Hi, I’m a international student looking for undergrads study. I didn’t realized the scholarships for schools I applied (UC and Penn) don’t provide for scholarship therefore I didn’t apply for other schools that provide international or merit base scholarships. So, I’m facing a decision, go to a 60,000 a year and well known school or go to a 43,000~47,000 state school. My question is, is it worth it to pay this much for an elite school?
Did you get in already?
What schools and what major(s) are you considering?
What does it mean to you to be worth it? Getting a job? Getting into grad school? Prestige? What’s important to you?
There’s more options to consider. You could take a gap year and re-apply to a wider range of universities, including schools with financial aid, next year. You could go to college in another country. You could start out at a community college and transfer later.
Elite universities are a worthwhile investment for some but not most students. A lot depends on your goals and your resources. What are your professional goals after college? Which country are you planning to settle down in? (You probably won’t be able to stay in the US beyond your student visa unless you obtain a green card through family.) Do you have the financial resources to attend an expensive American university and to take advantage of the opportunities available there? (I had to drop several courses at Stanford because I couldn’t afford the equipment or field trips required for them. I couldn’t participate in a whole range of extracurriculars due to financial constraints either. Never encountered those problems at more socioeconomically diverse colleges.)
If you have to take on debt to pay for most or all of the cost of education in the US, then in most cases it is not worth it.