<p>Okay, here is my situation. I applied to a bunch of schools and I have narrowed it down to Cornell, Penn State's Honors College (Schreyer), and Penn (Ben Franklin Scholar).
My parents own a farm and recently got a large gas lease spiking our efc to....90,000.</p>
<p>My parents combined make under 80,000 a year, so clearly our efc is not 90,000.
Penn State would cost me roughly 19,000 with the shreyer scholarship and not counting my 5,000 loan.
Cornell and Penn both gave me just a 5,500 loan. My parents have been in contact with both financial aid offices explaining our situation, and I am up for re-evaluation for both schools. Without any more aid, I would basically be paying full tuition and room & board. The farm still hurts my chances of getting anymore aid.</p>
<p>I have to pay for the majority of my education. My parents need the gas lease money for retirement and can't sell the farm (which is what the Ivys are basically suggesting)</p>
<p>For you to have gotten into those ivies means you are a top top student, and I truly believe that you can thrive at Penn State and stand out more easily than in the other two. Plus, it’s cheaper than the other two.</p>
<p>PENN… the best school… loved the campus… academics… everything about it. cornell is really far in upstate new york… penn state is okay but Penn is without a doubt the best school. you are really lucky to have gotten in there.</p>
<p>PSU would cost you $19K a year ($80K of debt for four)? How much of that debt is yours and how much are your parents assuming? Personally I wouldn’t go $80K in debt for any undergrad degree. With your stats (they must be very good) I’d look at as close to a free ride / full tuition college as possible someplace other than the three schools you mentioned. You did apply to some financial safeties…didn’t you?</p>
<p>I would easily cross Cornell off the list. It is difficult to succeed there and not worth the money. UPenn is a great school but is it really worth that much more than an honors college at one of the best state universities? Also, i’m not sure if you have visited the penn campus but it is clearly a city school. It could be a tough adjustment for someone who has lived on a farm. PSU seems to be the best financially as well as the easiest to adjust to. Going to an honors college is really equivalent to any ivy league education. Plus, just think of the opportunity to be at the top of your class (a massive class) at PSU as opposed to just another top student at Cornell or Penn. </p>
<p>Having said that, it’s your decision and you really cannot go wrong with any of those schools.</p>