Northeastern vs. University of Delaware vs. Tulane

College Search & Selection
41

I am blessed to have been able to attend college OOS at a school that I adore, in a city and state that I already love so much. I thank God every day that I am no longer forced to see all the jerks from high school ever again, and that I was able to go so far away from them. And I thank God every day that my parents taught me humility and respect (and I apologize if I’m coming off as the opposite). I’m very well-aware that finances are sometimes all that makes a student’s college decision, and that is beyond unfortunate. I’m saying that if finances aren’t the most/only significant factor, why bother choosing Rutgers when you have academically better, decently affordable OOS options?

FWIW, UNCW is equal with Rutgers on admitted student stats, but the former has a much better surrounding area, one that is more appealing to college students. They are two totally different schools, and of course one is more well-known than the other, but to say that Rutgers is out-and-out better than UNCW is a rather unfounded statement. (Yes, I know you didn’t outwardly say it, but you implied it).

Now, if you wish to ask me more, please PM me; I won’t derail this thread any further. OP, if you do end up choosing Rutgers due to finances, I really hope you make the best of your time there. If your parents can afford the likes of Tulane, Penn State, etc, then by all means go for it. You have more than enough tools available to make the best necessary choice for your enjoyment and your family’s comfort.

42

BTW if you are impressed by Rutgers Business school you should be knocked out by TCNJ’s business school which is national ranked quite a bit higher and for good reason. That’s why it’s so hard to get into.

43

@stones3 I know TCNJ is better than Rutgers; I personally rate it #2 in all of NJ, while Rutgers is #4. And I detest that stupid TV show, they brought disgrace to our state. Thankfully, no one at my school talks about it.

44

“I’m very well-aware that finances are sometimes all that makes a student’s college decision, and that is beyond unfortunate”

There are many things in life that are ‘beyond unfortunate’, attending a top 100 national University like Rutgers isn’t remotely close to being one of those things, nor is going to any halfway decent school and getting a good education out of it. The whole rankings thing is such a scam and sham that enables schools to charge the ridiculous amounts they do by preying on students and their families’ insecurities and brand name envy, which in turn forces schools to spend and need more money to compete in the rankings game.

The small LAC I attended for UG was recently ranked in the bottom 10% of schools in PA by some media outlet’s ranking formula. They don’t do much research, though the research they do is done by undergrads (which was invaluable experience), the teaching is excellent since the profs are there to teach, not do research, and I received an amazingly rewarding education, also one that my parents and I could afford. My classmates are doctors, lawyers, professors and successful professionals of all sorts in teaching, business, health care, etc. Did I go there because it was affordable? Damn right I did, and it was hardly unfortunate in the least, and yes, I am certain your despised safety school, Rider, would be ranked above it, though they are in different states.

I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, had partial scholarship offers from Pitt, U of Md, and Dickinson (before it became part of Penn State), plus an acceptance to Penn’s law school. Family and financial circumstances made it much more viable for me to attend Widener’s PA campus for law school so that I could work full time while attending part time. Again, was this something “incredibly unfortunate”? Not even close. I again got a great education, a job right out of school and plenty of advancement since then, plus the scholarship I received kept my student loans very easily manageable, especially compared to the enormous student debt I see newbies in my office lugging around like giant millstones around their financial necks.

The ‘worst’ education I received, and it was still fairly good, was from a top 50 national research university where I did my masters and found the teaching to be extremely hit and mostly miss because most profs only taught because they had to and concentrated on research, which was the key to promotion and tenure.

Also, your comment about the ‘reputation’ of girls at Rutgers strikes me as utterly offensive and demeaning. One of the first, most well spoken and brightest young posters I encountered on CC was a young lady who was thrilled to get into Stockton with a later guaranteed admit into Rutgers for Pharmacy, so my impression of the young ladies at Rutgers could not be more different than yours apparently is.

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@Skates76 I never said I despised Rider at all; I don’t have any animosity towards that school in the slightest. They were my first acceptance, I have no reason to hate them! I just don’t think it’s a very good school at all. I never saw myself happy at Rider, and I didn’t find the prospect of attending that school to be at all exciting. I respect that you’ve made something so great out of your life - they do always say that it’s not about where you go to college, but what you do while you’re there.

By no means did I say that I held that opinion of Rutgers girls myself; I was merely saying what NJ residents think of them. I certainly wasn’t intent on implying that in any sort of way, and I apologize if I offended you or her at all. I’m sure that poster is an exceptional woman who has gone on/will go on to do fantastic things in her life. And by the way, two of the most gorgeous women I follow on Instagram, one of whom is a fitness model, are actually freshmen at Rutgers. So they certainly have many beautiful women. :slight_smile:

46

Wow, I never expected to receive so many responses. I understand @LBad96 's point, I too would like to leave New Jersey and many of my classmates feel the same way. Based on everyone’s advice, especially from the parents, I think I will eliminate Penn State as it’s similar in cost to UDel and Tulane and I would rather attend the latter two schools. Additionally, I know that as a Political Science major, especially if I don’t switch majors, law or grad school could be in my future. So when making a choice, I know I need to consider that as well.

