<p>Suppose you wanted to matriculate in Business (I know Princeton only has Economics)…but you had three choices:</p>
<li> Princeton (where you would probably have to pay $30,000 a year)</li>
<li> Notre Dame (where you probably would have to pay $30,000 a year)</li>
<li> The College of New Jersey - Free Ride</li>
</ol>
<p>For Pton and ND, you would be required to play a sport ('cause that’s what got you accepted).</p>
<p>What would you do???</p>
<p>I would go to Princeton, because an education from there is priceless. PLUS: my interviewer was a water polo player and swimmer from princeton, and he said that at Princeton, athletes are treated as students frist where they still take all the sma classes and get the same grade A education, instead of being put into classes like ceramics and health so that their schedule works out. I think that at a school like Notre Dame where sports are worshiped, this might occur. Don't pass up an opportunity to go to Princeton.</p>
<p>Oh how I wish D will get the Pton acceptance letter so that she DOESN'T have to make the choice.</p>
<p>Yes, Princeton all the way lol</p>
<p>Notre Dame athletes, live in the same dorms, eat the same food, and take the same classes as the other students. Many of the athletes do major in business for some reason. I also know that football players and some other athletes take a reduced load of 4 classes instead of 5 and take 2 in the summer. The normal work load is very heavy, so this makes sense.</p>
<p>That said, your daughter should consider where she feels the most comfortable as well as the cost.</p>
<p>TCNJ! </p>
<p>Unless that decal in your rear window is so important, (and for many it sadly is), TCNJ will deliver to your S/D a top notch education. Decision: Do you want to pay $120,000+ for some short-lived prestige? TCNJ has a great reputation.</p>
<p>The prestige and benefits of a Princeton education are generally not short-lived</p>
<p>MommyPain, for business Princeton also has the ORFE program and a certificate (minor) in Finance. </p>
<p>I gather there are students who attend Princeton to play a sport and later change their minds; since there are no athletic scholarships, this is not a problem. In any case, the athletes are very involved in academics, etc. </p>
<p>Re the choice, whether to spend the $30,000 a year is a decision for your family to make. For a high-energy, outgoing student, Princeton offers amazing opportunities for professor contact, internships, jobs, etc. I can't speak for either of the other schools. Good luck to your d.</p>
<p>You're asking this in the Princeton board. What answer do you expect?
=)</p>
<p>You wouldn't be required to play a sport at any college unless on scholarship. Princeton doesn't give out scholarships, thus they cannot require participation in athletics.</p>
<p>That said, shelling out $120k is something that will make anyone think twice. I would advise that your child find out which college is right for him/her.</p>
<p>aparent5, what is the ORFE program? Thanks.</p>
<p>operations research and financial engineering</p>
<p>Operations Research and Financial Engineering</p>
<p>Try this site for info
<a href="http://orfe.princeton.edu/overview.html%5B/url%5D">http://orfe.princeton.edu/overview.html</a></p>
<p>I think it depends on your child. Is he/she the type that will take advantage of all that Princeton has to offer, or only do the classwork required of them? Are they a self starter? While Princeton offers much, it is only available to those who reach out for it. If your child is unlikely to go listen to a famous guest lecturer or see a Nepalese dance group, then what's the point in paying for it? I believe that one gets out of their school according to how much they are willing to reach out and grab it. If the student will graduate debt free with a good education from a less prestigious, but good school they are still well served. It's a family descision and either way you will be ok.</p>
<p>I didn't know about the ORFE program. It sounds like a perfect fit for my d who'se main goal in life is to be a business tycoon of some sort.</p>
<p>If d got accepted into P, well, then or course she would go there. But i was really kind of wondering what people thought about choosing ND over The college of New Jersey. I thought that if I posted that on the ND board I would be mob attacked, shoud I choose to post it here. Don't worry, we are really Pton'ers. D applied ED but was deferred.</p>
<p>I guess it all depends on your family financial situation. If paying 30k a year will limit you to potatoes and bread for the next 4 years, then I'd say take the full ride. Then again, if you'll only have to downgrade from your Mercedes to a coupe BMW- then I'd say go with ND.</p>
<p>That's one of the problems. No, we wouldn't eat bread and water forever if d's education cost $140,000.....but we aren't in the Mercedes down to BMW class either. We are stuck in the middle. Too "rich" for Financial Aid, but too "poor" to shell out $140,000, although we would do it in a heartbeat if d got into P. That's why I am pondering if it was worth if for ND.</p>
<p>I am amazed when I read about kids saying their family income is $35,000. I don't know how they do it. Our real estate taxes alone are $10,000 a year.
$35,000 a year in the NY Metro area wouldn't even be enough for one person to live on, except if they lived in a run-down part of an inner-city. When people think we are rich because we pull in a smidge over $100,000, it really isn't fair. I dance in the supermarket aisles when we visit Florida because I can't believe how much lower the food prices are in FL, compared to the NY area. With real estate taxes as I said $10,000 plus a year, and the average "nice" house in this area costing over $500,000...it is mind boggling and unfair to be classified as rich.</p>
<p>Wow, I got alot off my chest. I guess the heeby-geeby's (wow that's one of my grandmother's words) of waiting for Decisions to come in has finally steered me toward a mental breakdown!!!!!</p>
<p>And don't get me started about car insurance!!!!!</p>
<p>Oh............I am melting.............quick April 1st, get here soon and put me out of my misery.</p>
<p>^ Its nice to see, not only the applicants but the parents are freakin out too :D</p>
<p>MommyPain-</p>
<p>I feel your pain!</p>
<p>We also live in suburban NYC and our taxes are ONLY $8000 /year. So our income doesn't go very far. Oh, yes, the 18 year old MALE driver. Our car insurance runs about $2600 for good liability and no collision on 3 old cars....but I've heard others with even scarier numbers.</p>
<p>We could relocate, of course. But our lives are here and it's our home.
I wonder do those FAFSA people take zip code into account?</p>
<p>Once your sons go off to college, as long as they're a couple of hundred miles away, that insurance will go back down. Of course, other costs will go up! lol</p>