My $.02.
Go to USCw in a heartbeat. Save the $80K for grad school. Good luck and congrats on your hard work to have such life changing options.
If you blow the wad on Rice and then get into Georgetown SFS for grad school, will your parents have the funds to help you out for your master’s?
If yes, go to Rice.
If no, go to USC, save the $17,000 per year. In 4 years, you’ll have $68,000 in the kitty – enough to pay for 1 full year of grad school. Then work during the summers (during undergrad) and RA/TA during grad school, (and take out loans if nec.) to pay for the second year of grad school.
You could also take out up to $27,000 in loans in your own name during the 4 years of undergrad and save it to use for grad school – bringing your future need down to $39,000 – but you’d be also accruing interest on those loans from the moment you take them out. So that would only be a good option if you’re sure you’ll need those loans 4 years from now and wouldn’t be able to go to grad school any other way. I’m not familiar with how easy it is to get loans for grad school…if it’s easy, then you’d definitely want to wait so as not to be incurring interest from freshman year!
But neither of your parents are pushing you towards the less expensive option. Your dad is even saying that he prefers for you to go Rice (regardless of whether it’s a good reason or not). And they both must know that you’re thinking about grad school, yes? So maybe they’re thinking that they’ll help you out with grad school.
If so, then go to Rice.
Unless you’re still undecided even when $$ is taken out of consideration. In which case, wipe out cost from your mind and just go with your gut. Try closing your eyes and imagining yourself at one of them. How did it feel? Now do the same with the other. Which one felt better? (This sometimes helps you re-connect with your feelings when you’re in analysis paralysis mode.) Others have said flip a coin. If it’s heads and that means USC and your heart rebels, that tells you which one you really want to go to – and vice versa.
My response was via pm as that’s how the op reached out to me. If anyone wants to hear it, let me know. The op and I already corresponded.
Wow, thank you guys so much!! I might actually not continue down the path of foreign service, but basically the idea of continuing to grad school (to a lesser extent law school) is something I’m 100% certain of.
@yoamogatos It is very odd. I actually got my FA info the day I was accepted, but the scholarship came last week. The website says they award merit scholarships at the time of admission and so when we called to see if my scholarship was legit the AO repeated the same thing on the website before checking my account and telling me it was real. Don’t know what was going on haha. Yeah, my host for Explore and most of her friends were not in Greek Life. The only thing that was worrisome was that they spent a long time talking about how much they don’t like it… hopefully that doesn’t consume my time LOL. and @HImom I know, University Village looks awesome!!! Wish I was coming in two years later just to take advantage of it for the entire time. I hope they are able to continue expansions to provide a better residential experience for those who want it.
@mom2and @CalBearsMom I know my money is in a 529 fund. I don’t know if there’s any kinds of restrictions on withdrawing funds but my mom promised me that any money left over would be untouched and reserved for me to touch. I haven’t asked them about grad school but my mom made it clear she felt it was my parent’s duty to cover the cost of undergrad. So like, if loans needed to be taken out she and my dad would sign it and not expect me to pay them back in the future. Additionally, my younger sister will be midway through high school when I graduate so I want to make sure they have the same amount in her fund as mine (enough to pay for the state flagship), so yeah I’ll just say as of now I will pay for grad school myself (probably some help from them). I think it’s the right thing anyway. TLDR; the 68k is a plus. I’ve been juggling options in my head constantly for the past couple days and I’ve basically decided that some things I’ll miss at Rice (personal feel of res colleges, the welcoming O-week where everyone is together before classes, smaller classes) may not be worth 68k. There are also some things USC has that Rice doesn’t so it gets balanced out.
After that big block of text, basically where I am right now is leaning towards USC. Trying to find a way to bring it up as my dad is still for Rice and my mom told me that she thinks I would fit better at Rice (though she said she would support whatever decision). I’m going to do a little more research on the faculty at each school and give them a heads up tonight! Only three days left…
As a somewhat older Texas Trojan with a daughter close to your age with similar college aspirations, let me chime in here and first congratulate on your achievements. Both schools are fantastic but given the full tuition at SC plus the chance to get out of state and see something new wins in my book. Don’t let the Greek scene intimidate you; I wasn’t Greek nor was my wife, but we had many friends that were (and weren’t) and we all got along just fine. IMHO, the advantage of going to a larger school is more choices and opportunities. Given that you are “Traumatic” option (jk) means that you will be in a much cohesive and smaller intellectual group which is a plus for you. So go for it! And Fight On!
