Help Desperately Needed Finding a School :(

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey, so I'm having some really big trouble narrowing down where I want to go to college next year (I'm a senior in hs now).</p>

<p>My options are:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I have been accepted at Georgetown MSB, NYU Stern, Boston College CSOM Honors, and hopefully will get into Wharton on April 1. Some of my financial aid packages have come back $0. So my family will pay the full $200-250k to attend one of these schools, which my parents can luckily handle.</p></li>
<li><p>I have also been accepted at Ohio State (Fisher Honors) and Miami U (Farmer direct admit), which will run at about $40k total for 4 years after scholarships and everything.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>It seems like a no-brainer: go to Penn/Gtown/BC/NYU, right? Not so fast...</p>

<p>My parents have made a deal with me: there's $150k in my college fund - whatever is left after 4 years, they give to me tax-free (using the parent-to-kid gift tax loophole).</p>

<p>So I can go to Ivy/Private and come out with nothing and possibly some loans.... or I can go to OSU (which is still a really good business program, esp. for honors) and come out with $100k in my pocket.</p>

<p>I'm dead set on becoming an entrepreneur at some point - the sooner the better (I've started 3 businesses since I was 12 - I just love doing my own thing). That $100k could be the key element after graduation that lets me start something on my own w/o worrying about money.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I can go to one of the pricy private schools and make great connections, receive a rock-solid degree/education, but have no cash (or even debt) at graduation.</p>

<p>The other thing I was thinking was go to OSU/Miami now for undergrad then I can easily pay for the best MBA programs (assuming I can get into some of those programs in the future).</p>

<p>Or I use that $100k to fund my retirement (which I've already started doing), let it grow for 20 years, and retire when I'm 40 :)</p>

<p>Anyone have opinions or advice? Any pro/cons of not going to Ivy/Private for undergrad business?</p>

<p>It seems like the #1 reason to go to top Private biz schools is for connections/networking and job placement - but like I said, I'm not dead set on getting the top jobs at Goldman Sachs or anything - I'll eventually start something on my own.</p>

2

<p>If you’re not set on I Banking or one of the other fields that almost exclusively recruits from the Ivies then you won’t be hurt by going to tOSU or Miami. I would probably lean that way as well.</p>

3

<p>OSU and Miami sound good to me. You are clearly extremely intelligent, and you know what you are doing. You don’t need to pay for a status symbol. You are so smart that you don’t need the Ivies.</p>

4

<p>I’d rather have 100k than a bit of prestige on my degree that wears off after working for a while</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the comments and opinions.</p>

<p>I just got back from my Georgetown events and received my scholarship package from John Carroll University (a Jesuit univ. near Cleveland OH with a regionally highly respected accounting program which has one of the highest CPA passage rates in the nation) and they’re giving me a full ride - my aid package actually said I would pay a negative amount haha.</p>

<p>So now this changes things a bit because I would now come out of school with $150,000 in tax-free cash - 50% more than I previously thought.</p>

<p>My dad (who was in top management at a mid-cap public company) suggested that I go to the honors program at JCU/OSU, get a MS in accounting in 4 years, work for 2-5 years for a big 4 accounting firm, get my CPA within that 5 year period, and I would probably do well on my GMAT. He said that combo should make me very competitive at the top MBA programs (which I would easily be able to pay for with my $150k + any investment returns over the next 10 years) and after my MBA I could basically go anywhere in business.</p>

<p>This decision is getting more complicated everyday :/</p>

6

<p>In your case, I might consider attending one of the less-expensive colleges, having a jump start on your own business, and then perhaps going to get an MBA at a more prestigious university.</p>

7

<p>Just got my Georgetown aid package today: $0 and up to $3,500/yr in unsubsidized loans.</p>

<p>I’m starting to lean towards John Carroll (free), OSU and Miami ($50k for 4 years)</p>