<p>Hello all, just looking for a few opinions.</p>
<p>I go off to college in the fall and I am in a dead lock between Seton Hall University and a local, rather good community college. With all the aid and scholarships I recieved I will still be about 17k dollars in debt for my freshmen. Which is quite high. </p>
<p>I didn't challenge myself in HS until it was too late, but I realized what I want and I almost certainly intend to transfer to a much more competitive school in any case. I will be majoring in business in SHU or preparing for an Econ degree at the CC.</p>
<p>Opinions on where I should go?</p>
<p>Community college. Borrowing $17,000 for a single year of undergraduate school is, simply put, insane.</p>
<p>Lower division courses to transfer to a business or economics bachelor’s degree program should be common enough at community colleges; there is not really a good reason to go into $17,000 in debt per year ($34,000 for two years) to take such lower division courses when you can go to an inexpensive community college for them.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s exactly what I am feeling. While SHU is a good school it is just that, a good school. Average. However, I felt like participating in various programs and clubs, and attending a 4-year school would up my chances of transferring into GTU or another high-end school when compared to just attending CC.</p>
<p>Opinions?</p>
<p>I am very familiar with Seton Hall and it’s OK, but it’s no more impressive than many NJ state schools – Ramapo, Rutgers, TCNJ or maybe even Montclair. And it’s twice the price. There are some very strong academic CCs in NJ – more than people in other parts of the country may realize. A good record at a strong CC may open doors to even better four-year schools than what you’re eligible for now. If you’re considering Seton Hall now, how about Georgetown or BC after a strong showing at CC? It’s not a common outcome, but it happens.</p>
<p>Your bachelor’s degree (and your GPA on your resume at the end of the four years) will be from the school you transfer to, not the CC. If you start at CC, you can’t assume that you’ll get any merit aid as a transferee, but we don’t know how much of that you’re being offered now, and whether it will last all four years if you do start at Seton Hall. Two years elsewhere may produce a more impressive outcome at a much more affordable price, allowing you to start adult life fully focused on your future and unburdened by debt. Even if Seton Hall is your destination after the two years at CC, you may get their diploma much more affordably by starting at CC.</p>
<p>I live in the Northern Virginia area, and with that in mind I do have guaranteed admission to UVA and William and Mary if I fulfill the prrequites and attend the local CC. The more I type this the more ridiculous SHU sounds because of the debt. I just feel like I would have more of an opportunity for advancement academically and better opportunities to transfer somewhere prestigious.</p>
<p>Well, since you live in a state with good public universities (UVa, VT, W&M, etc.), going to CC and transferring to one of them seems like a much more sensible and lower cost path. Public universities are typically transfer friendly and typically offer need-based financial aid to transfers on the same basis that they do to freshmen (but check the net price calculator to be sure), though merit scholarships may be fewer and smaller for transfers than for freshmen.</p>
<p>$17,000 in debt per year does not make a lot of sense for a common major at a decent but undistinguished college.</p>