Harvard or Free Ride?

<p>Well, I haven’t even been accepted at Harvard yet, but this is supposing I am. I’m trying to decide if I should take Harvard, or take a full ride at U. Pitt. Honors College, which i’ve already received. My parents will pay for four years of school, so if I go to harvard that’ll be it and then i’ll have to take out loans for med. school, which will put me like a quarter of a million in debt. If i go to pitt. then parents will cover med school and i graduate with about 0 dollars in debt. But then again, it’s Harvard. I live right between the two schools so distance isn’t an issue. Also, if I went to harvard i’d be nothing special, and probably would have a tough time being in the top quarter or maybe even top half of the class, wheras at pitt i should be in like the top percent. People will care about me and i’ll be something special. I can’t decide which is better. Please help!</p>

<p>Take the full ride! I'm applying to a few schools that I could get a full ride to, and if I do and also get into harvard, I would definitely take the full rides.</p>

<p>I'd take Harvard undergrad.</p>

<p>If it were any other ivy league, I would take the full ride, but for HYP, I def wont</p>

<p>Please elaborate, Dr. Sedrish...</p>

<p>I've got the same thing with 2 other schools, but if I got in to Harvard I would rather go there. Ultimately, it rests on my parents and whether or not Harvard gave me financial aid if I got in. Since you said travel isn't an issue, id stick with Harvard.</p>

<p>if i were accepted, harvard would be a full ride. so i guess that's killing 2 birds with one HUGE stone!</p>

<p>I've already got a full to University of South Carolina...probably take that to USC Honors
If I get into Harvard, it'll be full ride because of financial aid initiative
I would take the full ride to Pitt Honors if that is where your heart is
If it is at Harvard...</p>

<p>well, i would definitely not qualify for any financial aid at harvard. My parents could afford to send me to harvard and med school, it's just that they think i need to learn to take responsibility for my own life at some point and basically be poor because they both were extremely poor growing up and started their marriage out extremely poor.</p>

<p>In that case, go where you prefer. You will have a great education and learn financial responsibility either way.</p>

<p>how about we decide these things AFTER we get an acceptance letter from harvard.</p>

<p>I think in the long run, a Harvard degree is probably going to more than pay off the tuition price in increased salary opportunity, if you want jobs with higher earnings badly enough. Plus Harvard undergrad gives you a much better shot at top grad schools.</p>

<p>Harvard will give you a finaid package that is humane. So while a free ride beats paying anything, you are paying a small price to get a collegiate experience that cannot be duplicated. Whatever else happens to you in life, whether you end up rich or homeless, you went to Harvard. Bird-brained as that may sound now, you'll fully appreciate it later in life.</p>

<p>LOL... your parents can afford to send you to Harvard, so what's there to worry about? If you want to learn to take financial responsibility, you'll learn it soon enough wherever you go. Since money is not a problem, it seems nothing can prevent you from going to Harvard except your fate (and stats). Dilemma? I don't see any. :)</p>

<p>^^ that makes sense. HYPS is the best choice if u can get in</p>

<p>I'm going to be a surgeon (not want to, going to!) and so I'm trying to decide if it would look better for a med school if i was like top percent at pitt or bottom quarter at harvard. I really can't decide which would be better. I also don't think that a harvard degree will mean that i'll get paid more as a doctor than a pitt degree would, that'll depend on my med school. And besides, i really don't care how much money i make so long as i'm a surgeon. It might be an interesting life lesson though to be a poor med school student with tons of debt and stressed out and then get out of there and make it all up ten fold in a couple of years. I don't know, i'm really confused.</p>

<p>What would you think I should do if I get into my other schools (being U. of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins)?</p>

<p>What makes you think you'll be at the bottom of Harvard's pile? If you're good enough to get in, you've already got enough talent or work ethic to succeed.</p>

<p>I'm just supposing. I don't think i'd be in the bottom pile at harvard, i just want to be precautionary because i know that possibilities still there. I've always been able to just push myself further to get an A though so i think i'll be ok. Hopefully.</p>

<p>dude if u dont get into harvard then all your problems are solved lol...</p>