<p>I am guessing your parents are of a generation or socio-econ group that thinks all "colleges" are the same. This is not TRUE.</p>
<ol>
<li>Your are planning your future...get the best/most recognizable college degree you can. It WILL pay off in the future</li>
<li>Love your parents...they do not understand...take out loans if you must...if you are thinking about a medical/law career...you will be able to pay your loans back quickly. Some communities that have low numbers of physicians in the area will pay back your loans.</li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
Parents take a word to the wise... if you are going to give a child life... you need to go to the lengths of providing opportunities for the kid to achieve in life..
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Astrife, I agree that your parents have failed you -- obviously somewhere along the line they raised you badly and failed to instill the basic values that would ensure your success. Instead, you simply look for someone to blame for the fact that you weren't born into an elite lifestyle.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry too much about the money, though. With your attitude toward life, I will be very surprised if any of the elite colleges you aspire to attend actually admit you. It is amazing how much of a student's personality manages to show show through in carefully-worded recommendation letters from teachers & the school g.c. Your misguided arrogance and sense of entitlement will probably be your undoing.</p>
There are no such loans. They are a figment of your imagination. Without a co-signor or credit in your own name , there are zero loans out there for you other than those insured by the feds or in limited instances , the colleges themselves. </p>
<p>Call the loan folks Monday and ask them. Don't trust us. At your age I wouldn't have either, but don't pin you hopes on some delusional (and at this point rather pathetic) belief that there is big, easily attainable loan money out there for kids with great grades and stellar stats . It just ain't true. I've tried to explain it. It's up to you to find out what's real and imaginary. Good luck to you all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
it's just that if I am making 400k/yr as an MD after all of my schooling and able to pay off this debt relatively quickly should I be limited on my educational prospects because of my parents lack of foresight
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I think you're showing a little "lack of foresight" yourself. A $400K income is not guaranteed to MDs in any specialty - in case you haven't noticed, MD incomes are being squeezed by the realities of the health care system. Are you willing to bet your financial future that the situation will improve? Yes, some physicians in some areas make that much, and more - but those are primarily docs who do much longer residencies than three years. They usually aren't fresh out of training, either - you'll have to pay your dues in a practice before you're showered with that kind of money.</p>
<p>Apologies if this question has been asked earlier in the thread - but how are you going to pay for medical school? Are your parents on the hook for that, as well? It's A LOT more expensive than an undergraduate education.</p>
<p>astrife, it's great that you've worked so hard in high school. That may QUALIFY you for a great education at a top name school, but it doesn't ENTITLE you to it. There are many. many equally qualified seniors out there who know this already, and who will get that great education somewhere other than Harvard or Stanford.</p>
<p>I think that worrying about getting into a top 20 school for an undergraduate degree is ridiculous. As a matter of fact, your mother is giving you valuable, sensible advise. If you want to go to a top 20 school just because it is top 20 and you feel it has some mystical power which will grant you all your wishes and desires for the rest of your life, be must guest. But have fun dealing with loans as your coworker who went to state school is actually paying off his/her mortgage.</p>
<p>Most people who want to succeed go on to graduate school or some form of post-graduate study anyways. When you are applying for your first job out of college, the company looks at where you attained your HIGHEST degree. Therefore, it is possible to go to Northeastern University on a full-ride for one's undergraduate degree and then matriculate on a fellowship and eventually graduate from MIT with a degree if one works hard enough.</p>
<p>Parents who feel that their kid is somehow failing by not attending an Ivy League Institution are terrrible. The ones that turn around and brag about their offspring going to an Ivy at the local sewing circle are the worst. If this means anything, the Ivies are a breeding ground for intellectual snobbery that does not neccessarilly translate into a rich and enjoyable lifestyle. I know many people are going to hate me for saying this, but THE IVY LEAGUES ARE TERRIBLY OVER-RATED.</p>
<p>"Love Your Parents BUT Absolutely Go to the BEST"-
---I sort of agree, but in a way disagree. Well, except for the loving your parents part. After all, you wouldn't want to be ungrateful for all the years of toil your parents went through to afford you a decent life? You should go to YOUR BEST. College rankings aren't worth the recycled paper they are printed on. Programs differ from school to school and you should go to the school which you best think you could survive in for 4 years.</p>
<p>"A PHd from Harvard is way more impressive than a PHd from Penn State."
