<p>Hi, I'm an admitted student and I have one more day to make my decision. Right now I am deciding between WashU, SUNY Binghamton (I live in NY), and Fordham University. I received a large scholarship from Fordham so Binghamton and Fordham are about the same price. If I go to either I would graduate with minimal debt (about $15,000 to 20,000). I did recieve some financial aid from WashU, but I would have about $80,000 in loans after four years:/. I can try to minimize this to about $46,000 best case (assuming I could earn $10,000 from work study, and cut off $24,000 by being an RA for 2 years -but I can not count on this because it is competitive). I am graduating high school having taken 13 AP Courses. My brother is now at WashU and is managing to accomplish a double major and a masters in four years. If I choose WashU I would try to get a masters as well if possible.
I have pretty much decided that WashU is worth the debt since it is so much better than my other options, but I need to be sure. Also I would need to convince my dad, who is uncomfortable with the distance.
Also I am entering the College of Arts and Sciences for whichever school I choose. I am not sure yet of my major, but I have a few things in mind and I plan to have a better idea after first semester.
PLEASE HELP ME. I am running out of time, and would appreciate any insight.</p>
<p>Probably it’s late, but you should post on the financial aid forum for more responses. I would say this, YOU can’t borrow all $80K. The maximum you can borrow is ~$27K in total. You need a co-signer, who basically agrees to take over the loan for you in case you can’t pay back for whatever reason. That brings up another matter. Would your co-signer be credit-worthy for the loan? It works on sliding scale so she or he could qualify in the beginning. As time goes on and more debt piles up, he or she may not qualify at that time. Just something to think about. It’s personal to you and your family. We don’t know how much $80K worth in your case. Of course, most of us on this forum would root for WashU. We’re here because we love this school, you know.</p>
<p>I know this is too late, but no school is worth that kind of debt. You would be foolish to take on an $80,000 obligation from undergrad.</p>