Hello! So, I just found out I got accepted to Pepperdine and UCLA on Friday. (I was completely shocked I got into UCLA!!)
I got notification of my financial aid offer for Pepperdine on Saturday… $66,610 per year. My Regents was $30,000, but I got the rest covered from being the daughter of a faculty member. I thought they wouldn’t offer me anything past the price of tuition, but nope they capped my Regents after tuition AND room & board.
I didn’t get anything from UCLA because I didn’t apply for financial aid because honestly I never thought I would go. Oh well, haha.
My dilemma is that while I have a full-ride to a beautiful school in Malibu, I was always planning to go to school with my siblings (they attend college out of state). I grew up planning to go to this school with all the rest of my family haha. It’s a tradition. My dad said he will pay for me to go wherever I want, which I realize is unbelievably generous.
If I don’t go to Pepperdine…I’ll always wonder if I could have gotten a more personal, fulfilling education with the benefits of being a Regents Scholar, small class sizes, and an amazing location. Not to mention save my parents thousands of dollars. But if I attend Pepperdine, I’m worried I’ll always be sad not to be with my siblings. Plus, I also love this college and the students’ school-pride. There’s a lot of opportunities in that city for meaningful research and volunteer work.
I was accepted as a Biology BS major to Pepperdine with the intent of applying to medical school. (however, I’m currently looking into clinical psychology as well). I’m undeclared at my other school. UCLA isn’t really an option (i’d feel so guilty making my parents pay for that without aid), but I was just so excited that I wrote about it anyway.
Any advice? I realize the decision is ultimately up to me.