I’m a Sophomore in High school but already looking ahead toward college and majors and all that. I have not decided on a final major but know I want to minor in Japanese. My first choice school is Emory University in GA; its not too far away from home and I took a college tour and just thought “this is for me”. Of course there are many college college tours ahead of me as well as options galore but right now that is my first choice. I am a very smart girl (have over a 4.0 GPA), taking ACT prep to help my score (got a 22 as a sophomore not very high at all but Im ONLY a sophomore) planning to take IB/AP classes, play viola in my schools orchestra, in student Gov., and robotics. Because of this (and I don’t mean to sound all high and mighty) I am bound to get scholarships but probably not to my schools of choice or they will be very low amounts. So back to the original question should I go where I can get in free/get a lot of scholarships or go to my dream school?
You can start by talking about this issue with your family. Since you liked Emory, try the Net Price Calculator on their website and review the results together.
Honestly, if you can get in free somewhere, I tend to think that’s the best choice. But honestly, as a sophomore, there’s not a lot of planning you can do. I know, I tried it too. But in two years you may not even like Emory anymore. And in two years, that 4.0 could easily drop, while that ACT could stay stagnant. You never know.
Start by opening a discussion with your parents about how much they can put towards college each year. That could be a lot, or nothing at all, but it’s better to know now than later. This is a good time to start familiarizing yourself with the process, with scholarships, with NPCs, but not really productive to start committing yourself to one college or type of college, or to assume what kind of scholarships you’d be getting where. Full rides are harder to get than you probably think they are right now.
This isn’t something you should be stressing over as a sophomore. Get into your dream school and a scholarship at another school first before you think this through.
As a senior though, I am leaning towards going to school for free. It just feels so much more liberating. I can travel over the summers, I can double major without killing myself, and there will be more funds available for me to come home whenever I want. Also, if you get into a special program like the honors college, you’ll get more one-on-one time with professors, priority registration, better dorms and potential funding for undergrad research (mostly-if your school offers all of this). Making a choice like this is hard because there’s always the external peer pressure. I know my friends have looked down on other students who slaved their way through the high school getting top scores and then just ended up going to a subpar state school, even if it was on through a full ride. Don’t let other people make this decision for you. Sometimes you’ll find out that you like your safety school better than your dream school.
Go where you will accumulate the least debt, get a decent education, and can see yourself being at least moderately happy. No dream school is worth crippling debt: when your loan repayments equal more than half of every paycheck (and can’t be discharged, even in death!), you won’t be as happy with your dream school. And 99% of the time, the education and advancements you could get from the less expensive school are roughly on par with the dream school. Promise.
Also, dreams change. Where we see ourselves going and where we end up–and end up happy–do not always match. Life is weird that way. So the smartest thing to do: make sure you have a school at every level (reach, match, safety) that you could see yourself attending and not be abjectly miserable. Really more than one is wise, but make it at least one. Find as many that share the intersection of “could make me moderately happy” and “might give me lots of money.” Then compare acceptances/packages when the time comes and make the most informed, money-wise choice you can make. Future 30-something you will thank 18-year-old you for approaching it that way, trust me 
^^ As a sophomore, you tend to look more for the name-brands, and even think that state schools are “below you”. Not saying you specifically, but it must be the age. Flagships are absolutely phenomenal and offer a bounty of resources and are often overlooked by high-stats kids snubbing their noses. Meanwhile, I’m looking at my full ride knowing I’m going to have money left over and not have to worry about post-graduate debt. Try to think why these sorts of schools aren’t your “school of choice”.
It may surprise you that once you take away the issue of prestige, your instate schools are the best deal all around. Yes, Virginia, there are plenty of 36 ACT/4.3 GPA students in flagships. (And I say this because I personally know these students). Honors colleges provide great opportunities that you may not find at Ivy-level schools. Instead of competing with 200 students to do undergrad research with professors, you might be working alongside with just two or three.
There’s no harm in dreaming about super prestigious and selective schools, but don’t make the mistake of overlooking public universities.
My parents gave already informed me they won’t pay a dime especially if I’m offered a scholarship from another school, and they’re being reasonable. I simply wanted to know how people felt thank you for the opinion. .
I know exactly what you mean about the peer pressure. My peers with the same credentials as me see state schools as mediocre and for the common folk. I just wanted to know if the big league schools were worth it as opposed to a smaller public school.
@proudterrier and @irlandaise you two are both very right and thank you for the help. My only problem is that none of my state schools offer Japanese as a minor (I live in Alabama) so that’s always been a bit of a biggie. Georgia is right next by and that’s why out of the three schools that do offer it (Emory, Uni of Georgia, and Oglethorpe) Emory was my first choice. Silly as it sounds I don’t want to move too far and the thought of a prestigious school always seemed to be right for me, but I suppose the loads of debt aren’t worth it. I’ll try looking into University of Georgia and hope for the best. And I still have two years of High school so I may even change my minor. Still, thanks you two. 
