Hi, and great question. Free college is nothing to sneeze at. But…
When I read your first post I had a guess, in my head, as to what that small religious school may be. I’m not going to say what it is, because it doesn’t matter. But my first thought before reading the rest of the posts was: if you have any doubts about whether you will socially thrive in that environment, you should trust your instincts and choose a secular school if you are allowed. Community college if that was the only financial option. Nothing against the school I had in mind but I’ve seen the fit be bad for others in your boat, who ended up leaving.
Then I read the rest of the thread and you mentioned your #1 being religious as well. My guess is it’s a different (sub)religion, and a perhaps a school with a less paternalistic attitude towards student’s social lives? I could be completely off base, but if this is ringing true to your particulars, then I’ll say again that you are wise to consider the downsides of a free education, if it happens to come with a set of expectations that don’t match your own moral compass. Best of luck!
Initially the dislike of a “small religious” school had me visualize a certain environment/culture. However, then I read the suggested “equivalency” to Georgetown “also” being “religious”, so now I wonder how “religious” the first college actually is — e.g., how much “religion” really plays into the dislike, or if the “small” attribute is the controlling factor here.
I don’t think the parents’ choice has been mentioned yet. If it’s in CA, and the OP is turned off by the religious nature, my money is on Pepperdine. We shall see.
Pepperdine also has a well regarded law school. One would have to be VERY connected (like faculty) for the student to graduate debt free from there…if other colleges aren’t offering heed based or merit aid.
It is also possible that the parents are just making a guess about merit from whatever school they are targeting. Possibly based on past experience (could be some time ago) or other older information.
Georgetown is a great school - I’m an alumna and my son had it as his #1 choice too. Have you considered looking at other Jesuit or Catholic schools that give significant merit?
With a 3.9, you should qualify for merit at schools like St. Joe’s (St. Joseph’s University) in Philadelphia, Manhattan College in NYC, and plenty more.
But it goes back to is - is it really about money - or his parents just want him at that school for personal purposes - and then that’s what he needs to overcome.
I think that we should probably respect the OP’s possible desire to not name the specific religious college that the parents want the OP to apply to. There are a whole host of different colleges across the US which could fall into the category that the OP is generally referring to. Not all of them are in CA.
Are there some in CA? Sure. Point Loma, Azuza Pacific, Westmont College, Loma Linda…some of those colleges, for example, have very strict rules. Some require students to attend chapel/church services on campus each week. Some will expel you for getting caught drinking anywhere on or off campus if you’re under 21. Some will kick you out if you have a member of the opposite gender in your dorm room.
There’s also a particular college in UT which has a restrictive honor code which might not be everybody’s cup of tea.
There are also several other small religious colleges all over the place which could fall into the general category of ‘not the OP’s cup of tea.’
Westmont College, Point Loma, BYU, and Georgetown - yeah, they’re all ‘religious’ schools, but Georgetown is way different than the other 3.
OP:
You basically need to convince your parents why spending more than $0 or almost $0 is a good idea. Here are some factors to consider when crafting your argument/case:
what is it about the specific major(s) at the other colleges which make those programs better/more desirable than at Cheap Univ?
with any AP or CLEP or DE credits that you’ve earned in high school, do any of the other schools you’re considering give college credit for that, thus bringing down the cost of attendance a bit?
you need to spell out all of the pro’s of going to some place other than Cheap U.
you also need to spell out the cons to your parents of why Cheap U is much less than ideal. And it needs to be something more than an emotional “I just don’t like it.”
IF, however, your parents tell you that Cheap U is the ONLY place they will let you attend, then you have a choice to make. And attending community college for 2 yr first is definitely a viable alternative.
But are they really $0? COA - I doubt that unless there’s something there like the folks work for the school. That’s why I wonder if the school is more important than money. That the OP has a list shows they’ve thought ahead.
@BeverlyWest The OP listed the colleges they wanted to apply to. I believe @parentologist is saying of those colleges, the student won’t get enough merit aid…and I agree.
OP:
For each of the colleges you are interested in applying to, go on the school’s website and use the Net Price Calculator to figure out what the college would likely provide for financial aid. Doing so will require you to know your parents’ household taxable income and $$ amounts that they have in savings accounts.