So, I know there was a thread about this very comparison a few years ago, but my situation is a little different. I have been admitted at both Hopkins and Pitt and am trying to decide between the two. I intend to major in history and/or political science and go to law school after undergrad, immediately after, if possible. I have 1+ years of AP and dual-enrollment credits according to Pitt’s standards (dual-enrollment credits through Concordia University-Wisconsin, accredited). I know about the Hopkins 12 credit limit for outside courses and am totally ok with that, a lot of my credits are AP, anyway. The main issue at this point is the cost of Hopkins vs Pitt. I got a $2000 academic scholarship from Pitt but nothing at Hopkins. Since I am in-state for Pitt, my parents have enough saved that I could graduate from there debt-free. I would most likely have major debt walking out of Hopkins. I do have a scholarship application out for a not-so-competitive scholarship that pays “up to 40%” of tuition anywhere, but I won’t know if I have been selected until after May 1. I am fairly confident I will be selected for the scholarship, but am unsure of what the amount will be (it’s called the Duff Scholarship, if anyone has any experience with it). So, my question is whether a Hopkins degree is so much more valuable in grad school admissions–specifically top law school admissions–that it would merit a huge amount of debt… Potentially 100k or more? By the way, I was also granted guaranteed admission to Pitt’s Law School with all of the normal stipulations, of course. So, is the culture and degree worth the huge debt I would probably come out with, bearing in mind I still have law school after undergrad?
Pitt all the way in your situation.
Ok, so @cptofthehouse I was reading your post on “How Much College Students SHOULD Borrow” and one scenario sounded a lot like my situation. Parents do have a sizeable chunk saved, like I said, enough to cover my time at Pitt, at least as a commuter, and you proposed in your post that a $60k school might be doable in a situation like this. How so? My parents are willing and able to help me above and beyond the aforementioned savings both during and after college, but what else is necessary in such a situation in order to make the $60k/year doable? Or is the hypothetical you considered more of a 4 years and done kind of deal?
Go to Pitt.
It is tough to turn down Hopkins, but the finances seem unworkable, especially if you want to go to law school which will cost you over $100K more even if you go instate.
Not sure that taking that auto-admit to Pitt law school is the way to go, however. If you get great grades you may be eligible for better ranked law schools.
How much per student does that Duff scholarship pay? Is it in the $25K per year or more like a token amount (when compared to JHU tuition). Can you at least find out what past award winners got from your guidance counselor? Is it really possible to get 40% on tuition?
Found one reference to a young woman going to CMU who got $10K a year from Duff. Would that be enough for you to go to JHU? She is a NMF and had over a 4.0.
$10k per year would help… between savings and Duff that brings JHU to a more reasonable range around $30k. For at least the first two years, I would be the only one in college for my family, so I imagine my parents would be able to help me a fair amount with that cost, less so for the final two years, however, as my sister will be entering college. However, I have no idea whether $10k is average, above average, or what-have-you. No one from my school has ever applied for this scholarship before, so I have no information on past awards and I couldn’t even find anything online. The website has the most info I could find: http://www.sms.scholarshipamerica.org/duff/guidelines.html
Also: I have 3.9 UW and 4.2 W through junior year, senior grades will improve that further. 3 APs and 3 dual enrollments in addition to two other classes (Spanish IV, Theology). 2160 SAT super-score. One element I don’t have is National Merit. My PSATs were less than stellar, so no help there.
Also, I would like to go to a higher-ranked law school than Pitt, but have considered the guarantee in the hopes of maybe getting a TA position with a professor I like, and then just finishing out my law school at Pitt, obviously not possible at JHU.