<p>I was thrilled to get into Stanford, but now that the initial excitement has worn off I'm beginning to have second thoughts. My state university has been calling again and they are offering me even more money (to the tune of full ride + 5k a year) and I'm really not sure how wise it is to turn it down. After all, what's really important is the graduate degree, not where you go for undergraduate studies. Of course, going to Stanford would make it easier to get into a top-notch graduate school and it's way better academically than my state u, but the money is still tempting, which I guess is the point.</p>
<p>Worse, Stanford has a very harsh AP credit policy. I've gotten 5's on all my exams, but they don't even credit English Lang/Comp, Lit/Comp, or US History! I'm very annoyed with Stanford over that. I mean a 3 on one of those tests is supposed to represent an A or B in a university level class! Not crediting them just seems like a cheap way to get more money.</p>
<p>I could use some more perspectives. Is Stanford worth 45k per year for undergraduate studies? My family could manage to pay it, I just want to be sure it's the best way to go.</p>
<p>From Stanford? I don't know yet, but seeing as how Northwestern, Middlebury, and Claremont McKenna all thought I didn't have financial need, I can't imagine Stanford is going to be giving much.</p>
<p>I am getting money from outside scholarships. Thus far 3k, with hopes of ~12k more (total for all four years). Short of a scholarship windfall, we're going to be paying alot for college at Stanford and I just want to know it's worth it for undergrad studies.</p>
<p>someone on the Stanford09 board was in a similar situation except it was with USC. here's what a current student said (just replace USC with your state school, some things probably wont apply):</p>
<p>Stanford is just better. Academics doesn't even compare, USC
engineering vs Stanford engineering... its not even on the same level,
and thats pretty much true with most of the other disciplines too.
That means that 5 years from now you'll be making a lot more than that
extra 90k in comparison to USC kids. Also, the location is a lot
better in terms of jobs and research facilities. The Stanford medical
school has tons of research oppurtunites over the summer and Stanford
is in the middle of Silicon Valley so there are a lot more companies
looking for Stanford students. Although, Stanford is probably lacking
in the girls aspect in comparison to USC, Stanford girls are smarter
making them a lot more interesting... We also have a great campus and
SF is 45 minutes away by train. But ya overall, its easy to see the
difference in the level of education that you get here versus USC, I
mean i got the full scholarship from them and its tough on my parents
but they prefered that i get a better education because you'll see the
effects of that for the rest of your life. **College is about more
than where you go, its about your peers and the people who surround
you on a daily basis and Stanford is definately the best environment
in that respect.**</p>
<p>another: I was choosing between the 2 as well,
but personally, i think the all around free spirit of Stanford is
amazing, the crazyness of the students, the band, and just the over-
all weird feel of norcal (okay, maybe thats just for me) has
attracted me to the school. But of course, sc has a LOt of money to
give, but maybe think about how much money youre going to make vs.
the money you paid for your education?</p>
<p>Wow, yeah that's exactly the reassuring comments about the worth of a Stanford undergrad education that I wanted to hear. I still wish they were more generous with accepting AP credit and hopefully they are as generous as williamzhang says with financial aid :)</p>
<p>Time to go find some more scholarship applications.</p>
<p>Zeller, first of all congratulations for the admission. Secondly, I'm biased as a Stanford alum. Since you asked about "perspectives," let me write about a few points you made:</p>
<p>1) Many high school graduates are focused on college as a stepping stone for graduate school, for getting a good job, etc. But from a different perspective, it's a four-year segment of your life when you'll get to experience and learn about things that you'll never see again. Classwork, friends, and activities are all a part of that. In particular, you'll make many lifelong friends in college, many of whom may become business contacts later in life. Think about that comparison when you compare Stanford to your local state school.</p>
<p>2) Don't worry about the AP credit. You'll soon discover that AP courses, even at top high schools, don't cover the material in nearly the same depth as the "best" universities.</p>
<p>Zeller, I totally understand your mixed emotions. I absolutely love Stanford and all that it has to offer academically and socially, but financially I just don't know if my family can stick it out. Notre Dame is offering me literally double the scholarship of Stanford and their financial aid is need-based as well. My parents are not going to just look the other way and hand over their life's savings. I hope I do not have to turn down my dream because I know in the long run I will be able to pay everything back, but with med school to come...I just don't know what to do.</p>
<p>One of the things I would suggest is checking to see how your SAT/ACT scores compare with the 25/75 percentile for your state school. If it is way above the top of the range, that is at least some indication of the caliber of the students who will be taking classes with you. I assume that if your scores are off the chart by comparision, you will not be challenged in your classes since the course will need to be pitched at a lower level to meet the needs of the general population. That can be frustrating if the class is moving too slowly or at too superficial a level. Also, you will not end up not as well prepared for grad school after four years if your classes have not been challenging.
