<p>Is going to MIT or other schools like that worth the money for undergrad? Because isnt the first two years almost the same in every school and Grad school is what matters most... So wouldnt it better for me to go to University of Florida and save money, and then go to MIT?</p>
<p>If attending a prestigious school for undergrad will cause financial hardship for your family and/or high levels of debt for you, then no, it’s not worth it. For most students, the University of Florida will meet all needs and launch them into the world quite well if they take advantage of the opportunities available.</p>
<p>Many people who have the means are willing to pay to attend prestigious schools because of the stimulation of being around like-minded capable peers, the availability to undergraduates of outstanding faculty, and the opportunity to spend four years in a really nice place. Prestigious schools are a luxury, not a necessity. Whether they are “worth it” is subjective.</p>
<p>NJSue hit it quite nicely, but it’s also worth mentioning that giving up a school like MIT for the University of Florida would only be in your best interest if you’re planning on going to grad school and/or you have financial hardship.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the top schools (H, P, Y) give out the best financial aid. If you are eligible for aid (see each school’s online calculator), you may be able to attend for free, or close to. </p>
<p>For instance, Harvard will give free tuition, room and board, to an accepted student whose family makes $60,000.- or under. Above that number, there is still generous aid for families making up to about $150,000.-, depending on other assets.</p>
<p>The other way to consider if “it’s worth it” is to compare average starting salaries. I believe that MIT undergrads median starting salary is around $70K. I don’t have any idea what the median is at Florida, though I suspect it’s lower. If it’s markedly lower, >=15% less, then you can start to assign ‘worth’.</p>
<p>I thought that the most selective schools also are the richest, and give out the most financial aid. So I think attending Harvard could end up being cheaper than attending some state public schools, depending on your family’s income.</p>
<p>^^Part of the reason that MIT grads make higher starting salaries is that a high percentage of MIT grads work in relatively well paying fields for companies located in the northeast. Janitors who work in Boston also tend to make higher starting wages than janitors who work in Gainseville.</p>
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<p>MIT isn’t a cakewalk for grad school- you still need a top GPA and gre scores to be competitive.</p>
<p>It also depends on your major and post-graduation plans. If your post-graduation plans involve working in a very school-prestige-conscious field like finance or management consulting, then the prestigious school will have much more of an effect than in other fields that are less school-prestige-conscious.</p>
<p>Most tippy top schools give REALLY good financial aid if you can get into them.</p>
<p>Unless you’re rich and make more than $80,000 to $100,000, you really don’t have to pay that much. I think if you make less than $75,000 you barely have to pay anything ([MIT</a> to be tuition-free for families earning less than $75,000 a year - MIT News Office](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/tuition-0307.html]MIT”>MIT to be tuition-free for families earning less than $75,000 a year | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology)).</p>
<p>You can get an idea of what you have to pay here: [Project</a> on Student Debt: What’s the Bottom Line?](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php)</p>