My dream school is the University of Maryland, but I intend in going to law school after. Its double the price of a state school, but its the school that I really love and I want to major in political science and DC has tons of amazing internships. SUNY Binghamton is a lot cheaper but it is basically in the middle of no where, so not as many intern opportunities for poli sci. If I go to Binghamton my parents will help me pay for grad school, but I do not like Binghamton nearly as much as Maryland. Do I choose what will make me happiest or what will leave me in less debt? UGH
Wait til admission decisions and SARs are reported before making a decision.
just apply to both and weigh your financial aid amounts
If you attend Binghamton, you will still have opportunities to apply for summer internships in DC and other parts of the country. OOS schools will likely cost an additional $20K per year x 4, and $80K is a lot of money for most families. It makes a lot more sense to put those $$ to use for grad school.
You can study abroad along the way, too!
Law school is expensive, so you may want to consider saving money on undergraduate to reduce law school cost and debt.
But do you like SUNY at all? If you really don’t like it then don’t consider it all imo. Have you applied to other state schools?
Choose what will make your future self happy – less debt and help with grad school. Would you be commuting to Binghamton or dorming? If you can dorm, check the other SUNYs. SUNY Albany, New Paltz, and Stony Brook all have access to cities.
If your parents can pay ~$20k/year, you can also see if you qualify for enough merit anywhere to bring the net cost down to what they can afford. There’s a thread pinned to the top of the financial aid forum that lists schools that offer guaranteed merit. Check those out.
SUNY Binghamton is a fine school though. If you end up there, make the most of it.
A few comments:
–Agree there is no reason to decide until you get your acceptances and financial aid packages in hand. Keep in mind that many schools now have programs for students to spend a semester in DC – you can see if there is such a option at SUNY Binghamton.
–If you like the bigger school feel have you looked at SUNY Buffalo?
–Have you looked into other options where you might get merit aid to cover the gap between the cost of a SUNY school and a private or OOS school?
–If things work out as you expect, consider the trade-off of attending SUNY Binghamton undergrad so you have money for the law school of your choice down the road.
I went to Binghamton. I personally loved it there and found plenty of opportunities, but I’d look into what they offer for your field. I know a lot of pre-law people major in Philosophy, Politics, and Law (PPL). Many double major in PPL and poli sci. There is a SUNY semester in Washington opportunity: http://www.brockportabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10160