Also wishing you the best of luck @keepyajessin. While you are disappointed, you have absolutely no reason to feel embarrassed. You got into an elite college, the finances didn’t work, and you have made a responsible decision by going to a fine college where you can graduate debt free and have many options open down the road. I do hope you get into Tech since that is what you want – please let us know. And FWIW my D’s friend turned down Cornell to attend Tech (with merit aid) and she never looked back – she absolutely loved her experience there.
keepyajessin, thanks for coming back to let us know how things are working out.You sound like a mature person and a motivated student. I bet your parents are extremely proud of you not only for your accomplishments, but also for your positive and realistic attitude. I had also been hoping that you could make it work at Penn because you wanted it so much… but it is hard to know how the economy will be in the future. You are wise to question that much debt.
Just a suggestion- Get a reliable but cheap used car and save the balance of what they would have paid for a “new” car for ancillary educational needs.
Finding a reliable but cheap used car is not always easy. I know several people who thought they were doing that only to find out they bought something of a money pit. Ended up costing them more than it would have to get a entry level new car. And that is without factoring in hassle, time in shop, etc.
If it works out, great. Just not always a sure thing.
If you have the drive and the excellence to get into Penn, you will do great at your new school! The people who have that are meant to be successful either way, and you may even get more opportunities presented to you because you stand out among the crowd rather than be of one of many. Take this as a new opportunity because you clearly have the chops to do great and with a resume that got you into Penn, you will have many doors open to you at your new school.
I think you should go for a choice which is better which is actually going to give you and your parents a better life, hope you have successful life ahead.
I’m sorry to hear about this, but I do hope all works out for you!! do not worry about the school you attend - good students can be successful anywhere. My brother attended a a top uni in my country, but it is incomparable to top colleges like Penn and Harvard. Yet, as of today my brother is working with many other colleagues who graduated from Stanford, MiT and other top schools. Don’t let your undergraduate education define you! life is so much more than that
if you get it checked out by a reliable mechanic before purchasing, you can avoid all sorts of headaches. Ditto if you buy for carvana, beepi or maybe buy a used rental. Those will be newer used cars and not as cheap as an older one, but there are plenty out there. I may be selling my car soon- very reliable and would prefer to sell privately than trade in. There are many more like me out there.
If I gave up Penn and my parents offered me a new car as a consolation, I would take the new car and say thank you.