I thought I’d update (is this an update after 3 hours?) and maybe rant a little. I’m still relatively new here so are there forums for like majors and not just school? Maybe some things I could post there.
So my mom is out of town so I Facetimed her (closer with her about college) and before I could say anything she launches into this story about a conversation she had today about someone (who is STEM) whose son turned down Johns Hopkins (w/ full tuition scholarship) for Ohio State (w/ full scholarship) and how much they regret it because no one in DC cares about OSU’s name. I tried to argue that that is public v private which is vastly different and that the guy in question only had a bachelor’s degree. And then she went on about how name matters so much and that she would support my decision even though she thinks that Rice would be better, or that if necessary they would take out the loans for Duke or Georgetown. So that kinda got me upset on whether I could succeed in the social sciences or whatever and then my dad comes in and starts basically stating there’s no good reason for me to turn down Rice unless it’s for Duke and that the whole “where you go to grad school matters” is a lie. I don’t know how to explain it but my dad is really domineering. When I started this thread I thought it was just a preference and he would support me whatever I chose. That is not the case. It looks like my parents will be picking my college for me.
I started leaning to USC today because I imagined my life at both schools and saw myself picturing less "what if I went to the other school"s if I went to USC. Truth be told, if I can’t go to USC I’d rather go all out and go to Georgetown or Duke, but I really don’t think I want to go in debt (Duke would be under 50-70k, while Georgetown would be at least 100k in loans). I don’t know. Maybe Duke is worth it? I feel kind of helpless. I know I will be “happy” anywhere I go, because I have pros for every school and it is my nature to seek out opportunities anywhere, but I still feel sad. Maybe it’s loss of autonomy over my life. I’m sorry that this is just an emotional post and not anything useful, but all my friends are in STEM/made their decision weeks ago and wouldn’t understand. There are still a couple days left so maybe he will change but probably not. I really have appreciated the helpful advice though! I see why many of you guys stay around this site 
My kids found it pretty easy to find all kinds of different folks at USC. That made it easy for them to make friends and helped enrich their college experiences. Our D only applied to USC, once she had helped her brother move in. She felt the campus had a lot more positive energy than the many other campuses we had visited over the years.
Both were happy with their years as Trojans and were happy to graduate without debt. Debt will really hamstring your future choices in very bad ways. S got generous merit awards, D got a campus part-time job. Both always felt pretty safe in LA, as long as they used sensible precautions. It was a good option for them.
There are many good options for each student, but there is A LOT to say for graduating with low or no debt.
Wow. That is tough - both your parents change in attitude and the last minute pivot to the pricey schools.
I honestly don’t think there is much difference between #19 Rice and tied for 25th USC (in the USNWR rankings). I really don’t think getting 70 to 100K in debt is worth it when you have much cheaper, good options, especially if you are thinking that grad school is in your future. OTOH, if Duke is really only $50K in loans and your parents are willing to take on half the debt and you would only have about $25-30K debt, that may be worth it. That amount of debt may not impact your future too significantly, But again, you are also using up the $68K that could go to grad school or law school. If you are unsure of foreign service, I would not go to Georgetown SFS.
None of us can make this decision except you and your parents. The actual amount of money they can contribute, the loans they want to take, and your best guess as to post-college plans all play into this. But I would still say that USC is good enough to get you to a top law school or graduate school, IF you continue to excel.
It is hard to give up on the top choices, when they are not affordable. Remember, you are not alone in having to figure in finances. The vast majority of students also have to do so.
I agree with mom2 - I don’t see a discernible difference b/w Rice and USC from a prestige standpoint, and I would say that USC has a much better alumni network to assist you. I think your parents are hung up in Texas-think b/c Rice is the most prestigious university in Texas. Taking a national or international view, USC is probably more well-known. All of this of course, takes nothing at all away from Rice, it’s just a different experience.
However, now that you’re dragging Duke back into it, now you are working me a little (my alma mater). I still think the free ride at USC is a better “deal” but I’m a bit confused as to why Duke is that much less for you then Georgetown. Further, it also matters what your parents are willing to do in terms of paying for the extra if you go to Duke. Unless I know more as to 1) whether your parents can afford it without breaking their bank, and 2) how much debt YOU will have, I cannot make a recommendation away from USC. Duke would be a different level than the others in terms of prestige, but I’m not sure it’s worth the cost, esp if you want to go to grad school and will be spending more money later.
