<p>D has a full ride at Rutgers Business School and SAS (she wants to study international relations/international economics/economics - this is to say not completely decided). She was also admitted to a few other schools with partial merit scholarships (unfortunately she does not qualify for much financial aid) but she thinks that the best fit for her is Georgetown. We, as parents also think that Georgetown might be a good fit for her as she is focused on studying and likes to be challenged, but can't help to think if the Georgetown education is worth $250,000 more than the Rutgers Honors Program. We might be able to pay the large Georgetown bill but we will definitely have to make sacrifices. We would also hate to see her graduate with a student loan on her hands so we would like to balance the money - good education equation and get the best out of both. I have heard a lot of stories about kids that gave up much better schools, even ivy leagues for a free ride and they have done well. If you have a similar experience I would appreciate sharing it. As an parent, we want what is best education for our daughter, even if we end up paying a lot for that education. Again, any suggestions/prior experience greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>My opinion: $250,000 is a lot of money. It’s really up to you how much you want to sacrifice. </p>
<p>I think a free Rutgers education is an incredible bargain. She can save the money now and use it later for grad school. Or she can forget about grad school and buy a house with the money she saved. We’re not talking about change here.</p>
<p>My older son went to one of the top 15 schools and has many regrets. He ended up in the same med school as his friends who went to Rutgers and Ramapo for free. If your daughter is planning on going to grad school, then save your money. My younger son is at Rutgers Business school now and loves it. He has no regrets since he did not want to graduate with tons of debt. He could not justify spending so much for his education when his plans are to go to grad school. </p>
<p>A lot of people talk about ‘good fit’ and ‘quality of life’ when deciding on college. I think those are always good considerations, but what about quality of life after graduation? Who wants to be stuck with >$100,000 debt coming out of school? </p>
<p>Some people have to do this because they have no other options. But consider it carefully. Financial freedom is underrated.</p>
<p>I echo what rualum said, and say take the Presidential Scholarship. Graduating with all that debt is a monkey that you never get off your back, and it prevents you from pursuing certain options, such as lower paying government work, or taking a chance with a start up (no money, just equity), or graduate school. My daughter wasn’t offered a Presidential Scholarship, but was offered a bunch of smaller scholarships to start, and then kept getting more as the years went on. As a result, she is graduating with less than $15K in loans, and was just accepted into 5 PhD programs (including 2 Ivys), all of which include tuition and a very substantial stipend to live on (about twice what room and board would cost). She was such a top candidate because of Rutgers, it offered her research opportunities starting in her freshman year, and supported her financially for two summer internships (her third summer was fully paid by that program at an Ivy, so she didn’t need financial support for that summer). Take the RU money and run. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the very helpful input.</p>
<p>While there is merit in much of what was said here and no doubt Rutgers, as a sate school, is far less expensive than Georgetown AND you get out of an education what you put into it regardless of cost, allow me to take up an argument for the expensive Georgetown education;
-Your son wants international relations and economics. Georgetown has one of the leading (if not the best) schools of Diplomacy and international relations in the SFS. As good as Rutgers business is, it just can’t touch GU’s level of programs and reputation. The employment opportunities from GU is amazing and internship opportunities in DC are great.
-If your son picks business schools, GU’s school of business is ranked 23rd by USN&WR, Rutgers is a good 60th
-In USN&WR National University rankings, GU is 20th, RU is 69th
-All the arguments here for Rutgers are based on one thing; cost. No one can claim Rutgers has better programs, reputation, professional connections etc. than GU. No doubt your son will get a very good education at RU, but what kind of edge would he get from GU? The alumni networking lists some very powerful and influential people.
-State schools will ALWAYS be cheaper than private schools, but classes will be larger, as well as other economies of scale. If State schools are just a better choice due to cost, then why are there so many top private schools who often have tougher admission standards, higher graduation and grad school placement rates?</p>
<p>So, there are some good reasons to consider Georgetown, even if it costs more. If cost was the driving factor, why apply to Georgetown at all?. Your son applied because it is one of the best in the nation, that he got in is a amazing accomplishment. I know you must make your decision based on many factors, but as much weight should be given to the value of that education as well as the cost. </p>
<p>Good luck in your selection!</p>
<p>Good argument for the private school aspect. </p>
<p>Another aspect: your daughter would certainly be a standout at Rutgers, but may be average at Georgetown. My friend’s son was a top student in private high school, but a C student at Georgetown. All things to consider.</p>
<p>It is a hard decision, but either decision will be a good one.</p>
<p>We need more students like your daughter to start making changes :)</p>
<p>Just to conclude this thread, my daughter choose Georgetown School of Foreign Service and she is vey happy there!</p>
<p>Congratulations, and thanks for letting us know what happened.</p>