<p>Accepted offer at Tier 1 school but they are still finalizing award letter. More than likely there will be an immediate cost involved including major travel/expenses.</p>
<p>vs.</p>
<p>Offer of in state need met school which includes scholarship monies, small amount of loans, and grant package with work study. This school has met the need and with scholarship will exceed the need. They do not need a decision until mid May.</p>
<p>Just looking for "what would you do" advice. And I do realize that we have accepted one offer, but without the final award letter, option 2 is looking very good at this point. </p>
<p>My child of course wants Tier 1 school and I love it for him. It's a great fit. My pocketbook is looking at need met school, and really, I am so over this process. Who knew it would be so exhausting for the parents. :)</p>
<p>easy choice for us (in hindsight). DD went with the cheaper, more convenient (and very reputable) in-state option over pricey OOS “public Ivy” (UMich) or Actual Ivy (Brown).</p>
<p>Logistics played a huge role in the decision, as well as understanding that; this is an undergrad degree - save $ for the grad degree push :)</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>
<p>Good advice from giterdone.</p>
<p>We’ve had many discussions of this nature on CC over the years. It is different for every family. It really depends on if YOU could really afford it and how much you want to stretch yourself. My parents took out 2nd and 3rd mortgage to send us to top tier schools 30 years ago, and it has served us well. But the world was different back then, people do not feel as secured with their jobs, and they need to save for retirement more.</p>
<p>I am a believer of great education and also think UG is more important than G school, and cheap is not always good. It is 4 very important years of your kid’s life, going to a school which is not very challenging is a waste of his time. I also do not think “very motivated” could get a good education anywhere, even in secondary school - kids are better prepared coming out of more rigorous high school.</p>
<p>As you could see, people have very different views on CC, and it is very personal.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That had to have been, like… twenty five hundred bucks back then? :D</p>
<p>Oldfort, this is a kid who is finishing up at a very rigorous high school so he knows what a “pressure cooker” competitive school would feel like first hand. Discussions we had last night was if we go with my pocketbook how could we make the instate school become something he could live with, such as, going for a double major, studying abroad, possibly going to summer school and finishing up earlier, and/or finding good summer internships to put him in a more competitive place for graduate school.</p>
<p>We are trying to look at this from every angle.</p>
<p>It might help to know what in-state school you’re talking about too. Some of them are pretty rigorous academically, especially the honors program.</p>
<p>We had 4 kids in my family. I think when the youngest was in college it was 10K, and my parents bought their house for 45K 3 years before I went to college, relatively, it was compatible. As first generation, my father didn’t start making any real money in this country as an engineer until I was in high school.</p>
<p>mom0809, I was trying to stay away from naming the school within this particular forum, but I do know why you are asking and I will private message it to you, if you’d like. I think I may be biased on the side of small, private college/universities (which it is). Without naming the school, it is a well respected institution in our state, although I am trying to find a list (and will more than likely ask them if I cannot) of where do their alumni end up upon graduation. I do think that education is what you make of it and so I am trying to see if we accept this economically sound offer my kid will be challenged and satisfied with his future plans that may not include Tier 1 university.</p>
<p>Oldfort…those were the days! I wished college was 10k now. (smiles)</p>
<p>But you couldn’t buy a house for 45K today either, just putting it in perspective.</p>
<p>As @oldfort stated; there are “opinion-o-plenty” on this topic. In fact, I think this board was built on that fact.</p>
<p>If the school is rated in USNWR and/or Forbes? it’s a good school. (period!) People don’t realize that only 15%-20% of colleges/universities make those lists… so, just by being on them? they’re in the top tier. And if you can attend any one of those, for an undergrad, affordably? you will find options to be challenged, engaged, and ultimately employable at the end. With the bulk of the responsibility being on the student, and NOT the institution.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Apparently you haven’t visited the 1st and 2nd ring suburbs of Detroit…</p>
<p>Many families on CC have faced this issue. It is easier to make a decision when all the numbers are on the table…I would wait for the FA packet. While you wait you can objectively determine what you can REALLY afford. Do you have other children to put through college? Is your job stable with growing potential for pay increases? Do you have equity in your home you can borrow against and sell later/recoup when you retire? What would happen if there was a job loss? Would the College reconsider FA? Of course I don’t expect you to share this on CC, but things to think about.</p>
<p>In our case, my D took the generous in-state U option with honors program. She did an overnight there and sat in on classes to be sure.</p>
<p>It was hard to say goodbye to the top schools at first, but now there are no regrets, just excitement from D about the adventures ahead. And I sleep better at night knowing that we can afford the college bill and (start saving for her sibling down the road).</p>
<p>And it would be nice if houses were 50k! 