@LuckyCharms913 Thank you for your advice, it’s truly appreciated.
@LucieTheLakie I understand his points on New Jersey, and I realize that his experience may have been different from my own. However, his opinions aren’t stopping me from considering Rutgers, as I realize it’s the best option financially. Thank you!
@mathprof63 Thanks for the link, I’ll be sure to check it out.
@LBad96 I understand your hatred of New Jersey, I really do. Also regarding the reputation of women at Rutgers, I’ve heard that as well and don’t particularly love that the school is often referred to as “Slutgers”. Thanks for your opinions, and I hope you continue enjoying your school!

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Update: Just received $8,000 annually from UDel, making my tuition $35,250!

48

This statement personifies the worst of NJ jerk kid attitude.

OP has time to make this decision. Final financial aid packages shouldn’t be in until March, no?

49

Come to think of it, it’s actually better for you to eliminate Penn State and focus on all the others. And if your high school is anything like mine, you’d see a lot of classmates there too. As I explained in post #51, I don’t necessarily agree with the “Slutgers” nickname.

Best of luck to you!

@OHMomof2 please refer to the last paragraph in post #51.

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OP: if you think you will go to law school, take the cheapest route. It is very expensive, and there is no FA for it other than loans generally!

If not-Tulane would win for me:)

51

$40,000 is real money

$80,000 even more real

Think about how hard and for how long you will have to work to pay that back.

Sit down with your parents and chart the ROI on each school and you will make an educated decision. Not based on fleeing a state or type of girls…

52

How much will your parents contribute?

53

My undergrad has a reputation as well. Its known as the “std school” at my old high school. My former classmates were thinking that its JMU, Virginia Tech, UVA, or William and Mary. If you went to any other school instate you were thought of as a loser. I was already a loser in high school so it didn’t matter to me. My school had my major, good teacher:student ratio, affordable, and in an ideal setting.

My school has allowed me to gain experience and all of my geology professors know my name/face. Grad schools don’t care what school you went too, they care what you did there. Also since I went the affordable route, I have money left over for grad school. To me its worth graduating with little to no debt vs seeing a pretty name on a diploma that I may look at once a year. Btw I’m a senior in undergrad so I do know how you feel.

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So, checking the COA of the various schools and including scholarships, it looks like OP would have to pay the following:

$26,000 per year at Rutgers
$35,000 per year at UDel
$45,000 per year at Tulane (plus whatever the costs are to get home)

I don’t think you’ve given us a clear answer on what exactly your parents can afford without going into quite a bit of debt. Since you didn’t receive financial aid anywhere, I assume they can afford some amount per year, but you need to sit down with them and discuss these issues. While I understand that you might be willing to have them go into debt (because that is what will happen here -they will have to cosign or sign for most of the loans that are taken out) and they might even say they are willing to do this, part of maturity is understanding that you might need to make sacrifices for them, just as they are obviously willing to make sacrifices for you.

I happen to think that U Del is an excellent school and the area is quite safe. It has some strong programs and if affordable, and you absolutely hate the idea of Rutgers, I would have no qualms about attending U Del.

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@midatlmom I haven’t given a solid answer on what they can afford because I don’t know what they can afford. They don’t like talking about money with me, so I’m not sure. All I know is they will pay about half, dependent upon of course where I attend. That being said, I am heavily considering what kind of debt they’ll be in. If I wasn’t considering them, I wouldn’t be having such a difficult time making a decision.

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Half is all I know. I really am not sure the actual exact number that they can or cannot afford. @ucbalumnus

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“Half” of what is the question that you need answered. I.e. half of Northeastern’s cost, or half of Rutgers’ cost? And without parent loans or parent-cosigned student loans?

Your parents’ vagueness is not doing you any favors. You do not want to go to a school and then have to drop out because your parents run out of money (and have no money to help you finish even if you transfer to a less expensive school). However, you also do not want to overly limit your choices if your parents are comfortably able (without parental loans) and willing to pay for more choices than you assume they will.

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@ucbalumnus I KNOW that’s what I need to find out. I can’t exactly just go and ask them, and I highly doubt they will make me drop out of a school later on. We wouldn’t decide on a school that we knew we couldn’t afford down the road.

59

That may not be their intention, but if they put themselves on the very edge financially, even a minor financial setback can squeeze their budget enough that they can no longer afford to help you enough with college costs. Or if they take out loans for your first year and then cannot get any more loans in later years.

60

That is exactly what you need to do. Once all the offers are in, sit down with your parents and review them together so that they are aware of the costs. They will let you know what is out of the question in affordability.