<p>On May 1st my decision is due. My options are La Salle and Villanova</p>
<p>La Salle would practically be free- after paying off 5000 in loans, I would owe 1600 per year. I saw La Salle and I liked it, wasn't crazy about it, but it was nice. According to my brother, La Salle is not a good, respected school and part of me agrees.</p>
<p>Villanova originally 60,000, would cost me 20,000 per year. I would plan to live on campus freshman year and possibly sophomore year. So, junior and senior year would cost me 8,000 per year.</p>
<p>So, is Villanova worth the price tag? Will it push me to be a better student, or am I falling into a trap of student debt? (sidebar, I entered many, many scholarships with my county so I am expecting to pocket some tuition money) </p>
<p>Villanova for $20,000 a year is a bargain. If you work over the summer and during the year, you should be able to earn $4,000, plus $5,500 in federal loans - UNLESS you count this already and the $20,000 is on top of work and federal loans, which would be a different story. If it’s $20,000 on top of loans and work, then it becomes a matter of whether your parents have this money in the bank, or if they’d need to borrow for you.
If they have the money, then I’d say don’t hesitate. But if they would have to borrow… :s
Would your parents be able to help pay?
Did you apply to any other school?
(I agree that LaSalle isn’t a great school. It may be free but not sure what job you’d get with a communication degree from it. If you could study a STEM field your odds would be better.)
If Villanova is unaffordable, can you attend any PSU branch campus, West Chester, or another similar school? </p>
<p>Thanks for the input thus far.
6,500 in federal loans that i did not include.
they included 3000 as work study
(i do work in the summer).
My mom could contribute a few thousand, but not much.
As for moving off campus, I would move in with a family member, so no rent.<br>
As for other school options, st. josephs and temple are both about the same price as nova. I have no interest in seton hall or arcadia.</p>
<p>So if I understand correctly, you already were offered $6,500 in federal loans and you would have to borrow $20,000 for each of your first two years on top of that, then $8,000 for each of your last two years (again, on top of federal loans)? If the $40K + $16 include federal loans that’s $56,000 in debt. If they don’t, then that’s $83,000 in debt. You definitely shouldn’t take on $83,000 in debt, so if you have to borrow $26,500 in your first two years and then something like $15,000 in your last two, please forget about Villanova and go to LaSalle. First of all, college students can’t even get those kinds of loans without a co-signer, and if your mom can only afford to kick in a couple thousand, she can’t really afford to co-sign those kinds of loans for you.</p>
<p>LaSalle is a perfectly fine school. It’s a regionally-known university. It may not be the most nationally prestigious university, but the vast majority of students go to places like LaSalle - ones that are more regionally known. What you do in college is far more important than where you went, so I wouldn’t assume that you couldn’t get a job from there if you majored in communications. It depends on what you do.</p>
<p>That’s besides the point, though, the point being that Villanova seems unaffordable for you. It’s more affordable if you live with that family member all four years, though.</p>
<p>La Salle isn’t just another college out in Pennsylvania. It is a well-established school, and part of the world-wide La Sallian academic network which has member schools in Italy, France, Spain, Mexico, Canada, and in almost 300 countries world-wide. If you’ll do well in La Salle and graduate with honors, I think you won’t be deprived of the same opportunities that Villanova grads often received. For the huge price difference between the two, I’d take La Salle’s offer in a heartbeat. </p>
<p>So Villanova living there is 25,000 per year. Like 13,500 commuting.<br>
La Salle is about 6,500 per year, living there included.<br>
(this is an updated total with federal loans)</p>
<p>What’s your budget?
If the choice is between commuting to Villanova and living on campus at La Salle, which one would you prefer? How would you fund the difference since your mother would only be able to contribute a few thousands?</p>