Honestly I think OP is in a win-win situation. Her S is well-prepared to get a lot out of any of his schools, will meet some great colleagues/peers at any. (I’m counting that the instate option is a good one.) I agree with oldfort that UG may be more important than grad–and I feel that whatever is happening now is most important as the future is so uncertain always. So–what can you comfortably afford? Is there a program at one school that will make a difference? What’s the quality of life at each school? (I’ve heard less fabulous things about Michigan undergrad unless its a special program.)</p>
<p>giterdone, my son says he wants to be with like minded peers. I, being me, questioned him on what does that mean? Does he think that instate college would not have like minded peers? Is he taking an elitist view of his educational status, (meaning does he think he is better than what this instate school might have to offer?). </p>
<p>Tier 1 is definitely on “the list.” It’s an awesome, awesome school, but it comes at a cost, immediate and after graduation. If instate school were not in the picture, would this be a problem? Cost is always a concern, and just seeing in this economy, immediate cost vs. no immediate cost is causing me to look again at the instate school.</p>
<p>Of course if some school is simply unaffordable, it should not be on the tabs. However, we reallyy stet he’d ourselves thin to enable each to attend a Top LAC. No regrets here.</p>
<p>Any school with > +/- 3000 kids? He will find “like minded peers”</p>
<p>pathways, good advice about waiting. I think part of my angst is I want this settled. I can only imagine the stress my kid is under because he sees me trying to figure it all out. </p>
<p>I am thankful to have you parents here on this board to run this by because really, who else but a CC parent would even get this, lol? :)</p>
<p>D2 went to a top prep school until 10th grade, everyone came prepared, class discussions were lively and challenging, pace was much faster. D2 then moved to a good international school, it was fine in her IB classes, but when she had to take a regular course, her eyes would roll about the kind of questions kids would ask in class and how much babysitting teachers had to do. My kid was very motivated - she read extra books, wrote longer papers - but there were very few kids in class whom she could bounce ideas off. Class projects, forget about it, she ended up doing most of them herself. </p>
<p>No, your son is not being an elitist. He wants study with students who would be working at his level. He wants his professors to teach to his level, not to the lowest denominator. Good education is expensive, and it is personal decision as to what it is worth.</p>
<p>This is one thing I always like to point out…go to school’s career website, see what companies recruit there, find out what’s % of students have jobs upon graduation, what’s their starting salary, % of students go on to graduate schools (what’s their placement rate).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I do’t exactly understand this. Are you saying that your kid would have to travel to the school for some kind of award/interview process? Or are you contemplating flying the entire family from, say, South Carolina to California and putting them up for several days at move-in time? </p>
<p>As many people here have testified, it is quite possible for kids to go alone when they move in, or with one parent. Travel costs can be cut way back. It isn’t necessary to fly the kid back and forth at every break at top dollar fares. Of course, part of this might mean not seeing him or her as frequently or as easily as you would if an in-state school was chosen. But that’s another, albeit perfectly valid, question.</p>
<p>In general, I agree with oldfort. I think UG is tremendously important. I think that the issue of being in classes with intellectual peers is a hugely important one for some kids (like mine). Let me put it this way: if we are talking Stanford vs High Point, I am moving heaven and earth to get my kid to Stanford.</p>