<p>Should i go to U of I and only have to pay 13,000 after scholarships, but i dont know if i really want to go there or go to Madison and still pay 32,000 after scholarships, but i really really really love it there! I think that the schools academically wise are about equal for my major of nuclear/plasma engineering. Any input would about these schools would be great, regarding academics, extracurriculars, campus appearance, classes, food, housing, etc. Thanks!</p>
<p>and those numbers are only the scholarships already granted directly from the school. I have applied for numerous other scholarships, more than $100,000 worth. I think I will win somewhere between 10,000 - 20,000 out of those maybe?</p>
<p>Personally, I chose to go to the school that I felt was the VERY BEST for me. I fell in love with the school and the atmosphere, and I applied without looking at the cost.</p>
<p>I think that overall, it comes down to which will weigh on you more; knowing that you could have enjoyed college more, or paying student debt?</p>
<p>You have absolutely no idea whether you’ll win a single dime of private scholarships - the likelihood that you’ll win as much as one-fifth of what you’ve applied for is extraordinarily slim. You are likely one of thousands of applicants to those scholarships. Furthermore, those scholarships are, for the most part, for ONE YEAR ONLY. They are not renewable beyond your freshman year.</p>
<p>Furthermore, you CANNOT borrow more than $5,500 your freshman year and $7,500 your senior year. Any loans beyond that have to be signed for by your parents. Are your parents willing to borrow that much money? If not, then $32,000 a year is not even an option. You won’t be able to do it, period.</p>
<p>If your parents do agree to borrow that much money… that will be $120,000 in debt after four years of school. Your monthly loan payment will be $1,400.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s right - if you even make $4,000 a month straight out of college, about half your after-tax income will go to paying off your student loans for the next decade.</p>
<p>Get your undergrad degree from the least expensive school that offers your major and a decent education. Save your $ for a name master degree school. 99% of the time no one cares for where you got your undergrad degree. Fit is overrated and school is what you make of it…</p>
<p>Iron Maiden said it perfectly. So often on this board we read about people who ended up not liking that perfect school. You can be happy wherever you choose to be happy.</p>
<p>I have applied for numerous other scholarships, more than $100,000 worth. I think I will win somewhere between 10,000 - 20,000 out of those maybe?</p>
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<p>It is doubtful that you will win anywhere close to that much. Students usually do not win 10-20% of the value of the scholarships that they apply to. </p>
<p>ALSO…did you read the fine print for those schollies? Very likely those are only for FROSH year. They won’t help you with years 2, 3, and 4. </p>
<p>Yes…you do have to be concerned about cost. What are your parents saying? If they’re not happy and willing to pay the extra cost for Madison, then that’s that. you can’t go to Madison without their financial assistance. YOU can’t borrow that much without your parents’ signing big loans (which would be crazy anyway).</p>
<p>There is a great tool for comparing aid packages at [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid) Run your current financial aid offers through this, and talk the results over with your family. That same website also has lots of good information about student loan pay-back schedules and financial aid in general. Take some time to read through it.</p>
<p>I went to a college that I knew was a good fit but ALSO offered me the most money. There were other colleges that were more prestigious, but would’ve cost me more money and left me in debt. I do not regret my choice. I am getting my PhD at an Ivy and my college prepared me very well for it, plus, I enjoyed my college experience a lot.</p>
<p>As a high school senior, “knowing that you could’ve enjoyed college more” seems like something that will be important to you as an adult - but honestly, it’s really not. I could’ve enjoyed college more, possibly. But I don’t really care. What’s important to me now, at 25 - only 4 years out of college - is 1) that I feel well-prepared for the field I want to enter and 2) that I have a very manageable amount of student loans from both undergrad and grad school. You WILL care more about paying student debt when you’re grown.</p>
<p>College is definitely what you make it. A sufficiently driven student can have fun at and excel from any school. But debt is debt. The only way to change it is to pay it off.</p>
<p>thank you guys so much! I was talking to teachers and friends at school, and I heard many similar things. And with either school I choose I know I will enjoy it, bc like said I can make the best out of anywhere I choose to go. And my parents have an awful history with credit… so they dont even qualify to sign for my loans… so thats out of the question lol. off to university of illinois for me thanks again!</p>
thanks again!</p>