<p>I recently just got my financial aid information back, and it wan't looking too great. I only have to pay a small amount of what Gannon's original costs were per year, but it's still a lot considering Gannon is nearly 40,000 a year. My mother subsequently forced me to reconsider and, while my heart is set on Gannon, I found Pitt Bradford, a small school (like Gannon) with both of the programs I want (Communications, of some sort, with an archaeology minor) for significantly less (average in-state costs 18,000 vs. 37,000/year). I did, however, get a lot of scholarship mone from GU, which brings my costs down to about 13,000 a year (including loans and such). So...</p>
<p>WHAT DO I DO!?</p>
<p>DO I apply and see what happens? Does Pitt Bradford offer scholarships, and are they generous with financial aid? I ahve a 4.0 GPA, second in my class. What's the campus like? What are the people like? Will I feel culture shocked once I get there since I'm from a teeny tiny school with a class of less than 50 kids? I have so many questions and I'm scared that if I DO apply, get accepted, and force my heart to choose the cheapest bet, that I'll get there come fall and HATE IT. </p>
<p>Any advice would be spectacular. Pleaseee and thank you.</p>
<p>I would absolutely apply to both, visit both, find out what the final difference in cost is after scholarships and then decide if that difference is worth it. If you can afford the difference and Gannon is still preferable, go to Gannon. </p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt to apply to colleges other than your top preference though. Weighing two schools fairly against one another, even if you choose the more expensive one, is the only way to best know you are making the best choice for you.</p>
<p>check out both schools and mention the scholarships offered by gannon when you get to pitt. with your record from high school, you are eligible for, at least, the presidential scholarship at pitt. also, contact the student affairs office there and tell them you want to apply for scholarships. they can help you.</p>
<p>as an alumna of pitt bradford, i can tell you that the school is small and provides a lot of individual attention to students. the other upside is that with their affiliation with pitt main campus, you can register in bradford to take classes at main campus. </p>
<p>the down side to the small school is the limited number of faculty to choose from. some fields require that you have input from as many individuals as possible. others do not. i spent a summer at pitt main campus to take 3 classes that were not available at bradford. </p>
<p>upb is a good school with a lot going for it. don’t let the lack of aid fool you. the money is there. you just have to chase it down.</p>
<p>You should also think about graduating without loans (or at least minimizing it). While right now, the FA offer from GU makes it competitive, think about how long it will take you to pay off all those loans (which are not guaranteed year-to-year, you always have to reapply your FAFSA for FA), whereas at Pitt-Bradford, you might be able to get away without loans.</p>
<p>Just saying-- look into the future, are you OK with paying off student loans for the next 5, 10, 20 years?</p>