Money vs "Quality" of Education?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I have good scores and a good gpa and whatnot, and I'm pretty sure I will be a national merit semifinalist (assuming the cutoff doesn't drastically change). And I've spent my summer researching a ton of colleges, and a part of me would really like to go to a great Ivy League school. </p>

<p>The thing is, I will not get any need based financial aid, which is perfectly understandable. My parents both have professional, well paying careers, and work very hard and sacrifice much for a total annual income of $200,000. Now, I understand that that is a LOT of money. But please do not lecture me and understand that there are many factors at play here that make it so that I too have to worry about paying for my college tuition. I really don't want to go into the details, but I also don't want people calling me a spoiled brat (though I'm not claiming to be a saint haha). I have a very ambitious sibling who goes to Duke University without any aid. And on top of that, my family lives in Southern California because this is the only state my Mom's license is valid in. And my parents wanted me and my sibling to go to a very good public school, and so our town is very expensive and our mortgage is too high even for us. There are many other things involved, but that's not very important. I just wanted to give myself a chance to explain before someone jumped down my throat or something.</p>

<p>Anyways, with my stats, I think I might be able to get good merit aid somewhere. My sibling, who also had very good grades, was offered a full scholarship + allowances at University of Texas at Austin. </p>

<p>So my question is this: in your opinion, is it better to go to an expensive school where the quality of education is supposedly higher or a "not-as-great" school that offers a full ride or a similarly enticing financial deal? I care a lot about my education, but I don't know if I want to have debts to pay for many, many years to come. I recently got notified by Drexel, and they told me if I applied, I could skip the app fee, the essay, and I would be immediately considered for scholarships. Assuming I could even get a scholarship, would you think I would be better off going to school for free or going to Brown with loans?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot, guys!</p>

2

<p>The straight answer is … it depends. It depends on the schools you’re comparing, your interests, the amount of the loans v. the amount of the scholarship, etc. For a California resident in your situation, the best option may be one of your state universities (Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD). That would be half the cost of an Ivy (or less) for comparable academic quality.</p>

3

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<p>One thing to consider when selecting a lower-tier college is whether you can be happy surrounded by students who are probably not your academic peers for the most part.</p>

4

<p>Also depends on what you plan to study. There are usually a good number of “lesser” schools that are outstanding in particular majors. As such, you will be surrounded by plenty of great students in that subject. What is your interest?</p>

5

<p>At schools like UC-Berkeley and UT-Austin, there are many students who are just as bright as in the ivy leagues, but since the schools are larger, there are also not-so-bright students. Also take into account that if you go to a school where you are near the top academically, your class ranking will be higher, which will help you when applying for jobs and med or law school (you didn’t state what you want to major in). Also, coming out of undergrad debt free will relieve so much stress from your life, and these schools are still top in the nation, regardless of what the rankings say</p>

6

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/313156-your-kid-takes-top-scholarship-instead-top-school-whats-next.html?highlight=top+scholarship[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/313156-your-kid-takes-top-scholarship-instead-top-school-whats-next.html?highlight=top+scholarship&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>a memorable thread : have fun</p>

7

<p>4 yrs after the above thread I can answer that my s who took a full ride at PSU is now at a top grad program in his field. Graduated with two degrees, honors, Phi Beta Kappa, blah…blah…blah and was surrounded by smart, driven students. This was at a school rated #1 party school. It was impossible for him to take advantage of everything his school could offer him.</p>

<p>We as a family are debt free thanks to him and PSU.</p>