<p>I recently was accepted to MIT and Caltech. I also applied to UCF and got a full scholarship. I want to major in physics and aerospace engineering and definitely plan on going on to grad school. I also have a girlfriend here in Florida and would like to stay together (we have discussed marriage). Should I follow my heart and take the full scholarship to UCF (along with the in state Bright Futures Scholarship) or should I follow my dream of going to a top school like MIT?</p>
<p>Post your question on the PreMed Topics subforum and include information on how much MIT and Caltech will cost you.</p>
<p>Post your question on the PreMed Topics subforum</p>
<p>Is the OP considering med school?</p>
<p>If you’re 18/19, you probably shouldn’t be basing your decision on where a girlfriend will be. I know that you’ve “discussed marriage,” but lots of young people do that and yet they eventually “move on” to other people/relationships. </p>
<p>What are your parents saying about money? Are they saying that they can easily afford what MIT and Cal Tech are expecting them to pay? </p>
<p>If MIT (or Cal Tech) aren’t going to require big loans (on your part, then go to one of them.</p>
<p>[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>
<p>Run the numbers for all of your options through this calculator. It also has a section where you can include some other factors as well.</p>
<p>Since you have a very specific interest in physics and aerospace engineering, you may want to check those departments at each institution. For example, how close are the ties between UCF and the Kennedy Space Center? Do the aerospace engineers all do summer internships there?</p>
<p>m2ck, too late at night and trying to multitask, thanks for the correction.</p>
<p>My parents have no money to contribute to my education (a particularly straining issue considering my EFC according to FAFSA is around $10,000) so scholarships are the best way for me to fund college. I would not look forward to having to pay back a lot of student loans but if it is worth it to go to a top school (in terms of increased starting salaries enough to overcompensate for student loans) then it would make more sense to go there.</p>
<p>I would advise you to weigh the financial aid packages and see if you are comfortable with any debt you might incur. Everyone will have a different opinion regarding the relative worth of a Cal-Tech or MIT degree as opposed to a UCF degree. If I were in your shoes I’d most likely go to UCF and work on distinguishing myself there. Only you can decide if the MIT/Cal-Tech degree is ‘worth’ the extra $40k+ debt you will likely accrue.</p>
<p>“If I were in your shoes I’d most likely go to UCF and work on distinguishing myself there.”</p>
<p>Thanks. I was already thinking about doing this because I have been the biggest fish in a small pond for a long time (valedictorian, 1520 on SAT, etc.) and I don’t know how I would adjust to being dumped into a pond with the biggest fish in the world. I might not be at the top of UCF’s honors college but I could at least have a hope at contention for it, something not even worth dreaming about at MIT and Caltech. My only worry is that going to UCF would make me feel like I am wasting some potential because I have heard about the rewards of struggling through the rigors of MIT. Is this my pride making me stubborn or is it the voice of reason?</p>
<p>@flacowade12: First of all, congrats to MIT/Caltech/UCF. As a current high school senior in Florida, I’m kinda in your shoes, too. I’ve been accepted to UF that’s giving me a full ride w/o loans, and I got into Boston U, my dream school that’s barely giving me half of the cost of attendance. I know MIT is very reasonable with financial aid, so have you heard your exact numbers yet? You can petition for more financial aid if you don’t receive any extra outside scholarships. Also, it’s a bit of pride and voice of reason. I also feel that I might not be academically challenged at UF as much as as BU because BU is more of my dream school than UF. It’s your choice in the end, but I say follow the money. If UCF is giving you more money, then go for it. But remember that Bright Futures is getting cut, and tuition is rising. College is what you make of it. Most importantly, follow your heart and decide where you would be happy the most. Hope this helps. =]</p>
<p>Go to MIT. Trust me, the debt you’ll incur is worth the four years of a top notch education.</p>
<p>aotsite, so you’re volunteering to help the OP pay off his student loans, right?</p>
<p>My parents have no money to contribute to my education (a particularly straining issue considering my EFC according to FAFSA is around $10,000) so scholarships are the best way for me to fund college.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter what FAFSA is saying…what are MIT and Cal Tech putting in your FA packages? They use CSS Profile.</p>
<p>And…did they put loans in your package?</p>
<p>And…what is their COA breakdown? Often there is padding, so maybe all of your “basic costs” are covered. That would mean that a summer job and a school year part-time job would cover the rest. </p>
<p>Will your parents take out a Plus loan to cover a few thousand. If they won’t qualify, then you can borrow $4k more. </p>
<p>It sounds like you may only end up with about $35k in debt (maybe not even that much after you get some well-paid summer internships). That is not bad for a MIT grad. </p>
<p>Give us the breakdown of your aid packages and the breakdown of each school’s COA.</p>
<p>These are some of the tough decisions in life. Congratulations on all of the choices you have. Only you can make that final decision. </p>
<p>My DH and I were together and committed for several years when he got the opportunity to go to a top MBA program. Initially, I was just going to join him there, looking for work in that city. It would not have been a big problem. But my father’s cancer returned and it was clear he was terminal, and I took on the care of my mother and of him. DH considered delaying his entry to the program, but he had already worked several years after college, and it really was time for him to go. All was in place and the opportunity was there. </p>
<p>So we had a long distance relationship for 2 years. My father had a rough year preceding his death, and I was then left with a helpless and devastated mother as well as my youngest brother just starting college, and another brother in his final year. It did take two years to get my family back on their feet. DH and I married 3 months after he got his MBA and I joined him at that time. </p>
<p>Sometimes there are many different ways to make things work out. Can your friend transfer to a college near yours? Do MIT and CaltTech have some packages that could work for you? Would marriage help your financial aid? Are you just as happy staying in FL and considering applying to either school for grad work? What do your parents and girlfriend think about all of this?</p>
<p>Whatever your decision turns out to be, you will be able to make it work out well. This is not a life or death decision and all of the doors open to great possibilities. Good luck in choosing how you want to live the next few years of your life, and congratulations for all of these great choices.</p>
<p>flacowade12 -</p>
<p>If you haven’t already tried running the different aid packages through this calculator, you might find it useful to do so: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid) That way you can see them all side-by-side and get a better sense of how much (and what kind of) debt each would mean.</p>
<p>flacowade–MIT is the opportunity of a lifetime! You hit the jack-pot by being admitted (think of all the superstars who didn’t get the lucky ticket). I wouldn’t worry about being a small fish–the goal is to push yourself to do YOUR personal best. By admitting you, MIT thinks you have what it takes. You will also be able to get a great job so being in a reasonable amount of debt may be worth the investment. If you truly don’t like it, you can always transfer–going the other way may be a lot more difficult (CFU to MIT)</p>
<p>If you turn down this opportunity you need to be really sure of your reasons. It would be a bummer if as you got older you regretted it (you might even feel a little resentment towards your girlfriend if she is the reason you don’t go).</p>
<p>Congratulations on all your choices.</p>