Money vs. Personal Happiness (A Predicament Requiring The Opinion Of All My CCers)

Applying to College
1

<p>My Problem
I have the choice of either (A) going to a not very prestigious University for free (because of my mother's job) and not really having the college experience or (B)going to a prestigious school that is very expensive and would make me very happy (I suppose) such as Brown, UMich, WashU-STL, BC, Middlebury, Penn, Amherst. (If I chose the first choice, I would be able to take the college savings I do have and use it for whatever I please.) However, the second choice would be considerably expensive (at least $35,000 annually if you count all the extras) and I would not be getting any kind of scholarship, altho I do have some money saved I would probably need to take out a loan and the transportation costs such as airfare and gas to and from these schools would also be a considerable expense. However, the first choice would be expense free (almost). Also, I want to go to graduate school, specifically law school after undergrad, and that is not cheap either. The older I get, the more I have come to appreciate the value of the dollar, and I cannot decide which is better. If I chose the first choice, I might have a harder time getting into a respected law school, this institution is obviously not as respected as say Brown or BC, where I might be able to go on to a law school at one of the ivies, and this would lead to a better paying job in the future. I will most likely not be the first choice for most firms when I go to look for an internship or job, especially better and well-known firms who would rather hire interns/lawyers who graduated from more prestigious law schools or colleges. </p>

<p>Please weigh in on this, I know for sure I would not be very happy at SLU, but then again, it's only 4 short yrs, so please help me out! </p>

<p>Thank You and Sincerely</p>

2

<p>as Robert Benchley once said "There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don't." :p</p>

<p>I say this as a joke but also to make a point because I think you are making a mistake here. Your choices are NOT limited to the lousy college for free or a expensive education at a prestigious school. There are 3000+ 4-year colleges in this country. Many kids who face financial pressure choose a school a little lower down in prestige where they will receive merit scholarships. You have more than 2 options!</p>

<p>Also you are mistaken about needing to go to a top undergrad to go to a prestigious law school. Law school admission is predicated on LSAT scores and GPA for the most part. Where you got the degree plays a much smaller part. The higher admit rates from those schools is a function of the bright students they admit in the first place.</p>

3

<p>Follow your heart. If going to the more prestigious school is where you will be happy and love the entire experience, choose it. If not then don't. Being that you'd like to be a lawyer, there's absolutely no doubt that you'll be able to pay off the student loans within the first 10 years of your career. But how much of burden would that be on your plans? For instance, do you plan to open your own office? Would you like to invest your money in an effort to make it work for you rather than work against you due to inflation? Those are some of the questions that you must ask yourself. I personally chose the state college option but I am from california, which offers berkeley and the semi prestigious ucla(my first choice due to similar reasons, love for the school and job opportunities in los angeles).</p>