<p>So...I basically have to make a decision by tomorrow, and I have no idea what to do. I have visited both schools and though they were so different, loved them both. Now it really comes down to the quality of education, opportunities, and finances. Would going to Dartmouth really be worth the huge price tag? Enough to turn down a full ride?</p>
<p>I'm not entirely sure what I want to study yet, but if I go to Dartmouth it would probably be Econ. If I went to NYU, my options would be more open becuase I would be saving a lot of money that I could invest in grad school.</p>
<p>I am a parent (and consequently would be the one paying the bills). If I could afford it without undue hardship, I would recommend that my child go to Dartmouth over NYU hands down – for me it’s a no brainer. </p>
<p>I don’t minimize the value of $250,000 (estimated cost of 4 years at Dartmouth) and fully recognize that with this much on the line, many families would reach the completely rational decision that this is too much of a burden when one is admitted to an excellent school like NYU. However, I view Dartmouth as being a much better school, with a much more prestigious reputation, and would pay the money.</p>
<p>So, the decision really comes down to what your family can afford, is willing to contribute, and whether there will be consequences (such as inability to help out in grad school). Assuming that you liked the school (if you hated Dartmouth, then don’t go there), I would recommend Dartmouth if at all possible.</p>
<p>Personally, I’m not a fan of big city, urban undergrads, so to me Dartmouth is definitely worth it. But that is really a question for your parents.</p>
<p>I personally hated Dartmouth, so I say nyu. I hate to see people take tons of debt for schools. An education is an education when you really dig deep. If it’ll hurt your finances, why bother?
Don’t let the Ivy League name sway you any which way. </p>
<p>If it’s that close of a decision to you, of course go for the free ride. I’m not sure how that happened, however, as NYU does not give full merit awards and Dartmouth meets full need. Is this a theoretical question? What do your parent say about this? If you are truly on the fence, get their opinions and of course the money should enter into it. What would have made this difficult is if you wanted the one that was full price.</p>
<p>what NYU gave me was a full merit scholarship (I never knew it existed until I recieved it)
sorry for not being more specific before but yes the scholarship covers full TUITION</p>
<p>I have talked to my parents about it, and they want to do what’s best for me. They say they’ll do anything they can if I want to go to Dartmouth. I would say we’re considered upper middle class, so we don’t qualify for financial aid, but paying over 60k a year is not an easy feat by any means. It’s not impossible, but I’m just going to feel really bad making my family squeeze out every last resource to pay.</p>
<p>I actually also got into Cornell’s AEM program which would be 40k a year because I’m a NY resident. Maybe this is a happy medium…</p>
<p>I’m a very flexible person. I can adapt to pretty much any kind of college life, and I know I’ll be fine wherever I go. I just want to know if going to an Ivy will really make a big difference.</p>
<p>I don’t think that “reputation” and “prestige” is worth $250,000, even if I could afford it. NYU is a a great school with a prestigious reputation - even though Dartmouth is ranked higher according to U.S. News, we’re talking about #11 vs. #33 here. That’s not a huge gap; I’d dare say it’s pretty much meaningless in terms of the types of opportunities that OP could get post-college. I certainly wouldn’t pay it. I definitely think that sometimes paying a little more is worth it, but not in this case.</p>
<p>Just as a note, though - full tuition is not a “full ride” or a “full scholarship.” A full ride/scholarship means tuition, fees, room, and board. What you got is a full tuition award.</p>
<p>Make sure you do a careful “all-in” analysis: room, board, incidentals, cost of living in NYC, travel to and from home…but I have a hard time justifying going into major debt for undergrad degrees, there is just too little chance that the brand name/alumni network will pay out quickly enough to cancel the impact of the significant debt. And as many have pointed out, you’re choosing between three good schools, the differences are smaller than you think. So have a good heart-to-heart with your parents and see what it would all cost over the four years and take it from there. Good luck…and let us know where you come out!</p>
<p>NYU. Perhaps this is just a west-coast bias, but i’ve never found Dartmouth to be that prestigious. And frankly, to be honest, it’s probably no more prestigious than NYU is, despite is being an ivy. And it’s in the middle of NOWHERE(yes i’m aware that many other ivies are as well, e.g. Yale; but unlike yale, it lacks its prestige.)</p>
<p>Go to NYU, and enjoy a fun and vibrant life in NYC.</p>
<p>beyphy - it would appear you don’t know much about Dartmouth. Dartmouth’s placement into business jobs is among the top 5 in the nation and its placement into top grad schools has historically been ranked in the top 7. Its most usually right behind HYP among the Ivies in these two categories. It has the 2nd or 3rd most loyal alumni in the nation. Its loaded with grants and the study abroad is ranked #1 or #2 every year. Just because you don’t know much about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t do exceptionally well at what matters. For example:</p>
<p>WSJ Ranking of feeder schools to elite Law, Business and Med Schools:</p>
<p>1) Harvard
2) Yale
3) Princeton
4) Stanford
5) Williams
6) Duke
7) Dartmouth
8) MIT
9) Amherst
10) Swarthmore
11) Columbia
12) Brown
13) Pomona
14) Chicago
15) Wellesley
16) Penn
17) Georgetown
18) Haverford
19) Bowdoin
20) Rice
21) Northwestern
22) Claremont McKenna
23) Middlebury
24) Johns Hopins
25) Cornell
JamieBrown is offline </p>
<p>And Yale isn’t in the middle of nowhere. And on a side note many/ most would argue NYU has a major lack of a campus environment, which can make the experience a little lonely.</p>
<p>And despite being nearly 250 years old, it’s only graduated 3 Nobel prize winners. It’s rankings are also fairly unimpressive. (save USnews)</p>
<p>all that list shows is that Dartmouth has a competitive student body. (i never denied that) but that doesn’t prove that its one of the top feeders due to its prestige.</p>
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<p>I’ve been to New Haven, and my brother goes to Yale; it’s in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>What does Nobel Prize production have to do with anything? Dartmouth is a much stronger school at the undegraduate level. That being said, its hard to justify that kind of debt unless your parents make at least 300K a year. NYU is still a top university. If you strongly prefer Dartmouth and your parents can afford it, I would say to go there. If not, make the most out of your NYU experience.</p>