Paying for the dream school or cruising through the state school

<p>I received a full tuition scholarship from Vanderbilt, which still leaves me about $10k short, and a full ride from Auburn. My parents refuse to pay for my college expenses because they think it would not be smart for me to turn down a the free education I would have at Auburn. I plan to be a teacher, and since Vanderbilt has an excellent school of education (Peabody), it is very tempting to take their offer, but it would be difficult to pay back student loans on a teacher's salary and I would have to work hard to come up with the rest of the money while keeping up with schoolwork at Vandy. However, Vanderbilt is my dream school and the thought of giving up such an excellent scholarship bothers me. So...should I take the easy option or shoot for the stars and hope I don't miss?</p>

<p>I say go for Vandy. 10k a year is a lot but doesn’t sound overwhelming for undergrad debt. I know it’s a stretch, but could you possibly appeal for a little more aid? Perhaps you could try to get an RA position for your sophomore, junior, and senior years? </p>

<p>Jw, does Vanderbilt have a 5-Year Master’s of Education program?</p>

<p>I think you should attend AU. It would be different if you were going into a field like banking or law where name means a lot. I think that the difference in these two schools is not worth 40k.</p>

<p>I honestly don’t think the difference is worth 40k. Auburn would be the sensible choice.</p>

<p>If you honestly want to though, go to Vandy. If you want the 40k debt and can handle it, go for it. Dreams are worth fighting for. It would be dumb if life just handed them to us… (plus very anti-climatic…)</p>

<p>i would take the 40k and go to my dream school. a lot of people come out with a lot more debt than that, so it’s really not that bad. imagine paying for the whole thing yourself, eek. i think 40k is something you can manage.</p>

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<p>Interesting . . . my first thought at the opening post was “You can upgrade from Auburn to Vandy for only $10,000 a year? Low-interest loans, if necessary, that you can pay back over a number of years? No brainer - go for it!”</p>

<p>Vandy hands down. Auburn, like most SEC schools is a football team with a community college attached to it. Vandy will give you a WORLD CLASS EDUCATION for 40K - not bad at all.</p>

<p>^ did you call Auburn a community college? huh? wow, people take things too far.</p>

<p>Anyways, I would suggest going with Vandy… but I have heard good things about Auburn as well.</p>

<p>Whatever you do, do not cruise through school. Push yourself even if your school does not.</p>

<p>I’m in the same situation, debating between a full ride at University of Florida or paying 25k a year to go to USC. any opinions? I want to be a sports broadcast journalist, by the way.</p>

<p>I’ve tried everything to get more money, but my dad has a very good job with NASA so we don’t qualify for any additional aid. I looked into an RA position and I have about a 1:3 chance of getting a spot, so it would be a bit of a risk to count on getting the job. If I did though it would pay for all of my room and board.</p>

<p>Yes, they do! Another reason why they are wonderful.</p>

<p>Well, from what I know, USC is absolutely amazing when it comes to journalism, but I’m afraid I don’t have any good advice to give you. Good luck though!</p>