I got into NYU, my dream school with almost no financial aid. As a student who plans on going on to do a dual-degree program for another $150-200k, taking on another $132k (after family help) for undergrad is a terrifying prospect. I have sitting in my arsenal almost a full ride to Syracuse that leaves me only $35,000 in debt after 4 years. The issue is that the field I want to go into demands brand name education to be a competitive job applicant, that field being Corporate Law/Investment banking. I now sit here as an upper-middleclass student seriously contemplating taking an extra $100k in debt just so I can attend a school to make me competitive. To further muddy the waters, I got a federal plus loan which has a sub 5% interest rate which is incredibly good, almost tempting me to take the debt. Moreover, the money to pay this burden exists in my family and I know this debt won’t exist past 20 years. Is it worth it…?
I also got into the honors program and Discovery Florence Program at Syracuse.