GW [$18.3k] vs. Richmond [$27.9k] vs. NC State [$3.5k+ or $18k] vs. Emory (Oxford) [$23.4k] for Psychology [costs in addition to $5.5k direct loan]

College Search & Selection
1

Need some advice.

My daughter was accepted to many great schools - her top in mind are George Washington, University of Richmond, NC State, and Emory (Oxford first 2 years with transition to main campus Junior year). I am so confused about priorities. She wants to study Pscyhology with the aim of becoming a clinical psychologist so grad school is on the horizon. We are not sure if prestige for undergrad is as important as we once thought. She wants to go to Emory (we think it is the hype from her classmates and that ranking and prestige is behind this - she also wants to leave home/her comfort zone).

Money: We are well-to-do but still don’t want to pay too much if we don’t have to. We went through the Financial Aid application on the late side but are not expecting very much (I think it is something like $5,500). My husband’s employer will cover up to $45,000/yr in tuition only (no housing or other expenses) after we pay a $7,500 deductible for any school as long as it is not in-state public which they will cover nothing for (because our instate options cost as much as deductible pretty much).

Her options with their associated costs (not including books, fees, transportation just tuition, room and board) and also assuming $5,500 loan that we think she should chip in with to have some skin in the game are:

  1. NC State. She can go local here to NC State for $3,553-$18,000 depending on whether she lives on campus or not (we are in close proximity so she does not have to live on campus), employee benefit DOES NOT cover in-state public so will pay between $3,553/year (at home) OR $18,000 (on campus) /year. Most likely will be $18,000/year I don’t think she will be ok with living at home.

  2. George Washington. GW has offered her a presidential scholarship for $20,000 per year for up to five years and her brother already goes there so we will not be paying extra for housing since they can live together, plus with husband’s employee benefit, it will cover all expenses outside of a $7,500/year deductible for that benefit. Total cost per year with her half in housing will be approximately $18,300 / year.

  3. Emory. We will pay whatever is left of cost after the $45,000 employee benefit. We did the financial aid process a bit late so are waiting on that but are not expecting scholarships. I don’t know how I feel about the first two years at Oxford, I visited last year with my son and he liked it and she seems to not mind so far. Total cost is expected to be about $23,400/year.

  4. University of Richmond. We will pay whatever is left of cost after the $45,000 employee benefit. Total cost is $27,890/year.

She is waitlisted at Davidson and UNC-CH but we are not holding our breath for either of those - UNC will probably cost similar to NC State, and Davidson similar to Richmond.

Please advise!

2

Where does she want to go? And does she want to live with her brother?

1 Like
3

$5500 is the loan - everyone gets.

So are you full pay at all?

With the employer covering up to $45K in tuition - you have much of the privates licked.

NC State - a no go - that you say she can live at home is enough for me. College is not about simply going to school - it’s about growth.

So you have GW at 18K, Emory at $23K and Richmond at $28K.

All three are different - has she been to all?

GW has no campus - to me - and just got a dining hall this year.

Richmond and Emory are quite different.

Which did she prefer.

Yes, forget the WL - you can fill the LOCI but they’re unlikely. Davidson doesn’t post WL #s but schools typically add multiples of the amount they admit and let off zero to a handfull.

UNC, as an example, enrolled 4425 but put over 7200 on the WL. Now in fairness and maybe because they’re public, 383 did get off. That won’t be the case at Davidson where even 3 getting off would likely be a lot.

Assuming they’re affordable - I say you go to where she wants:

  1. GW uber urban - my daughter likes urban but hated it - left the tour.

  2. Richmond - LAC like - there four years - but near a city.

  3. Oxford - two years - it’s literally in no where land and then you change schools and have to integrate - but you do have your Oxford peeps to move over with. We asked about integration on our tour and they said terrible but that was 4 years ago and on the CC here, people have good things to say about Oxford.

They are vastly different. If money is ok for all three, choose the best fit - all are fine names and it won’t matter for pre-med.

The other thing - see what types of extras they have for pre med. Shadowing opps or other enrichment.

And if you can afford it, forget the loan - or make her pay you back but don’t borrow - interest, fees - if you don’t need to, it’s not worth doing.

Good luck.

3 Likes
4

Since all are affordable I’d let your D choose.

FWIW I think having your D live with her older brother to save on costs is a terrible idea. She needs to forge her own path even if her sibling is already at the college.

And what a generous employer your H has.