At this point, I think they are doing everything in their power to make sure I do not end up at USC. We all collectively dropped Georgetown because of cost (the cost difference between Duke may be large because Duke did give me some FA and because I only have fuzzy numbers from parents) and now my mom says that she will try to see if we can financially make it work?? There is no reason to do this. I do not know why they are acting like this because I was set to attend USC before the Rice notification. We had already gone through USC v Georgetown before Rice told me anything, so this seems purely to get me to not go.
I agree – I don’t think there is that much of a difference between Rice and USC. I tried to tell my dad that Rice is just as much of a regional school as USC is, but he’s convinced it’s more nationally well-known (even though based off my experience many do not know what it is). It is not even an issue of proximity seeing as they will apparently let me go to Duke or Georgetown.
I still like the idea of USC, despite its size, because I did truly enjoy my visit there. No offense Cameron121, but I felt it could offer me the same opportunities as Duke aside from the name. No debt is nice too. But as the night passes I really don’t think they will let me truly decide without feeling guilty if I don’t end up getting into Harvard’s kennedy school or something crazy like that. I guess I will just try to mentally move on and do some Duke v Rice research tomorrow. Kind of wishing Rice never sent me that late notification. I just feel really tired at this point and would let someone pick for me, lol. Thanks again.
I definitely feel for you to have to go through this at the last minute. The only other thing I can say is that the good news is, you really cannot go wrong with any of the choices - you WILL get a phenomenal education and probably have fun doing it as well. This will all be a distant nightmare in a month. The only caveat to that is if you are forced to graduate with a lot of personal debt - that will hurt you in the long run, especially in your field of interest and your desire to go to graduate school. Whatever you do don’t let them stick you with a bunch of debt - if they want to pay and are willing to figure it out, great, but keep your undergrad debt free whatever you do. Good luck, I hope you and your parents find clarity in the next couple of days.
I attended USC, and after going to school in that neighborhood for two years for grad school and reading stories about crimes in the area then and now, I won’t let any of my kids even apply. If they had enough on-campus housing, I might consider it. But they don’t. If you go, get used to sleeping with police helicopters flying overhead at least one night a week. Wife and son LOVED Rice when they visited, though he didn’t get in. As a parent, I would take out an $80k home equity loan if I had to for the difference.
Make a spreadsheet with the 4 year cost of each of the schools (Rice, USC, Duke and Georgetown). Have a total at the bottom for each school. Email it to your parents and ask them to tell you how much they are willing to pay.
They are all good choices but this is coming down to money. Your parents need to make some decisions as you cannot take out loans in the amount needed for some of these schools. None of these schools wold be “bad” choice as you know. They are all excellent. Georgetown sounds like it might be the best “fit” for your major; however, money is a consideration and this school is very expensive if you pay the full amount. I too am confused as to how Duke is so much less in cost than Georgetown unless you received a merit scholarship from Duke. I thought these two schools were similar in their approach towards meeting financial aid need, but I could be wrong.
Good luck! Your parents should be thrilled you have such great choices that include scholarships to two excellent schools.
Georgetown’s access to local internships is a real plus if everything is on the table again. In IR it’s the most well known.
“I think they are doing everything in their power to make sure I do not end up at USC”
OP, they don’t have the power to decide, and are letting their emotions override what should be a rational decision, perhaps because they did not go to USC, or they want you to stay closer to home?- who knows?.
The SMART thing for YOU to do is to go to USC, take advantage of ALL that being a Stamps/ Trustee allows you,[ which is a LOT!] and rejoice that you will have plenty of $$ if you decide to pursue a graduate degree. Trustee scholars are treated like GOLD at USC.
My DS was a Trustee scholar, had no interest in Frats, or even sports for that matter, found PLENTY of really smart students in the Thematic Options and Honors Science classes- [ both which offer small class and lab sizes and the best profs to teach them] - and did so well that he had the pick of every Grad school he applied to and is now at Caltech, one of the most prestigious U’s in the world, pursuing his PhD. The Val went to Harvard Med school. His roommates won grad school acceptances at Princeton and MIT. The sky is the limit for you at USC. And that includes getting into the Kennedy school at Harvard.
BTW- USC has become very intolerant of Frat behavior that is obnoxious or disruptive.
Having USC Trustee scholar at the top of your CV when you graduate open many doors to you.
