<p>I don’t think there is a huge difference between the education of G’town and a reputable State Flagship Honors college.</p>
<p>Most us us automatically think of job placement,grad school acceptance, opportunities, etc. when deciding if a school is worth the expense. Threads like this show you can succeed(or fail) in these area no matter where you attend college. </p>
<p>I think it is better to consider the quality of the education. The best choice is the school with the best professors. I would post this question on the Georgetown and UT thread and also check out the “rate my professor” website for this dept. in both schools. Talk to students who attended or are attending these schools. Check-out the department web pages at each school as well as web pages for individual professors.</p>
<p>After doing this type of research the value of the education at different schools should make your decision easier.</p>
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<p>I don’t believe any state flagship honors colleges have a program like Georgetown’s SFS. I am sure UT has great academics and great professors as well. However, its the unique nature of the SFS program that sets it apart. In some ways comparing UT and the SFS program at Georgetown is like comparing apples and oranges.</p>
<p>That could very well be. I was speaking in general, in reply to</p>
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<p>Tuition, room, and board are about 25k this year at UT. Another thing to consider: will your kid be able to graduate in four years from UT? Will he be able to get the classes he needs in a timely fashion? Also, it sounds like you’ve changed the rules in the middle of the game. Did you tell him from the beginning that you might not pay for Georgetown?</p>
<p>Our S faced this same question last spring as he was admitted to Georgetown along with a couple of other private schools and the honors programs at two of our state flagships. We looked at the net incremental costs between the state schools and the privates (including all scholarships and other FA). For us it boiled down to an additional $7 - 8,000 per year for the private school and we felt the programs and opportunities at GU and in the DC area were worth it for his field of interest and likely major. I do need to say that we did recieve some FA that we were not expecting and that certainly helped make the decision easier. We did make S take some ownership of the decision by taking advantage of the federal loans available to all along with the option for work study. We don’t feel that if he graduates with total loans of about $20,000 that they will be overly burdensome.</p>
<p>The one point that comes out of this is whether or not you think you will receive any FA from any of the schools that your D or S apply to, you should complete and submit the FAFSA and CSS forms. You might be surprised at what is available and offered at some of the more selective schools.</p>
<p>Our son is now a freshman at Georgetown where he he is a happy and well adjusted student. He definately feels that he made the right choice in schools and programs.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me a flagship state school where COA is 10k, including room and board(as the discussionis based on Georgetown at 60k± is all in)…here on the east coast, i don’t think COA of any state flagship is even remotely close to 10k,likley double that +…</p>
<p>qdogpa,I would imagine the $10,000 figure was just code for cheaper alternatives, like public schools. I wouldn’t take it too literally.</p>
<p>Kids may also get some scholarship in honors college.</p>
<p>Sevmom, thanks, i thought that,but not familiar with state flagships in the middle of country.</p>
<p>“what I really want to hear is that Georgetown is so amazing, it’s worth the extra $$$”</p>
<p>The answer is dependent on the alternative. We know UT, but we don’t know your son. How does he feel about going there? If he could learn to be thrilled about it and determined to get every hour of value out of it, then the Gtown edge is not that great. If he’d be devastated to go there, dreads being at a gigantic school, etc., that changes the calculus.</p>
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<p>Not Georgetown, but a girl I know turned down Johns Hopkins (for pre-med) in favor of UVA. A boy turned down USC (SoCal, not South Carolina) in favor of the state flagship. Another girl turned down UVA Echols for the University of Vermont. Another kid said no to UVA in favor of GMU. Not everyone can attend a brand-name college, be it for financial reasons or for personal reasons; maybe they don’t like the environment at a top school. Many grads of DC schools end up in debt in a low-end job, while graduates from other, less reputable schools go own to control the firms/government agencies the DC grads only dream of working for. </p>
<p>College is a catalyst for later on, and this is where the scary thought of parents not having total control sets in. The kid does what he wants and, more often than not, that’s not very much. Sure, for the 60k price tag, you better try to convince yourself that everything will be ok in the end and that it’s all worth it.</p>
<p>A good example is my friend who wants to transfer, from my last post. He made a promise to his parents to stay in the city one more semester to ‘take advantage of the opportunities’. He (and many others) does this by sitting in his room, Skyping his g/f, and complaining about how much he hates everything in the city and at school. No clubs, no internships, no job, etc. Money well spent. It’s all in the kids’ hands now…</p>
<p>I dont think it should come down to the quality of the professors, as one person said, or whether or not your son is ok with a large school (unless there are emotional issues), I think it comes down to family hardship: how much do you need the (approximately) $150,000, now or, especially, in the future? </p>
<p>Is this your only child? If yes, well, it’s an easier decision. I have three kids, so I might see it differently.</p>
<p>I also do not think most parents can count on their children having decent jobs coming out of college, whether they go to Georgetown or UT.</p>
<p>"what I really want to hear is . . "</p>
<p>These words speak volumes</p>
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LOTS of people turn down USC in favor of UCLA and UCB.</p>
<p>Smorgasbord, i don’t believe any of the school you use as an example are 10k COA,are they?</p>
<p>One question is where your son would like to eventually work. If they want to come back to Texas, UT may be better for many types of jobs. If they want to live on the east coast, Georgetown can offer better network opportunities. Remember many people get their first job after an internship for that employer.</p>
<p>A person needs to also look at the relative strengths of various departments at two colleges. An expensive prestigious college may be top-notch at many disciplines, but not the one in which you are majoring.</p>
<p>^Well this kid specifically was accepted by the School of Foreign Service. Assuming he stays in that field, I suspect that Georgetown is worth the extra bucks, but only if he really takes advantage of the opportunities it supplies.</p>
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<p>qdogpa, 10k was an arbitrary figure that I tossed out there as a comparison. UT Austin costs less than that if you live at home, though (tuition is slightly below 10k).</p>
<p>I became familiar with a group of SFS grads from the late 90s while on a study abroad program during college (required for SFS junior yr back then). Most of them went on to top law schools; the ones I keep in touch with work for the State Dept or corporate law firms.</p>