<p>Ok, so I have a little problem. Up until this Friday, I was planning on applying early to Penn, Wharton specifically. I really loved the campus and even stayed on campus this summer for three weeks at a summer program. My family isn't poor enough to apply to financial aid, but regardless, the $51,000 would inevitbaly be a burden on my family.</p>
<p>My family agreed to letting me apply early, despite the expenses. However, friday I was named my school's nominee for the Jefferson Scholars Program (full-ride scholarship) at UVA. Although by the numbers, my chances are no better than 5%, I was nominated at a very competitive public school and believe my chances are slightly better than 5. </p>
<p>If I decided to continue with pursuing this scholarship, I would be forced to forgo my early decision opportunity at Penn. Although I feel I should help my family by at least attempting to get this. I also would probably rather go to UVA on a full-ride than Penn for 200,000+. But I dont want to take the big chance of trying to get this scholarship, if it would significantly reduce my chances at Penn RD. </p>
<p>Try Penn and keep going with the scholarship… if you get rejected you still have the scholarship opportunity. Realize that out of Wharton you can be wicked rich if you play your cards right… the average/median starting salary is 100000 dollars EXCLUDING bonuses (which are usually about 50% of salary or something like that). After a while you will get huge salaries, again depending on your profession. Basically you will pay off your student loans very quickly (don’t make your parents pay… take out student loans) and it will be definitely worth it I think.</p>
<p>Jkterrapin,
Both of these are pretty great options, but both are very difficult admits as U Penn is very tough (Wharton is even tougher) and U Virginia OOS is also very tough (and Jeff Scholar is much tougher). </p>
<p>My sense from your post is that U Penn is your preferred choice (can you elaborate on this?). If true, then given the ED Acceptance Rate boost and large numbers that U Penn admits via ED, I’d probably lean to giving up on the pursuit of the UVA scholarship </p>
<p>Alex,
First, the OP can’t do both as the Jefferson Scholar scholarship process precludes Early Decision applications to other schools. Second, U Virginia’s undergraduate business may not have the name recognition of Wharton, but it is still awfully good (ranked #2 by USNWR) and will give a student excellent post-graduate opportunities. Third, the salary figures you are quoting are history. The world has changed, particularly that area where Wharton excels, namely Wall Street.</p>
<p>I think you owe it not only to yourself and your parents to pursue the Jeff Scholarship, but also to your school. They can only select one student and they thought enough to choose you to represent them. That’s an honor. </p>
<p>I understand getting an ED admissions boost, but it’s not as if it is certain you won’t get into Penn if you don’t apply ED. So you are really not giving up one for the other by pursuing the Jeff, but you would the other way around. </p>
<p>D was in a similar situation years ago. I looked at the odds and told her to go ED to her first choice school. She was the one that said to me the advice I gave above. Well, she got the Jeff and was also admitted to the other school. It was a great time to be her, and I was glad she did not listen to me when I suggested not pursuing the Jeff. </p>
<p>At the very worst, you will be admitted to UVA, even if you don’t get the Jeff, and still save over 40k during the course of your education. Plus, you would still have one of the most repected undergraduate business degrees in the country. And that’s the worst case scenario – not bad in my view.</p>
<p>Thanks to all the posts. Honestly, if I was given two options Penn or Jeff right now, I would take the Jefferson. Not only would this help my family, but I’d also be able to go to a great school for little costs, not having to think much about money. I also love UVA anyways and would love to go there even if I had to pay full-tuition.</p>
<p>I love Penn though, and I spent part of my summer there. I just don’t want to give up a good chance to go to my dream school if it makes a big difference whether I apply ED.</p>
<p>I think I’m leaning towards the Jefferson because I can still apply RD, and if I got an ED rejection from penn, I wouldn’t stop thinking about the scholarship at UVA, that I had passed up.</p>