Its a nobrainer. Choose USC. It will free you emotionally from worrying about your parents spending $$ unnecessarily for your UG education. Your parents will eventually come to their senses and thank you!
I also want to add that my daughter almost live 4 years at USC, she never had any problem as far as security is concerned. After freshman year, she lived in Cardinal Gardens, just across the street from the campus. Rode her bike to groceries shopping. I would never considered mine very street smart but she felt safe there. She still goes to USC regularly for all sorts of events.
As an East Coaster, I believe this might depend on generation and/or field. Among older generations and academics, Rice has more prestige due to past and current academic reputation.
On the other hand, USC has had a meteoric rise in its academic rep in the last 10-15 years due to hiring topflight faculty, raising admission standards across the board, and awarding large merit scholarships. They also have a large loyal alumni network though my impression is it’s much stronger in the corporate/business world than in academia/IR.
However, 15+ years ago, USC was known more as a school for academically mediocre rich kids who wanted big party/sports. Most of the classmates in my mid-'90s graduating class who went off to USC tended to be from well-off families and if our HS ranked us academically, fell somewhere between the lower-middle to bottom of our class.
There’s a reason why my California relatives who are Gen Xers or older and their neighbors who came of age in the early ‘90s and earlier dubbed USC “University of Spoiled Children”* or among relatives and fellow Chinese-Americans “University of Stupid Chinese”. This recent past historical reputation is probably a factor in your parents’ reluctance…EVEN IF IT’S COMPLETELY OUTDATED.
- Even Senator John McCain once used that phrase to describe the alma mater of his second and current wife Cindy McCain.
Your father is 100% wrong on this one.
Where you go to grad school matters more than one’s undergrad in many fields, especially ones like IR where degree pedigree is prized from what I’ve seen. If it’s prestigious undergrad vs grad and one only has one choice, prestigious grad school trumps in vast majority of situations.
If money is an issue, I’d strongly consider going to USC for undergrad, make the most of your opportunities there, do some IR related internships in summer, and apply to topflight IR grad programs.
Thank you guys. It is really hard. I just don’t want my parents to act very passive-aggressively towards me for the next four years because of my choice. Apparently my dad can’t stand the idea of USC. my mom and I actually thought USC was quite safe when we visited but he didn’t come with. He thinks I’m going to be shot or something.
@menloparkmom thanks, I’ll tell them this. The only thing is they keep telling me name matters in social sciences. Your son was STEM and I’m not sure of his roommates but I assume they are too. I think I will post on the graduate school forum to find out (or you all are experienced adults). My mom keeps telling me if I go to USC I will need to major in a “practical” field. The things is, except for Georgetown, I was not accepted to schools well known in political science/IR like Yale or Harvard. Most of the schools im considering are good schools but not exceptional in the social sciences. Im really scared, as much as I don’t want to be, that I can only really succeed if I go somewhere that’s pricey. Everyone around me keeps telling me college is a long term investment and that name will pay off, although I also see and recognize the benefits of saving and keeping the money for later.
@cobrat i agree. I see USC as having stronger business and corporate connections. I don’t know if I want to or will end up in DC but my friend at Duke interned there over a summer and told me people in DC are very network-y and care where you went to school. At scholarship weekend my mom said that the Dean told the parents at dinner they knew they used to be University of Spoiled Children or of Second Choice but that They’re on the rise. My parents are acting like money isn’t a huge factor, which I guess is their issue since they are paying for my undergrad. I think Georgetown will require hefty loans but supposedly they will do it of I truly want it. Duke will be loans but my parents say they can manage. Rice would break even. USC would obviously leave me with a surplus. Even my teachers are telling me I didn’t get into (except Gtown) any schools that are THAT great in social sciences, and Now I don’t know if I should just go for a better name in a “soft field”. Everyone is making me feel like I need that to succeed in the workplace/grad school and I obviously have no clue cause I’m still in high school but it makes sense I guess. I’m just more confused and the deadline keeps approaching.
Have you appealed to Georgetown for more FA?
@Youdon’stay I did not because my family and I collectively took it off the table. It’s also why I did not attend GAAP (their admitted days). I guess now I will and see what happens. I have a free period right now and my teacher came in and just handed this “best international relations schools in the world” list by Foreign Policy and highlighted Gtown as 4 and Duke as 25. Obviously the intention is clear. I could also move around in social sciences like maybe in sociology so idont know how seriously to consider it. It seems like everyone decided to tell me how they truly feel about me going to college like right before the deadline. Sigh.