<p>Just for discussion:</p>
<p>School A: Michigan State University
School B: oh, we'll say University of Illinois</p>
<p>If you had to choose between 30K in debt at Illinois, a school you wanted to go to, was better in your major, and had better prestige (slightly), or stay in-state at your school, and graduate debt free, what would you do?</p>
<p>We'll also throw in the fact that you want to go to graduate school (Business or Law) and your starting salary is only going to be about 25K.</p>
<p>I would choose instate, unless I absolutely found it a poor fit. My son is at an OOS public b/c we thought that our flagship was just a poor fit for him (classes are too large and impersonal, too many classes with midterm/final/paper only, not a good chance of gaining a spot for his major, and generally way too big). Our instate flagship is so expensive that the difference in price was not as great as what you are facing. He won't graduate with 30,000 in loans, so the decision was easier for us.</p>
<p>If you are looking at grad school, I would really consider taking the debt free route for undergraduate school.</p>
<p>where do you want to work?</p>
<p>an UofI degree probably holds no extra weight</p>
<p>Based on your post, go the debt-free route.</p>
<p>what do you want to study? If it is engineering UIUC is quite good.</p>
<p>depends on the fit it is for your student and as much as the person hates to admit it the name. If they want to work after finishing college, it is probly better to go to a big name public like one of the top UC's or a Michigan or Virginia. If they plan on going to grad school, the goal is to get a solid undergrad education without problems (ie crappy education or debt). Look up also how much attention is paid to undergrads or does the university only take undergrads to boost grad rankings and money. If you want more advice give us the two schools and the prospective major and most importantly what you want in a school (size, clubs,....)</p>
<p>In this hypothetical situation, I want to study business, where Illinois ranks higher than MSU, but not significantly higher. I also want to go to Illinois, as I like the environment much better. I want to study Finance.</p>
<p>the fact that the environment is much better for you is significant. youll be somewhere you enjoy more making you happy. thats part of what college is about and its a once in a lifetime thing. go there ebcause of that. the fact that tis higher in the rankings for undergrad matters very little but you can consider it a bonus</p>
<p>30 k in debt is not that high.</p>
<p>30K debt for what most would consider comparable schools? I don't know...you'd have to really like something special about school B in my opinion...</p>
<p>30K is alot to go in debt for an OOS School. I am at an OOS school (WVU) and it looks as though I will be graduating debt free. However, I do commute so the expense of room and board are more or less gone. My parents help me alot in that department since I am still living at home. I pay my own gas and car expenses. I can't imagine having a $30K bill after college!</p>
<p>I could have went to my choice in state school and had a $30K debt, go figure! Penn State didn't offer much compared to everything offered at WVU. WVU gave me a OOS merit scholarship (waiver) of $8,000 right off the top ~ four years!</p>
<p>If you are choosing between pretty much comparable schools, as MSU & U of I would be, I would opt for MSU. If the two schools are more different than the two you cited, you have to look at other things (like fit, class size, campus size, etc.). However, I happen to think $30k debt is a lot!! My daughter is currently deciding between several colleges, and the cost differential between them is a major factor. One of her choices is a very selective, well-known school --- and it would cost us more than any of the others she likes. She'd love to go there. However, she also likes her other choices, and they cost less. The more expensive school just isn't worth it to her. Of course, she is looking at the cost of school beyond undergrad --- which most students today should do. Even if you can handle $30k debt, that probably would keep you from going to grad or professional school. I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. Weigh all the factors, and come up with the decision that you feel good about.</p>
<p>MSU. Can't think of any reason to go $30 k into debt for a comparable school.</p>
<p>Treat the 30k as if you had to come up with it and then pay for post grad. If it still makes sense fine. Some people don't see debt as a problem others do. Looking at a starting wage of 25k, and the additional costs of post grad, I'd lean towards the free ride and excell at what they offer. If you're a good student, you're a good student and it will show up.</p>
<p>30 k in debt is HUGE for someone only expecting to make 25K after graduation and expecting to go on to graduate school (accumulating more debt).</p>
<p>pihiplyr13, I'm curious, which ratings did you see UI ranked higher than MSU in business? If I recall, I've seen ratings go both ways; they're really very close. I know UI is very strong in accounting, if memory serves, but MSU is right there. Sometimes, some raters short change MSU because it's MBA program is so small -- purposely so (only about 200 FT students), but overall, the Broad school is just a hair lower than the big boys (Wharton, Michigan, Stanford, Harvard, etc...) although the latter 2, I don't believe, have undergrad biz degree programs as does MSU.</p>
<p>How does financial aid work for grad school? I am under the impression that one is independant for graduate school and one gets mostly loans (no grants) for graduate school (unless in a degree program where one could be a TA). If you figure 30,000 in loans for just one year of graduate school (multiply that by 2 if a masters takes 2 years) and then add on the 30,000 from undergraduate school.......WOW, that is amazing debt before beginning life in the working world! That amount of money represents 3-4 new cars, or a substantial downpayment on a wonderful home, etc.!</p>