<p>HI..my daughter is having a tough time deciding. Clemson is 12 hours away but honors program looks great. Lehigh is 1 hour away and a fantastic school. No money from either. she will need to take out loans. Any advice. Do Lehigh graduates really make more money that other schools?</p>
<p>What is the money difference between the 2 schools? Will she have to borrow the entire amount for both schools?</p>
<p>I can’t imagine borrowing $200,000 for Lehigh. I can’t believe that you would be able to justify making enough money to borrow that amount.</p>
<p>If she has to borrow the full amount for both I’d have to say neither is worth full cost via loans. If one is cheaper which I imagine Clemson probably is, that’s the obvious choice when loans are involved unless travel costs add a large chunk. And no I don’t think Lehigh grads necessarilly make more money upon graduation.</p>
<p>Tuition, room and board for Lehigh will be > $50,000 a year. OOS at Clemson will be close to $40,000. A PA student who can get into Lehigh can certainly get into Pitt or Penn State, where it would be < $25,000, and then a West Chester or a Slippery Rock would be < $15,000. Why is your D looking at starting adult life with insurmountable debt?</p>
<p>Assuming you do not plan to borrow the entire amount, I would go with Clemson, unless you think your daughter is more likely to finish her degree at a school closer to home, OR one school has had better success in placing graduates in jobs or grad school than the other in the past few years. I don’t think Lehigh grads necessarily earn more, but it could be the case that Lehigh’s career office places more of its grads.</p>
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<p>My thoughts, exactly. How about taking a gap year and applying to Pitt and Penn State?</p>
<p>On the other hand, the OP did not say that her D was going to have to foot the entire bill… But if she is going to have to borrow to go to Clemson, then the D would be borrowing an additional $40K over 4 years to go to Lehigh. I’d say it isn’t worth it.</p>
<p>gadad makes a very good point. Either Pitt or PSU would be excellent options for an in-state student, and both have excellent geology programs with PSU’S “ranked” among the top on the country if your D is impressed by rankings.</p>
<p>I realize that your D would be disappointed, but the inexpensive way to go would be a satellite PSU campus for the first two years and then PSU College of Earth and Mineral Sciences for the final two years. I do not think anyone would raise an eyebrow at a degree from PSU Earth and Mineral Sciences (or a geology degree from Pitt, for that matter.) I believe Pitt (main campus)would take a transfer as early as next spring, should your daughter balk at not going directly to a 4 year college, if it is too late to apply now. (Some years, Pitt has had openings even into May.)</p>
<p>Handy calculator for you and your daughter to run, so that you both can see what different options might look like in four years: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>
<p>Valerie, I’ve heard lots of great things about clemson’s honors program. I don’t know anything about it firsthand though. My D is considering applying there next fall since one of her teachers has been singing its praises. Have you been to visit?</p>
<p>OP might also be from New Jersey. So in state options are different. People from New Jersey complain about their in state options.</p>
<p>thought about this some more -</p>
<p>For those (including myself, a while ago)who are wondering why OP’s D doesn’t turn around and go to pitt or psu, without looking back, if she is a PA resident - </p>
<p>The advantage of Clemson Honors over pitt or psu w/out honors might be well worth the extra expense for OP’s D, if she takes advantage of everything the honors program has to offer. I doubt that the OP’s D would choose Clemson over pitt or psu without the advantages of the honors program.</p>
<p>At pitt or psu, for example, it is probably more difficult (but not impossible) to get involved in undergrad research without being in honors, although the small size of the College of Earth and Minerals Science at PSU probably mitigates this somewhat. Amenities such as honors housing can also make a big difference for some students. At Clemson, OP’s D would likely be involved in her major (and have the opportunity to participate in research) as early as freshman year, and could probably live in an honors dorm among students from all over.</p>
<p>Speaking as an in-state parent, I have noticed that over the past ten years both pitt and psu have attracted many of the best and brightest from our public high school, generally ( but not always) to the honors colleges, but that these schools are not always the best social fits even among students in honors programs. A school is NOT a bargain if a student is so unhappy that they cannot concentrate on studies, or get access to EC opportunities that are expected on a resume for grad school or an entry-level job. </p>
<p>Will be interested in hearing what OP’s D decides to do…</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies…we are from NJ…we are having daughter pay half the bill.(of course we will help out when the time comes) pitt and psu are out…she didnt like either school…we have been to clemson and she loves it as well as Lehigh. just wondering if lehigh is worth the extra tuition. We are not looking for the cheaper way to go as she did get in to James Madison honors with a scholarship but loved Clemson and Lehigh much better! I actually really like JMU and it would only be half the distance to Clemson. Sometimes I can’t figure kids out.</p>