a variety of factors:</p>
<p>1) What career you want to pursue? For example, if you wanted to do finance, then the debt is worth it and Georgetown over UMD any day. But if you wanted to be pre-med for example, a good GPA and MCATs at UMD will get you into good med schools as well as Georgetown.</p>
<p>2) How much debt will you be in? If you’re talking about less than $100,000, I think it’s worth it (for the record, I just made up a figure I would be comfortable with, but you figure if you pay $10,000 per year, that’s 10 years worth of debt on education alone).</p>
<p>3) Given your situation, I would not apply UMD ED, just because its binding. If you can get into Georgetown, then you have a decent shot at a lot of good schools with good financial aid (and you should see what Georgetown gives you anyways). Not sure if you only get full ride at UMD if you apply ED, but if that’s not the case, you’re better off applying ED or EA somewhere else.</p>
<p>Georgetown meets full need so the financial aid package should be substantial. UMD may still be cheaper but I would run the numbers before I assume that you will “owe a ton of money” at the end.</p>