<p>My D has been accepted to AU, and received good FA. We will still need to come up with three times our FAFSA EFC though, and it will be not impossible, but tough and require some borrowing. We can do it with sacrifice meaning not having any spare cash for three years. Her second choice school would be more expensive, with less aid offered. Her only other choice is a middle of the road state school that can not offer her the same caliber of professors who have been there and done what she aspires to do, or the amount of internships which will be key to getting her foot in the door for her career as a government analyst. If she went to state school, we would still have to borrow, but not as much, and could give her money for study abroad, maybe even a car, etc. It would be easier over all, but… Is AU worth it, or do we go with the state school? (My D had dreams of prep school, was accepted, and then the aid didn’t come through. She feels like once again now, with something so important, she has it and it is slipping through her fingers…)
Advice needed!</p>
<p>Hard to answer definitively (although some of the most presumptuous CC’ers would claim to answer definitively) without knowing the dollars associated with each choice. And it’s hard to compare AU to a “state school” without knowing the particular school and program–all are not created equal.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, I think costs are a key–if not paramount–part of the decision. It’s hard to write this, but 20 years ago (ugh!) I was making the decision to attend AU when tuition was around $13K per year, and my scholarship covered nearly all of that. Since then, costs at AU and elsewhere have skyrocketed while expected salaries have not. And especially in today’s environment, where nearly everyone acknowledges that the government and goverment spending need to be smaller (amen), I would not expect a job as a “government analyst” four years from now to be very lucrative–nor would I expect the opportunities to be plentiful.</p>
<p>What if you put this in your daughter’s court…if the loans are hers–not yours–to repay, what decision would she make? Then let her decide and let her pay any amount you have not already planned and saved to cover.</p>
<p>I agree with the above user in that it is very hard to give an answer without knowing specifics. However, I am in a somewhat similar situation to your daughter currently, so I hope my advice will help.</p>
<p>I was accepted to American University and a state school (although it is out-of-state for me). For a long time, American was my top choice over every other school. Like your daughter, I received good FA (but not good enough), and my family could have afforded the school, but it would have been difficult. I turned down American (and several other extremely expensive schools), accepted the state school, and have not regretted the decision at all.</p>
<p>There are a few points you have to keep in mind. First, undergraduate education is similar at most universities. The difference is in terms of undergraduate “experience” and the university name. At this state school, I am sure your daughter will still be taught by excellent professors and she will have opportunities to intern over the summer. My father has told me, “You have your whole life to be in Washington. Don’t rush into it now.” American’s academics are not necessarily better than the state school’s. That being said, your daughter may like the “experience” at American better. She has to consider whether American is worth the cost that has been given to her. Government analysts have come from hundreds of universities across the country, including many state universities.</p>
<p>Something else to consider is your financial situation. I am not a financial advisor, but it is never a good idea to stretch your finances to the breaking point, as you seem to be doing here. The fact that you would even have debt at the state school is something to consider. In my opinion, I would not give your daughter a car and study abroad money if you are already in debt at a state school.</p>
<p>Lastly, I really know how your daughter feels when she says it is slipping through her fingers. I used to say the biggest indignity I could receive is being accepted to my dream school, and not being able to afford it. It happened to an extent, I moved on, and I am happy with my decision now. Your daughter really has to consider the bigger picture, and you as a parent have to make sure that you really have the means to send her to a school. Saying yes just because it is a dream school and you “could” do it is not the right answer.</p>
<p>Good luck and I wish you the best.</p>
<p>My daughter found this comment to this old article useful so I hope this is helpful to you as well. She doesn’t have the good fortune of getting financial aid so the decision to go with American was difficult.</p>
<p>Comment below is from an article about GWU but the person commenting was from American: [The</a> $50,630 Question: Is an education at George Washington University worth it? - Washington City Paper](<a href=“http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/2406/the-50630-question]The”>http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/2406/the-50630-question)</p>
<p>"All I have to say is I’m glad this article was about GW and not the University on the other side of town - American University. I graduated AU’s class of 2005, and I have a nice job in my chosen field (marketing). I honestly would have received a better “education” in my field at Indiana University (my state U.) since Kelley School of Business is ranked much higher than Kogod…but that wouldn’t have made up for the outside the classroom education that you get at a school like AU or GW and by being in DC.</p>
<p>"I feel that schools like AU and GW are caught in the space of being good schools in a market that competes with great schools. There’s a lot of students at our schools who could just as easily attended any other top tier school (except for some of the top 10s) - how do you compete with that? And how do you pay for it when you’re not Harvard or Duke or Georgetown (for that matter)? As another commenter has said - tuition would be the same price at any other private institution if it wasn’t for their massive endowments - and concerted efforts for alumni giving.</p>
<p>“I feel that my approximately $152,000 degree from AU was worth it. And it’s good to see that so many GW alums feel the same way about their school. It’s sad that CP chose to report on the superficial rather than on pressing issues in education.”</p>
<p>Thank you. Your comments have been helpful, and sobering this morning. The state school is Westfield State University, in Massachusetts. It isn’t on most people’s radar as even existing unless you live around here. Has done well in US News rankings for regional schools though.</p>
<p>If you’re looking at AU for anything other than Government or International Relations, I’d say move along. The other classes at AU aren’t anything that you couldn’t get at a state school or other liberal arts schools. </p>
<p>Otherwise, AU is completely worth the sacrifice. I transferred here from a private liberal arts school that would have allowed me to graduate debt free in 4 years. I tacked on another year when I transferred and am looking at $50,000 worth of debt when I graduate 2 weeks from this Saturday. I wouldn’t have traded it for a thing.</p>
<p>It’s the only school in the country where I’ve had two personal meetings with Senators for class, have had Legislative Directors, Legislative Assistants, and journalists like Juan Williams and Bob Schieffer come and talk personally to my class. They want to hear what we’re interested in, and what questions we have. The school as a whole gets speakers like Colin Powell, Dan Rather, the Young Gun Republicans, Chris Matthews, and George McGovern and that’s just from one year and doesn’t begin to cover all the people who have spoken.</p>
<p>However most importantly for me is the access to internships. In just two years at American University I have had eight internships. There is a top rated career services office and an exclusive intern and job database for student use only. As a result, despite being a political science major, I have multiple job offers after Graduation, while my friends from my old school – who worked an internship or two – are making plans to move home because they don’t meet the 2-3 years of experience required for entry level jobs. It’s true that the out of the classroom education is truly what makes it – and DC makes for an excellent secondary classroom.</p>
<p>Since this is talking about tuition, I’ll just ask my question here: it says on the website that students should expect tuition increase due to the economy. How much of an increase are they talking about? (I was hoping that it would have a fixed tuition… but sadly it doesn’t…)</p>
<p>Yumi, see this article: [Undergraduate</a> tuition to increase at lowest rate in 15 years | The Eagle Online](<a href=“http://www.theeagleonline.com/news/story/undergraduate-tuition-to-increase-at-lowest-rate-in-15-years/]Undergraduate”>http://www.theeagleonline.com/news/story/undergraduate-tuition-to-increase-at-lowest-rate-in-15-years/).</p>
<p>Thanks! :)</p>