<p>His proposed major isn't the matter under debate, so comparing earning statistics for the different schools would be a valid way to support his argument.</p>
<p>Ryan - Did you go to public school for K-12, or private school? If so, how much was tuition at your private school? (Just trying to work an angle here - because the "higher starting salary" think probably won't work out. I don't think there is evidence to that effect...)</p>
<p>Another thought. If you have already been accepted, you might want to contact someone in admissions or in the departments you are interested in at the school you choose, and ask them for information. They will certainly know things about their programs that could be helpful. Also ask in the CC forum for that school, and you will get some good information.</p>
<p>ive never been to a private school, my parents dont believe in it. They believe in working hard to achieve your goals at the lowest cost. You have to understand that while my parents are very well off financially, they were extremely poor as children. They didnt have the opportunities that I have and they really believe in hard work without too much help. At least thats how ive always been raised.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, NYU does not have a very deep IR program. You'll run out of courses by your junior year.</p>
<p>I too like the American option. Yes, the campus and some aspects can be underwhelming, but the course offerings and IR professors are at the tippy top of the profession. Graduates get great jobs--from the few I've seen--one at the Justice Department, including travel throughout the US. If you like their program, it is worth a call to their fin aid office to see if they can up the offer. They would love to have a student ofyour caliber.</p>
<p>Too bad you didn't apply to other IR programs. GWU has a great program and BU has a surprisingly deep IR department, both give great merit scholarships :(.</p>
<p>Look up the specific IR courses at each school. How many catch your interest? How many 500 and 600 level courses are offered? What are the study abroad options? Can you go for a year? A year and a half?</p>
<p>Answer these queries for yourself and you'll have the answer, I suspect.</p>
<p>Promise your parents you will learn Mandarin as part ofyour IR degree. Then, they can rest assured that you will have lucrative job prospects.</p>
<p>I agree with TheDad...take an out of state path and be a Georgia boy in a new part of the USA. It will be a welcome stretch for you and broaden your horizons in the job market. If you do this, stay communicative with your TheDad and Your TheMom and be appreciative and industrious with their hard earned money. Seek internships and good summer jobs and ways to make good on their investment in you.<br>
However, I think Athens is a super college town and the University of Georgia has created excellence in the last decade in many realms. I have a friend with a PhD from UGa in a job in the White House right now. Consider returning for a doctorate at UGa or Emory. Atlanta is a happening city, and perhaps you would return to Athens/Atlanta hub markets someday. Even Univ of South Carolina has a great international business college. Consider taking responsibility for your grad degree payments as a trade off.</p>
<p>I know NYU's program is small, but its competitive to get in to and its an honors major. I like the requirements the school places on students. I applied there because I love their econ program as well. </p>
<p>Thanks for your advice everyone, I will try to do what I can.</p>
<p>As a parent in Georgia with a Senior D, I understand where your parents are coming from. My D was also accepted into UGA Honors, but will probably end up attending a college out-of-state. Many, many people can not understand why you would pass up a deal like UGA or GaTech. They are great schools and many people are very loyal to the Dawgs or the Yellow Jackets. </p>
<p>I really want my D to have a more national or global experience at college than she had going to a public K-12. She does not want to feel like she is "attending high school in Athens". Try explaining (calmly, rationally) to your parents that, especially with your major, going to school where you would have contact with people from all over the country and the world would be more beneficial than going to school where the great majority of students are from GA. Tell them that you want the chance to grow and develop as a person and you will have a better opportunity to do that farther away from home where you will have to take risks and will have to figure things out for yourself.</p>
<p>I understand that UGA /Tech can offer similar opportunities, but I have talked to several students and parents this year that said it is just too easy to hang with the kids you know and they don't branch out that much to meet new people.</p>
<p>Good luck with your parents.</p>
<p>ThatMom is right about the advantages of branching out. But if your parents insist on your going to your state U, there is always the option of a Junior Year Abroad and more far-ranging summer internships.</p>
<p>ryan, what I am not seeing in your posts is any understanding that your parents do have a point. You expect them to hand you an education in the school of your choice without a thought to the return on investment. You are 18 years old. I cannot think of anybody who knew what they were going to be at 18 and stuck with it, and of the ones who thought they wanted to be professors ALL left grad school before completing their Master's. </p>
<p>If this dream is important enough to you you can work and borrow money to make up the difference between what they would have paid to send you to an in-state school (see if you can talk them into matching your Hope scholarship) if you hadn't gotten the Hope scholarship and what you will pay at the school of your choice.</p>
<p>As to the best school for you, I'd say it doesn't matter. What is important for you at this stage is to go somewhere where you will have to take the risk and make the investment in yourself. </p>
<p>Your parents are doing you a huge favor by sticking to their values.</p>
<p>You should use "apples to apples" comparison, to take into account the value of your parents' monetary contribution. </p>
<p>For instance, suppose the cost of a bachelor's at an instate public school is $60,000, while at a private or out-of-state school it's $120,000. Then a fair comparison is, which is better, a bachelor's from the better school, or the "lesser" degree with $60,000 in the bank, enough to pay for grad school or to make a downpayment on a house?</p>
<p>Have you asked your parents if they will pay for grad school, too? If not, ask them if you take the "free ride," will they let you use the $75k (or more) towards that... it is more important to go to a great grad school than a top undergrad. You just need to go to a "good" undergrad, do well and get accepted to a top grad. That is pretty easy to do.</p>
<p>Good luck on your choice. I had the same decisions to make with my kids.</p>