<p>1st school:
I first visited Washington University in St. Louis last spring and have loved it since I first stepped on campus. I have been back 4-5 times and fall in love even more each time I am there. I am going to major in economics and go on to grad school to obtain a dual MBA/JD degree. Also, I will have the opportunity to play for the Bears Women's Basketball Team which has been a DIII powerhouse for over 20 years. I love the coaches, the team, and everyone I have met at WashU. It has pretty much been a dream of mine for the last year to attend WashU. I have gotten a pretty good financial aid package but it will still cost me $20,000 a year to attend.</p>
<p>2nd school:
On March 23, I was awarded one of the most prestigious scholarships in the state of Indiana. This scholarship is a four-year full-tuition scholarship to any accredited public or private university in the state of Indiana. If I choose to stay in Indiana, I will attend DePauw University. DePauw is a great school and has a strong reputation for its economics department. I went down to visit this week and was accepted into the Management Fellows Program. This is a prestigious program that will ensure me an awesome internship and great connections upon graduation. Also at DePauw, I will have the opportunity to play basketball. They also are DIII and ironically beat WashU in the national championship game (so no matter what I will be playing at an awesome and well-respected program). Now that I've had the opportunity to visit DePauw, I now love the coaches, the team, and everyone I have met there as well. If I chose to attend DePauw, I will be making money, because I was awarded a $17,000 scholarship before I received the full-ride. I have talked to my parents and it sounds like I will be able to pick out any new car I would like if I choose to attend DePauw also.</p>
<p>I just wanted to get some imput while I was making my decision.
DePauw or WashU??
At WashU I will come out with close to $80,000 in loans, at DePauw I will have nothing to pay at all.
Which one of these schools sounds like the better choice and opportunity?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.</p>
<p>I think DePauw would give you more opportunities than WashU. Could you afford a summer internship in - let's say - New York at WashU? What about business attire? Or a laptop? Are you sure that you could handle your academic workload, work-study (which is probably included in your fin aid package) AND athletics at WashU? Are you really comfortable to take out another 50K in loans on top of the 80K you would already have after graduating from WashU to attend grad school?</p>
<p>DePauw is a very good school and I would attend it for those financial benefits.</p>
<p>In the end it comes down to the big fish in a small pond scenario: Would you rather be an outstanding student at DePauw or an average student at WashU?</p>
<p>
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If I chose to attend DePauw, I will be making money, because I was awarded a $17,000 scholarship before I received the full-ride.
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</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure you will not make money at DePuaw. They will probably just give you a full tuition and room and board scholarship. They can't give you more money than it costs.</p>
<p>That being said, I would go to WashU. You seemed to light up when you talked about it. Also, money can be repaid, but an experience cannot be relived.</p>
<p>You've done your research and sound like you would be sincerely happy at either school, so money should drive your decision now. As a future economics major, you probably know that DePauw is the best choice. Save your bucks for grade school and have fun! Congrats!</p>
<p>Not Notre Dame, haha? But personally, choose the school that will give you the most opportunity. If you're going to be a successful person (financially), loans shouldn't be a problem. Unless you're thinking about a profession where money isn't generally one of the benefits (like teaching).</p>
<p>
[quote]
I chose to attend DePauw, I will be making money, because I was awarded a $17,000 scholarship before I received the full-ride.
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</p>
<p>Somewhere in the fine print, it probably says that DePauw can reduce its award to compensate for scholarships awarded by outside sources. In general, things are set up so that you cannot make money off of scholarships. Scholarships are ONLY supposed to pay for the cost of your education (including room and board).</p>
<p>At least in North Carolina, as I learned on a recent college visit, it's possible for that money to be given back to the student in the form of a nice check. That's what the Financial Aid officer said so I don't doubt it. I think if you like the spirit and student body of DePauw enough to spend 4 years there, it affords you tremendous opportunities. Personally, I would choose DePauw.</p>
<p>I might go with DePauw as well, but first, you need to determine which one really excites you. Disregard money completely (harder than it sounds, I know) and just see which one feels like the right choice.
If that doesn't help, I'd rather make money.</p>
<p>"As a future economics major, you probably know that DePauw is the best choice."</p>
<p>That can be justified if you treat education as an expense. The perspective will be different if one treats college education as a long term investment in money & mind. </p>
<p>I am not advocating one school over the other. I am just saying that in the real world, you need to invest big before you can get the reward. But it has risks.</p>