<p>Really now, I never comprehended the sense of going into debt for one's studies when another college is able yo offer not only a free ride, but a very generous stipend as well. If one remains diligent in their undergraduate studies, I see no reason why they would be penalized when they eventually attend a more "prestigious" graduate school? Thoughts or opinions?</p>
<p>absolutely agree! plus if you go to grad school, no one will ever ask you where you went for undergrad...my dad has not been asked about undergrad in decades. They only ask about his PhD and research</p>
<p>Great to hear that! As a further question, am I correct in assuming that there are no merit based scholarships from ivy leaves and, in the same fashion, there are definitely devoid of needs based ones for families raking in about $100,000? Also, is anyone aware of any colleges where the stipends far exceed reasonable "school-related" expenses, i.e., you could actually make money off the deal?</p>
<p>Ivies give considerable fin aid to families making $100K if they don't have a lot of assets, but they don't give merit aid. For merit money, look for schools where you're stats are at least in the top 10%. Whether you go to the best school you can get into (and afford) depends on what kind of grad school you want to go to. For business and law, going to a top undergrad really influences whether you get into a top grad school. For PhD programs and med school, undergrad counts less and GPA counts most. So if your family can afford an ivy, I would go in most cases. Yes, you can go to a top grad school, but at professional grad schools the top school club clearly continues.</p>