<p>Ok, so far I absolutely love what I've seen of the university of Chicago, but I (and my parents) recently found it would cost about $225000 to send me there for 4 years. Assuming I got in next year (I just finished my Junior Year) would it be worth the cash? My parents frankly don't think so compared to in-state Virginia colleges like UVA or William + Mary. Can anyone please give me some honest advice? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I would apply to a wide swath of schools and delay making such a profoundly important decision until you have more concrete data (i.e. financial aid estimates, admission offers, other scholarships, etc.). It’s useless to speculate, and there’s no general solution, considering that prospective students have been deciding between public and private schools for centuries.</p>
<p>It all depends on what you value in life. Even though I have the money, I never felt that buying a car that is more than $25K tops was ever, ever, ever worth the money. I never felt that designer clothes and Gucci handbag were ever worth the money compared to what I can get from Talbots at 70% discount sale - which comes down to less than 10% of what I would have to pay at Saks Fifth Avenue, etc. I don’t feel that a hair cut costing more than $20 is worth the money. </p>
<p>However, I had no qualms about shelling out big bucks to take my kids all over the world from Tibet to Falkland Island once and sometimes twice a year was absolutely worth the money for the fact that they grow up feeling that the world is truly their oyster. </p>
<p>Likewise, I feel that every dollar I spend on my son for his Chicago education at a full pay is worth 10 times of that, though he had a full ride offer from another good school. Watching him make half baked philosophical moves on me to win an argument is priceless. Hearing about him spending wee hours at night with a faculty discussing esoteric concepts is priceless. Hearing him saying that when he has children, he would like to send them to Chicago so that they can get the best education like he is getting is priceless. </p>
<p>If your family can afford the tuition, then it’s no longer a question of making a choice based on necessity driven by the financial constraints. Rather it’s a life style choice.</p>
<p>On a more practical level, it also depends on what you want to do in life. If you want to join the elite Wall Street firm right out of college, then you need to understand that Chicago and other few top private elite school degrees absolutely make a difference vis a vis state schools. Wall Street is shamelessly elitist and diploma bigots. If you are not really into the “life of the mind intellectual legacy” the school is famous, and you have a career like law and medicine in mind, then perhaps the tuition is not worth it.</p>
<p>“worth” is in the eyes of a beholder. Make your choice based on what you value in life.</p>
<p>it really depends on what your parents can afford. My son is a second year at UChicago and since he is my only child, we can borrow some to send him there. Just based on cost, I don’t think any undergraduate education is worth that amount of money. You can achieve a “life of the mind” experience elsewhere, even at a large state school if you are majoring in a “small” subject area where the classes would be limited to fewer than 20 students. If you intend on pursuing advanced studies like a professional school or a PhD, then doing well at a state school and then going on to a top notch graduate program (like UChicago) or professional school. You will most likely be judged by the last school or program you attended when you go for your first job interview.</p>
<p>You don’t expect any financial aid? UChicago also offers some (but few) merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Couldn’t agree more with hyeonjlee. I would spend the $200k in a flash. Also, that education has to offer some salary premium over the course of one’s career. So for me, it is a mere pittance.</p>
<p>It would be difficult to justify UChicago tuition over W&M in-state tuition.</p>
<p>What about versus Berkeley in-state tuition?</p>
<p>I’m an admitted student to the Class of 2014, and I flip flopped like crazy. I initially chose Berkeley super reluctantly for the finances alone basically and SIRed. After that May 1 deadline, though, I regretted choosing Berkeley with every passing day. I think I was just too in love with Chicago. I had visited and loved it. I had read lots of stuff on it and loved the Core and the intellectual atmosphere. Even before applying, Chicago has been sort of my default first choice for the past two years. I emailed my regional counselor, explained my situation, and she gave me another chance. I SIRed to Chicago, but my parents were pretty reluctant about it and wouldn’t let me withdraw from Berkeley. And they and my brother (a Berkeley graduate) kept trying to persuade me to go back to Berkeley. I only assented a few days ago, but I’m still very sad about my choice to give up my dream school. It is a facking (censorship is stupid btw) huge cost difference, though. $28k vs $58k a year? I don’t understand why Chicago’s so expensive. And our family’s disposable income, after taxes, 401(k) savings, and house payments amount to about $70k per year.</p>
<p>I ended up choosing Berkeley because of the significantly lower stress it would mean for both my parents and me (I was prepared to take on about $8000 per year in loans and try to graduate in 3 years just to go to Chicago) and also because going to Chicago would mean sacrificing lots of the extracurricular activities I wanted to do (since I would be trying to graduate in 3 years). And Berkeley’s not a bad school. I just wanted to go to Chicago so much more for the experience.</p>
<p>I feel like I’m posting just to try to find closure on this topic… I mean technically I can still switch back since I haven’t fired off that email to UChicago yet. Any opinions or comments (from hyeonjlee especially, since I find that he/she writes very insightful posts) would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Objectively, Berkeley is the right choice here. UChicago is not worth $120 k more. Furthermore, if you had tried to graduate from Chicago in 3 years to save money, odds are that you would have been fairly miserable in making the attempt.
My recommendation is that you go to Berkeley and not look back. It is a great school in its own right, and if you love UChicago that much there is always grad school.</p>
<p>Hello there:</p>
<p>I just wanted to say that I wish you luck! It seems to me that you made a responsible and unselfish decision. It may be that you will wish to attend graduate school, so spending less for undergrad seems sensible.</p>
<p>HST…im curious to know why u dont think UChicago is worth $120 k anymore…</p>
<p>Because Berkeley is a terrific school. To be blunt, I think that many people on CC underrate public universities, particularly schools like Berkeley, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. I think the more intimate academic experience offered by top privates has some value, just not an additional $120 k’s worth.</p>
<p>postscript: to clarify, I consider UChicago to be among a mere handful of schools that might be worth such a difference in $ - but only for families for whom the extra expense would not represent a significant financial burden. Clearly, this is not the case for the OP.</p>
<p>desperatechaos,</p>
<p>Hardcore U Chicago fan here, who let her son turn down a full ride 4 year scholarship offer from a pretty good school to go to U Chicago at full pay. Even so, I think you made a RIGHT decision. If you are paying an in state tuition for a terrific school like Berkeley, and $120K difference is meaningful for your family, then Berkeley is absolutely a right choice for you, and I applaud your maturity in taking your parents’ burden into a serious consideration.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>“… I mean technically I can still switch back since I haven’t fired off that email to UChicago yet.”</p>
<p>Go to UChicago! Fulfill your heart. You have to do it for yourself even with the best intention for the family. You get this one chance in your life. College experience is different than that of grad school. Nothing can replace it.</p>
<p>Is it worth the $120k difference? Yes. Is it worth going into debt and putting undue hardship on the family finances? No. You have an excellent choice in Berkeley.</p>