--Define impressive. This statement is assanine considering a PHd is a PHd and the PHd from Harvard could be in political ineptitude for all you know. Penn State has some great programs which are on par with Harvard, especially within its Honors Program. Don't judge a book by its cover.</p>
<p>In conclusion, a prestigious degree comes in many ways, shapes, and forms. For some it passing community college. For some it is attending state school. But please...pretty please....don't whine to your parents when the point they make is valid.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"A PHd from Harvard is way more impressive than a PHd from Penn State."
--Define impressive. This statement is assanine considering a PHd is a PHd and the PHd from Harvard could be in political ineptitude for all you know. Penn State has some great programs which are on par with Harvard, especially within its Honors Program. Don't judge a book by its cover.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Suppose you are an employer of a multi-million company. You have 2 applicants for the same post. One has a degree from Penn State while the other has the same degree from Harvard. You would most likely select the Harvard applicant? This is the real world, thats just how things go.</p>
<p>The Harvard Applicant is pulling a B average while the Penn State applicant is pulling straight As.</p>
<p>The employer went to Penn State and knows it is a great school.</p>
<p>Who do you think he would higher in that scenario? There are so many factors other than the name of the school that go into consideration. You are foolish to assume that the Harvard alum. would automatically get the job. That just goes to show you the huge misconception that going to Harvard will guarantee a lifetime of success.</p>
<p>Employers place great weight on work experience. So the kid who worked his way through Penn State may be at an advantage, depending on the type of work he did and position(s) held.</p>
<p>
[Quote]
Suppose you are an employer of a multi-million company. You have 2 applicants for the same post. One has a degree from Penn State while the other has the same degree from Harvard. You would most likely select the Harvard applicant? This is the real world, thats just how things go.
[/Quote]
</p>
<p>This probably applies for your first entry level job. After that, it's what you do with that degree, i.e. your work experience and knowledge. If you're applying for the C.E.O position, you better have a strong track record.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Suppose you had two applicants for a particular post. One has a degree from Yale, while the other has a degree from UCF. Obviously the Yale student is gonna get the job.>></p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>Depends on the job. The best that Yale kid would get would be an interview. BUT suppose the head of human resources was a UCF grad. Sorry, I do not believe "brand name" correlates with success. Yes, you may gain some connections, but YOU will have to sell yourself and perform in the long run. Neither my husband nor I have degrees from top 20 schools...we are both successful in our fields, earn a decent salary, and are happy.</p>
<p>I'm not gonna lie: OneThousandFists is a complete idiot who feels that going to an Ivy league school will grant you success, even if you just barely pass and the only reason you are there is because of a rich parent who makes generous donations to the school.</p>
<p>calmom is right. Work experience matters. In fact, the candidate who has the most work experience and/or volunteering experience in the field will likely get the job.</p>
<p>"How could you be so naive to consider the Penn studnet has a chance?"
--This once again illustrates how ignorant you are being. I simply provided a counter-example which demonstrated that there are more factors than the name of a job applicant's school. Although strong network connections may exist between certain companies (which by the way happens often with state schools as well), just because the candidate goes to harvard does not mean he will win in the end. Most sensible employees look to hire hard-working teams of people who care about getting the job done well. There are students at the Ivies who will never get the job over someone coming from a state school. That is life.</p>
<p>I side with the parents. Astrife, you are an immature and arrogant. </p>
<p>I'm in my second year of my planned 8 years of school, and I know my parents cant afford to pay for any of it and never will. I'm fine with that, I know we're in the lower middle class and that my education is my choice, and that 20 years from now no one will care where my degree is from, as long as I'm doing my job well.</p>
<p>Its called-FAFSA, student loans, perkins grant, state grants, school scholarships, and two jobs. Welcome to the real world</p>