8 Likes
5

She wants to go to Emory most so far but is also confused about financials and what should her priorities be - she is only 17 and this is a tremendous decision so we are trying to help her out. She does not mind living with her brother but would rather room in a dorm for sure - it would be in a building on campus but not a dorm if she was with her brother. They are very close and would be excited about it but I think deep down she would prefer to room in a dorm.

6

Thank you for your thoughts. I think by “full pay” I mean monies we will have to pay out of pocket or pay back - no scholarship/grant other than employee benefit which is a benefit that my husband worked for. About the loan - I see your point but doubt my daughter would actually pay us back or that her father would accept it back. She has been to GW and Richmond and liked them both for different reasons. She seems to prefer Richmond over GW after visiting. As it stands, she prefers Emory over all for its name and thinks it is worth being on a smaller campus where she will make close friends to get to graduate from Emory - we will visit end of April.

2 Likes
7

Thanks for your input. They are best friends and are one year difference - practically twins so this was an exciting point for both of them but maybe it is time to split them up. His first year at college away from her has been tough for both of them but there has been so much growth on his part so I can see the point about living away and alone being beneficial for sure.

8

Don’t just visit Emory which she’ll love. It’s gorgeous. But Oxford 40 mins away because that’s two years worth. And if she goes abroad junior year more than half her education.

She seems to like it for rank and that’s great bcuz it’s affordable and will be great pre med.

But she needs to like it for the school. Rank is forgotten the minute you walk on campus.

Freshman should be in a dorm. Not with her family member in a private place. Or at home.

Let us know what she thinks.

And check their pre med advising.

https://prehealth.richmond.edu/prospective-students/acceptance.html

https://prehealth.emory.edu/explore/medicine.html

1 Like
9

FWIW my brother went to the same college I attended. We did see one another but IMO (and I’m sure in his as well) it was important for my brother have his own experience at the school.

3 Likes
10

My sister and I - 1 year difference - went to the same college and lived together off campus. We had a blast - best days ever. However, maybe sister-sister relationship would be different.

1 Like
11

We are visiting both campuses so she knows what she will experience. We have good friends that their son went through both campuses (currently a Junior on main campus) and has so much good to say about both experiences so far and for his own experience - would not have done it any other way. My daughter has only been in small school settings - private schools through high school and now in a charter school with 45 kids per high school class - even the around 900 kids at Oxford could be overwhelming. Maybe this will be a good intro for her to a larger campus? That was one of the pluses of the University of Richmond - but Richmond as a city is more appealing than Oxford’s location in my opinion. I think a visit will shed a lot of light on all of this.

6 Likes
12

FWIW my son has also been accepted to Emory with the Oxford start. We are going to preview day this weekend. We haven’t visited Oxford except the virtual tours, but we did tour Emory last spring. However before he checked the ‘interested in Oxford too’ box we did some digging and watched a few student posts (not just the ones done by admissions) and he thought it looked promising. Oxford campus seems to have several fun traditions. Both campuses seem very diverse which he was hoping for in a college experience. With Emory’s strong academic reputation he is actually looking forward to being on the smaller campus; we think there will be better support not just from professors but also peers in the 2nd. year class. As much as he thought he wanted to be in Atlanta with all it has to offer off campus, he sees merit in starting college with less distractions.

2 Likes
13

I had visited the campus the year prior with her brother so I knew it was not a terrible place to be - and could actually be an amazing experience - but I don’t think it is for everyone. Maybe if the surrounding city was more interesting there would be more hype. The campus itself is cute and cozy and I felt like there were a lot of opportunities for someone to come out of their shell in this kind of smaller environment. My daughter is shy and has always been in schools with entire grades being less than 50 kids (most of the time less than 20) - so it feels like a good stepping stone to something larger. I don’t know how she will feel about the rural surroundings though. Our friends whose son attended Oxford did not have a car and that could help in not being exposed to that rural setting. Also, they spoke often and highly about the shuttle system that gave them access to the Atlanta campus. He had a great experience. We will be visiting closer to the end of the month.

3 Likes
14

I see no problem with her living with her brother if she wants to do that. If they are close and get along well and are friends I don’t see the difference between rooming with a friend. It could be great.

I also see no problem with y’all living in Raleigh and her going to NC State. A lot of people do that. It’s a great school. I live in Chapel Hill and there are a LOT of kids from here that go to UNC. Most of the ones I know do live on campus and have their own thing separate from mom and dad.

