<p>I go to school in California and was lucky enough to get into LSM at Penn, and would have to pay about 40k a year to attend. However, I also got a full ride at Villanova and my uncle/aunt (who basically take care of me) really want me to take the full ride because I'd probably have to take out 80k (they'd pay 20k a year) in loans to go to Penn. What should I do? I'm interested in finance, and I think I could make up the extra money to go to Penn pretty quick, is that realistic? Also, how much success do people generally have renegotiating aid? I'll try to do that, but what have people done to get more aid in the past (personal anecdotes/friends)?
Thanks so much,
Jack</p>
<p>Gosh Jack, that is a tough choice. What is LSM? I take it that it’s not Wharton School of Business. By full ride at Villanova, do you mean Tuition, room and board? Or just tuition? Did you get nothing from Penn? No financial aid even?</p>
<p>Full ride without a doubt</p>
<p>LSM is a Life Science Management, a dual degree program. The Op is in both Wharton and SEAS.</p>
<p>OP if you want to pursue finance Penn/LSM will open far more doors than Villanova. If you want to go to Wall Street or back to California, Villanova will not provide you as many opportunities as will Penn. You need to decide if those additional opportunites are worth the extra cost. In my mind, being in the investment world, they are worth the additional cost. My son is full pay at Wharton and he chose that option (with my blessing) over full rides elsewhere. My opinion is that he will make more than enough to compensate for the additional cost of going to Penn. </p>
<p>Thank you all for feedback. Glennu, is your son working yet/has had internships? Would you be willing to PM me the details about these (around what he’s making, future opportunities, etc.)? Living, similar to what Glennu said, it’s a dual degree program between Wharton and the CAS (not SEAS) to do something life science related as well as finance. Any current students/alum/parents have any input? Thanks again</p>
<p>Living yes a full ride as in my cost of attendance is $0. And I’d have to pay around 40k a year for Penn.</p>
<p>I would go Villanova unless you’re absolutely sure and determined that you want to work in investment banking, trading, consulting, private equity or hedge fund. </p>
<p>I go to Villanova now and am trying to transfer to Wharton. I’m assuming you got the Presidential Scholarship for Villanova. I would call Penn’s financial aid department and tell them about the scholarship and that you’d like to go to Penn but with the current financial aid package, it might not be possible. It can’t hurt to try. If your goal is finance though then Penn is without a doubt the choice to make. At Villanova, there are pretty much no banks that come to recruit for IB or S&T at the career fair, and limited options through clubs like Equity Society. Its not to say its impossible (I know multiple people interning / working at Goldman from here) but its an uphill battle as Villanova isn’t a target school. Tough decision to make though, good luck!</p>
<p>If you are interested in finance, go to Wharton. You won’t have any difficult repaying the loan because the average starting salary of a Wharton graduate is much higher than a Villanova graduate.
For many Whartonites, the Bachelors degree is their terminal degree, you save money by not having to do graduate school and still make a very comfortable living in finance.</p>
<p>My son is a Wharton grad and we were full pay. Absolutely no regrets. </p>
<p>Hi there.</p>
<p>Another LSM admit weighing in. (And sharing my anecdote)</p>
<p>I have a similar problem: I was offered full tuition at another school and am also being pushed to attend.</p>
<p>I recently called Penn’s FinAid office to ask about their policy of matching financial packages and was told in no uncertain terms that they only match need-based aid. I emailed LSM director Peter Stokes about my issue and he offered to speak to FA for me, but came away with the same answer.</p>
<p>I’m visiting both schools’ preview days (ie. Quaker Days for Penn), hoping meeting students and faculty and exploring the cities will tell me if Penn’s social scene, internship opportunities, alumni network, faculty, and facilities will be worth paying an extra 40k a year.</p>
<p>I do know that starting salary for students out of Wharton is pretty high and paying off 80k in debt should be relatively doable (relatively: meaning compared to some kids who choose to go to Wharton at full price and manage to pay off 200k). Do you plan on going to graduate school (and paying for that out of pocket too)? </p>
<p>I doubt I would go to grad school if I went to LSM. cbreeze, what is your son doing now? How long has he been out? Feel free to PM me!</p>
<p>My son is also at Penn for Quaker Days and trying to make the decision between a free ride to another school and going to Penn. It will be interesting to see what his views are when he comes home. It was nice to read that others are in the same situation and are struggling to find the “right path”.</p>
<p>My D had a free ride plus a stipend offer and an offer to Wharton. We chose Wharton and have not regretted it for a minute. If your kid is the kind that was always in an accelerated program, taking AP classes and gifted courses and needed the enrichment to stay interested the Penn is the school. </p>
<p>Maybe they can go to another school and be in the top 1% but they won’t get the constant intellectual stimulation and highly enriched program that I see my D getting at Penn. I love to see her thriving at a school where all the kids are at her intellectual speed or above and where she takes rigorous classes that challenge her like she’s never been challenged.</p>
<p>Gifted kids have one of the highest high school drop out rate of any other group of kids because they are bored, held back and frustrated constantly. They sometimes become behavior problems and end up not finishing. A less demanding program may feel like more of the same as high school.</p>
<p>Also, the graduation rate at Penn is in the 90s. Compare that to the schools offering free rides. Not all of those kids that don’t graduate because they can’t cut it. A lot of those kids didn’t like something about that school that caused them to leave. The same for Penn but over 90% are choosing to stay and finish.</p>
<p>Sorry but I’m typing fast on an iPhone so the last message reads like a caveman wrote it. I hope the message is understood regardless.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptance to Penn. You’re in the unfortunate situation of needing to second guess what your aunt/uncle would be willing to pay. Promise them that you’ll eventually pay them back, with interst. Your choice is between the minor leagues and the winning team in the majors. Think seriously about your eventual career with a Wharton degree. Think about 4 challenging years and the relationships that you’ll form. Opportunities such as the one in front of you do not arise often. Embrace it.</p>
<p>Congrats to the OP and others on acceptance at Penn! I’m currently an upperclassman in M&T (Wharton + SEAS) and faced a similar dilemma a few years ago deciding between the program at full cost vs. full rides to two other universities. It was an incredibly difficult decision to choose Penn but my family has no regrets at all now. If you are at all interested in working in finance, consulting, or tech - you will very likely recoup the investment + a lot more over your career. The professional opportunities at Penn are really unique and dual degree programs are definitely considered prestigious. </p>
<p>Congrats for both the acceptance and scholarship! My boyfriend is in VSB and I go to Penn, so I can say a bit from personal experience. My boyfriend is very bright, but does not feel challenged by Villanova’s curriculum at all. He did not enjoy taking the core classes and felt that they were rather remedial. I enjoy the freedom that Penn’s curriculum gives (there aren’t any super strict requirements, just sectors to fulfill), and have been challenged in ways that very few other colleges could have challenged me. Also, the social life at Penn is far more interesting and diverse than that of Villanova. Penn has something for everyone, while the nights that I’ve spent at Villanova usually involved having to go off-campus for fun. </p>
<p>Regardless, they’re both great schools (though you’ll have more opportunities at Penn probably). LSM is an awesome opportunity, and you would certainly gain a lot from it. It’s a tough decision, but if you decide on Penn we’d love to have you as a fellow Quaker 
</p>