<p>Just curious, this seems to be a repetitive question on this board. Just curious, this is unscientific btw, but how much DEBT, amount of debt you will have after 4 years at an ivy league or ivy caliber (STANFORD, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, U of Chicago, JHU, etc). </p>
<p>I really will not have to worry about this, I am lucky, but I know some ppl (some dear friends) that do.</p>
<p>My opinion, no more than 45,000.</p>
<p>It depends on what field you're going into (which will determine how fast you can pay it back). A business major at Wharton or a Cornell engineer can probably handle more debt than a French Lit major at Dartmouth. If you plan on going to grad or professional school after your undergrad degree, that needs to be taken into account also.</p>
<p>if your going into finance or computer science it would be a lot more than like a history major I would say</p>
<p>I'd say like 60 grand, i would hope parents would pay the rest or fin aid would help out</p>
<p>I think any amount of debt is acceptable, as long as you're going to be doing something with your education. I'm sure most Ivy League graduates are going to be earning big money pretty soon after college.</p>
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I think any amount of debt is acceptable, as long as you're going to be doing something with your education. I'm sure most Ivy League graduates are going to be earning big money pretty soon after college.
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<p>Ahhhh..............youts, sweet youts. /pesci</p>
<p>I think it depends on your other options...</p>
<p>If you live in a state like Michigan, Virginia, or California, then I don't think any debt is worth it, at least not for undergrad.</p>
<p>I think perhaps it depends on what you want to do after college. If you want to go into a highly competitive field (or go to graduate school/professional school in a highly competitive field), I think the amount of debt you accumulate at an elite school is worth it.</p>
<p>I'm torn on this one. On the one hand I don't think going to college should be just about its ability to get a high paying job. On the other hand I find it really hard to justify these costs if you'll be in debt for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>How much sense does it make going to a $40,000+ school if its not even in the top 20? And does it make sense to go to a top public school if you don't live in that state?</p>
<p>i should probably change my post, let's say for the "lower ivies" and the likes like Duke and Northwestern and JHU and Chicago. Forget about HYPSM.</p>
<p>"I think perhaps it depends on what you want to do after college. If you want to go into a highly competitive field (or go to graduate school/professional school in a highly competitive field), I think the amount of debt you accumulate at an elite school is worth it."</p>
<p>i have to disagree with this. graduate schools do not really care WHERE you went to college, but more how involved you were, your GPA, work experience, and standardized grad test scores. It would be better to be in the top 15% of your graduating class at Vanderbilt than to have gone to UPenn and have a 2.5 GPA.</p>
<p>I think you should think twice before it nears 35-40, this for the excellent schools you mention but including HYPSM. If you can get out of a good (or great) public for less than that is the best choice.</p>
<p>Not worth any debt...save up those pennies for grad school. :</p>
<p>I don't think you want much debt hanging over your head when you graduate, Ivy or otherwise. You can be just as (or even more) successful graduating from a state school as you can graduating from Harvard.</p>
<p>So I guess, no more debt than you'd be willing to go into for a good state school.</p>
<p>very interesting to say the least b/c i know so many kids taking out so much money in loans to go to schools like Emory/Tufts/Vanderbilt when they can go to UC Berk for a fraction of the cost. I do not really get it.</p>
<p>Emory/Tufts/Vandy may be a better match for them. Berkeley's not for everyone.</p>
<p>but banana, the debt these kids are taking out are like in the 70-80,000 range. I don't think you realize how large of debt that will amount to later in life.</p>
<p>And I don't think you realize that some people would rather pay more money to go somewhere they love than be miserable at a cheaper college. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to picking colleges.</p>
<p>for some reason, I sense you are probably one that did turn down a more affordable option and are taking out massive loans just from your post, b/c u seem so adamant about ur pt. I am sorry, in my book, to take out a 70,000 loan to go to Vanderbilt and turn down Cal Berk is a lil nutz. I think you will find the same exact opportunities at both places.</p>
<p>Apply to the schools that you want to go to, then worry about financing later. That being said, you typically want to apply to one in-state public school if finances are going to be a major issue. That will typically ensure that you have a lower cost option for school.</p>
<p>The reason I say "apply first, worry later" is that colleges have a "sticker price" (the tuition that you see published everywhere -- over $30k for the top schools) and a "real price" (the amount you are expected to pay once you see your financial aid package).</p>
<p>Many of the top schools offer strong financial aid packages. Some of the top non-Ivies award merit-based scholarships (the Ivies typically award scholarships based on need). It may be the case that if you get into a Harvard or Yale, they will offer you the best financial aid package, actually making them more affordable than other schools.</p>
<p>Check out these figures on financial aid:</p>
<p>Harvard - <a href="http://www.lunch-money.com/Colleges/Tuition-Financial-Aid/166027.aspx%5B/url%5D">http://www.lunch-money.com/Colleges/Tuition-Financial-Aid/166027.aspx</a></p>
<p>University of Michigan - <a href="http://www.lunch-money.com/Colleges/Tuition-Financial-Aid/170976.aspx%5B/url%5D">http://www.lunch-money.com/Colleges/Tuition-Financial-Aid/170976.aspx</a></p>
<p>You can see the difference in the amount of institutional aid that is typically given.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
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i have to disagree with this. graduate schools do not really care WHERE you went to college, but more how involved you were, your GPA, work experience, and standardized grad test scores. It would be better to be in the top 15% of your graduating class at Vanderbilt than to have gone to UPenn and have a 2.5 GPA.
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<p>Perhaps if you plan to be mediocre at a top-flight school, it would be a better choice to be a standout somewhere else. </p>
<p>But an applicant from a great school with a 3.5 will make it into grad school over an applicant from an unimpressive school if both have the same activities/research experience. Call it academic snobbery or what have you, but that's the way things are.</p>