But if she likes Emory and it works out for y’all financially and is strong in her major then that could be good.

I would not discount GW, though. The transition to college can be tough and having her brother around might really help.

3 Likes
15

The issue could potentially become that you don’t integrate in the school. You’re not on a dorm floor with a roommate and with others.

Same with living at home. College is about more than attending class.

It can be done but would be much harder to integrate in these scenarios. Study groups, meals with friends, hi jinx at midnight etc.

2 Likes
16

What I am appreciating about the responses is no one has jumped out and said Emory is the way to go because it is ranked significantly higher. Unfortunately the group of friends that surround my daughter and surround me personally place too much stock on ranking and feel that bigger names leave you set for life. Neither my husband and I went to a big name college and are doing really well so I don’t know if I necessarily believe that but the constant buzzing in our and her ears about this is making the decision very difficult. We don’t know if ranking and prestige should be one of the factors we are considering when determining the correct or right “fit.” She is not going to be pre-med she is going to be studying psychology and will be applying to graduate programs in psychology so that she can eventually become a clinical psychologist. My understanding, since I am not in the field, is that this would require a Master’s in psychology after undergrad or a psych-D / PhD. I wonder if prestige of University matters when you are applying to those graduate programs?

1 Like
17

For almost all graduate programs, the only thing that matters is undergraduate gpa, scores on relevant standardized tests, and in some cases, extracurriculars/research. I don’t think she will be disadvantaged with graduate schools by any of your 4 options.

3 Likes
18

Have you been to a therapist or clinical psychologist or LSW or any sort of mental health counselor?

If yes, do you know where they went to school?

I can ask that question for any type of medical professional - not just mental health.

The only medical professional that I know where they went to school is my dentist - because he’s always doing the pig sooey - yes, he went to Arkansas.

Going to Emory doesn’t deem you a success in life - no different than going to UNC Pembroke doesn’t make you destined for mediocrity.

Will the academic profile of admittees at Emory be higher than the rest of this list - yes - but you will have brilliants at all four - and successes and non-successes at all four.

And all four have prestige in their own way.

But psych is one of those majors, in my opinion, the where matters much less.

Good luck - I hope she goes to the best school for her and not her friends.

4 Likes
19

But the other schools you mentioned are all really good schools too. It’s not like you are comparing Emory to a for profit Podunk U. NC State is a really good school, GW and Richmond are too.

2 Likes
20

I am an alum of Emory and my son is in his third year there now. He started at Oxford - I did all four in Atlanta. 30 years ago Oxford was a cul-de-sac today it looks a lot like Emory then. If I were to go now starting at Oxford would be more my speed. It was what my son wanted. Smaller campus, easier to meet faculty, easier to transition. He did not have a car and didn’t need it for his wants. He rarely went to the Atlanta campus and was very active at Oxford. Stating that in the pandemic year my parents (live in Dunwoody) would sometimes grab him and take him around but that was because of Covid not because of Oxford.

He is a psychology major (earning the BS) and is double majoring in music composition. He is on track to graduate and is currently investigating the process to getting his PhD in clinical psychology. The one thing his advisors keep reminding him is to make sure to have research under his belt (he has some and is attempting to get an internship).

He has absolutely loved both campuses and is thrilled that for two years he went to an LAC and now is at a research institution. Best of both worlds is what was said at his Oxford Commencement.

As for prestige - it doesn’t matter. What matters is finding a campus that is the right fit academically, socially, financially etc. you want to succeed and be an active member of whatever community you attend.

My son has a good friend that went to FIU here in Miami. Why? Wasn’t ready to leave home and it was free. What did she major in? Psychology. What is she doing right now? Applying for a PhD program?

Do they both have a chance of getting into a program? Yes! Will it matter where the undergrad is? Not really. It’s the research, academics, and ability to explain why that will help them and then a little luck. PhD programs are very small. Most are research based so finding a true patient driven program can be even harder.

You mentioned a masters degree - can you apply to a masters program - of course. Will that be enough - no. When you go to get a PhD or PsyD (it really doesn’t matter there for patient care but for research maybe) you also do the masters work. So keep that in mind.

Oh and as an fyi - I majored in biology and religion (BS) and went on to get 4 masters elsewhere. One is in social work so I have wired hand and hand with lots of psychologists. Their PhDs came from all different level of institutions (if you go by ranking) and all different undergraduate locals too. They were all successful. Prestige doesn’t matter in real world application.

8 Likes