<p>I am currently in Miami, Florida. Is it smart to attend Boston University and pay 52k a year (that's what it says on their website, although I need someone to tell me if that's what I really have to pay) when I can go to FSU or UF and pay much less? Is undergrad school choice that important? 52k a year is out of my family's budget and I have no idea how their financial aid works, but I hear that many people complete their 4 years at BU and just pay off the debts when they get their job. Is it smart to have such a large debt after undergrad? Can't I just go to FSU and then go to the grad school of my choice?</p>
<p>What do you want to major in?</p>
<p>It is NOT smart to go $200,000 in debt. Many people complete their four years and then pay off (or attempt to pay off) their debt over DECADES. It can affect your ability to buy a house, buy a car, decide you want to take a year off and join the peace corps, or go to graduate school. College debt can’t even be discharged by bankruptcy. I bought a $100,000 house 20 years ago and STILL haven’t paid it off, and I have a good job making good money, which isn’t a guarantee for someone just graduating with a BS or MS or even PhD.</p>
<p>You need to learn more about college financing - here’s a great place to start. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1151-financial-aid-scholarship-resource-threads-start-here.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1151-financial-aid-scholarship-resource-threads-start-here.html</a></p>
<p>Here are only a few of the 200 posts that popped up when I typed “too much debt” into the search box in the top blue bar of this site.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1392641-how-much-debt-too-much.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1392641-how-much-debt-too-much.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1378703-taking-out-loans-entireity-my-tuition-bad-idea.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1378703-taking-out-loans-entireity-my-tuition-bad-idea.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1378119-confusion.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1378119-confusion.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1374322-financial-aid-max-completely-unfair.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1374322-financial-aid-max-completely-unfair.html</a></p>
<p>I am planning on majoring in Political Science/Law. </p>
<p>Thanks for the response! I have a scholarship that pays for 75% of my in-state tuition and that’s just a hard offer to pass up. Even though BU may be higher ranked than UF or FSU, I still think it’s better to go in state, right?</p>
<p>At which school do you have the 75% tuition scholarship?</p>
<p>For any in-state public university. That includes both UF and FSU.</p>
<p>I’d say to go to UF unless FSU has better programs in your area of interest, and congratulations on doing well in high school and having the sense to think about the future for not wanting the debt! Good luck!</p>
<p>If you have really good stats, you can apply other places that give significant scholarships or have better FA than Boston University.</p>
<p>Run the Net Price Calculator for BU to get a better idea of what you would really have to pay. You will need help from your parents to do this (they have to provide financial info from their tax returns, etc.). But it is fairly quick, at least compared to the actual financial aid forms are that you would have to fill out later - - can you tell I just spent an entire weekend slogging through the CSS Profile form? 
But run the calculator to see. You might not end up with $200,000 in loans. </p>
<p>Generally it is NOT a good idea to take out more in loans than you expect to make in your first year out of college. And if you are going to law school and will also have those expenses, the less expensive undergrad option makes a lot of sense.</p>
<p>HECK no, do not borrow tens of thousands for BU.</p>
<p>Where did you “hear” that many people complete BU and just pay off their debts? That’s probably true, if they either come from wealthy families that were able to help them keep their student loan debt to a minimum OR if they got enough financial aid either from BU or somewhere else that allowed them to keep their debt low. But the vast majority of BU’s graduates wouldn’t be able to borrow the full cost of attendance and just pay it off later.</p>
<p>Undergrad school choice is important. Even if you plan on graduate school, your undergrad school choice can open you up to opportunities. Resources such as the libraries, the career center, your professors, study abroad programs, majors, internships, and other things can change what you find out about and what you have access to. And the academic preparation in your undergrad department will be the foundation upon which you have to build a graduate career. But that doesn’t mean that you have to go to a fancy expensive private school to get all of those. Both UF and FSU are great research universities with large libraries, research professors who can help you get into graduate school, established career centers, and other connections and opportunities. UF or FSU probably both have a greater variety of majors than BU, too.</p>
<p>You don’t want to be saddled with debt for years and years after you graduate. Especially if you plan on law school!</p>
<p>UF is a great school. I can’t imagine it is more beneficial to go to one or the other. UF has a great reputation.</p>
<p>There are some really good responses here. Read them - don’t make assumptions about aid and make sure you fill out all your paperwork on time. Don’t go where you can’t afford to go.</p>
<p>No, BU isn’t a good decision if it means going deeply into debt. With the money you don’t end up spending, you can 1) study abroad for a year 2) take interesting, career-enhancing unpaid internships 3) forgo having to get a job on campus to help pay your expenses 4) save money for grad school 5) live more comfortably for the next decade while you aren’t paying off a humongous debt.</p>