I would also check things like average class size, student/faculty ratio, research opportunities. You will probably get more individual attention at Stanford than your local state U. In addition, I would like at the percent of students living on campus. A lot of state colleges end up being commuter schools which creates a completely different feel than a residential college like S. Look at percent of instate students. At S you will have the chance to interact with students from all over the US and the world. Sharing ideas with students from this diverse population will enhance your perspective and world view.</p>
<p>I also assume that at Stanford education does not actually cost $40,000. Since the vast majority of private colleges cost in the same range but don't have the same quality of faculty or resources, I can only guess that endowments and gifts to Stanford must pay for the additional costs so that they can keep their tuition within the same competitive range as other universities. Therefore, you are actually getting a bargain at $40,000. </p>
<p>Lastly, I don't know many things that are more worthwhile for a parent to spend their money on than their child's education.</p>
<p>about ap credits:I've heard differently. My teachers say that "a 5 on an AP is like getting (at worst) a D in the course--just barely passing." It makes sense that stanford would want to give you their own version of history/literature, rather than relying on the APs. Besides, doesn't princeton have an even stricter AP credit policy? :D</p>
<p>Zeller: congrats on facing such a nice dilemma: I have no idea what you should do, because the generous financial offer sort of makes the comparison apples to oranges. I would like to question your assumption that what's really important is where you go to graduate school. It is important all right, but there are many ways in which where you go to undergraduate school is more so. I'm sure you're a wonderful student, as the choice you face indicates, but you're education is still pretty early along, and you stand on the brink of a most important phase. Echoing some of the comments above, and admitting that the Stanford board is biased toward Stanford, I think you should go with the place that will give you the best experience in the next four years, if you can justify it financially.</p>
<p>As much as we would like to think that AP classes are college level, they are not (at least not Stanford kind of college...). A lot of your education has to do with peer interaction. There will be a major difference between Stanford and State U. But only you can decide if it's "worth the money" for you...</p>
<p>At Yale, I believe, a high score on an AP test lets you start higher up in the course food chain...but it does not eliminate the # credit hours one needs to graduate... the intent being that you can engage at the correct level of course and not be "repeating" basics, if you will. So, my recommendation is to think of the AP course as giving you a leg up into a different starting point...and something that got you into Stanford in the first place, you know, demonstrating a real passion for learning and taking the toughest courses available to you etc etc.</p>
<p>Yes, your college experience will differ depending on the kind of people you surround yourself with, but most of all, it depends on what you yourself make of it. Contrary to popular opinion, you can have access to the resources and personal attention from professors at a state school, you just need to know where to look for it. Yes, having a good experience in college would undoubtedly be easier at Stanford, but it's not as if it would be impossible anywhere that's not on the US News top twenty. Also, it's not as if you have absolutely no choice as to who you surround yourself with. If you chose to attend a state school (you haven't metioned which state), you would most likely find several people in the same boat with you who are just as committed to their education as you are. Honestly, I would keep what people on a Stanford message board say in perspective. After all, most people will go to extensive lengths to defend their own decisions (just like me here). Also, keep in mind what your intended major is. You could probably do an honest comparison of programs at both of your choices. As for graduate school, yes, Stanford would help a great deal in getting into a top program, but if you can find a professor who is an expert in his/her field at the state school, form a close relationship with him/her and get a glowing letter of recommendation, things would be looking up for you. If your state school has an honors college, that complicates things a little. Again, at Stanford, the good experiences will almost definitely present themselves more readily, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist for you anywhere else. Yes, we have all been involved with the fantasy world of applying to college, but now it's time to come back to reality and try to get the rankings and the rantings out of our heads and move on with life.<br>
Really, you're very lucky that your family could swing it if you wanted. I'm in a similar position, in that I got accepted (not making it up ;)) but there is no way my family could ever make it work without selling the house and never retiring. You show a great deal of integrity in questioning your options rather than simply taking the most prestigious school. If Stanford is where your heart tells you that you are meant to be, I would say go for it, if your family is willing. If, however, on further examination you can't see that your life will be destroyed either way, well, that's a different story. I am most likely going to be turning down Stanford, but I am sure that I won't regret it and that I'll have just as wonderful (not identical) an experience where I do go. Wherever you go, you can have a good experience, and if you choose, a miserable one. Good luck with the decision! Believe me, you're not the only who has gone through this before!</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for all the different opinions! I do realize that the views I get from the Stanford board might be a bit biased towards Stanford, but my state U has also been strongly presenting their side, so I think I have plenty of perspectives to choose from. I'm still not sure which way I will go (although I'm very much leaning towards Stanford). Once we get the financial aid info from Stanford me and my parents are going to have a frank discussion about finances and college choice. Good luck to those in similar situations, I hope we all make the best choices.</p>
<p>someone, one way collegeboard shows that their AP tests are deserving of college credit is by comparing the grades in later classes of those who were exempt from the lower-level prequiste course and those of students who were not exempt. For example, on the French Langauge test those who earned a five got an average of a 3.77, while those who took the prequiste class got a 3.20 in the higher class. Stanford was one of the colleges that participated in the study. Stanford does credit this exam, so it's not the best example, but I had the data available on hand.</p>
<p>Depends on your state. And your state school. It would have to be a pretty good state school to sway me from Stanford.</p>
<p>If it is UCBerkeley or UCLA or UMichigan or UWisconsin Madison - that would be a tough decision as these schools have top notch faculty across the board. </p>
<p>If you are a musician and it is Indiana U at Bloomington - well that is a no-brainer - go to IU.</p>
<p>So check out your state school carefully and look for what they have in your field of interest. Hint: Look at the graduate school rating for the department - it is a better indicator of faculty excellence. Your subject department should be at least in the top 20. </p>
<p>Another aspect is whther you want to continue living in your state or you think you will move away. If you think you will live in your state, by going to the state school you will gain contacts and friends nearby for the rest of your life.</p>