People spend differently when it’s their money other people’s money.
Hey, fellow Alabamian! The University of Alabama has a [minor in Japanese](Japanese Program – Department of Modern Languages).
Auburn does have an [Asian Studies minor](Asian Studies Minor < Auburn University), which means you can do all those hours in Japanese classes only, if you wished. 
plus, I mean, it’s Auburn.
UAB has a [Japanese minor](Why Study Japanese - CAS - Department of World Languages and Literatures | UAB), too!
That’s three great options right there that could (providing you meet the standards) land you full tuition scholarships.
Plus, your interests might change in the next two years. You might decide to continue on the language you’re taking for IB.
I’m in a similar situation right now (as a high school senior who took dual enrollment classes in high school). I am narrowed down to two schools and find myself unable to choose. It was suggested to me to make a list of what matters to me and give each a weight, etc. etc. I will post the link to my thread here so you can read through it.
@Irlandaise Really!? I had no idea and I’ve done a bit of research. Well that helps me out A LOT. And it doesn’t matter if its not Auburn (for academic and football reasons alike) I’m just glad to find another school with my interest. I’ll definitely keep them in mind. And I’ll be taking Spanish for IB; its a beneficial language but nothing something I like all that much. If I may ask where did you decide to go to school and why? Thanks again.
Essentially, you must find a school with a net price of $10,000 or less, after scholarships or financial aid grants, since that is about the limit of what you can realistically self-fund with a federal direct loan and some work earnings.
If your parents are genuinely poor, then some schools with good need-based financial aid are likely to be affordable – check the net price calculators on their web sites. Whether your parents are poor or rich, you can also look for large merit scholarships, such as those found in the lists at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html .
What’s this? http://mlc.ua.edu/japanese/minor/
However, UA affordability is questionable even if you do get one of its well known full tuition scholarships (3.5 HS GPA and 30 ACT for Alabama residents). Non-tuition costs are about $15,000 per year if you live there. It may be workable if one or more of the following applies:
a. Your parents are poor enough for you to get a Pell grant.
b. You live at your parents’ house (at no charge or they do not charge a lot – typical costs parents bear for commuter students are probably in the $5,000 per year range) and commute.
c. You live very frugally, shaving dollars off every possible place in the stated cost of attendance (choose the cheapest dorm or off-campus housing, cheapest meal plan or food, etc.).
@ucbalumnus my parents aren’t poor at all and my stepdad’s job alone will probably put me out the eligibility of financial aid. However they aren’t looking to pay for anything either, they are counting on me getting a scholarship of some kind and make me get loans for everything else and pay them through a job. Plan B is very possible but if anything Plan C would be my best choice if it came down to it. Thank you for the assistance.
Hey, @Gardevoir! Yeah, it just takes a bit of googling sometimes. I’m actually going to Auburn (hence the wink and all, haha). There are a few reasons, so I’ll try to be brief.
First, the one that sounds really good - I wanted to not pay anything at all for college if I could help it. Now, this isn’t realistic for most people, but that’s what I wanted, so I made sure to qualify for the two big full-tuition scholarships in-state. For both Alabama and Auburn, that’s a 30 ACT and 3.5 GPA. A 32 gets you an extra $1000 at Auburn, but it’s not a big tipping point. With additional scholarships, I’ve managed to end up with a full ride.
I also wanted somewhere that was really strong in my majors/minor - Art History and Foreign Languages. I felt that was Auburn, but you’ll find that varies. However, Auburn was much more willing to work with me double-majoring and minoring. Also, there’s an art museum on campus that’s nationally accredited, so that’s a big deal to me.
Also, I’m not into Greek life, like at all, and I don’t care about football. I found that there were a lot more like-minded peers at Auburn than anywhere else on my list. I felt like the Honors College at Auburn was the best that I had interacted with. Lots more opportunities for research and independent study.
But I’ll be real with you and tell you that it was 100% fit and falling in love on campus. I love everything about Auburn, and you can definitely PM if you want to ask me anything. There’s a certain stereotype about SEC schools, and that’s honestly so misleading. As an introverted, non-Southern, non-religious, and non-conservative person, I don’t feel more at home than Auburn. So there’s a place for everyone.
Also, publics are a lot more generous with AP/IB credit, which a fellow IB kid will definitely appreciate. I have friends that went in with five semesters of credit. That’s pretty amazing.
Since you mention your stepdad, be aware that your biological father’s household income is also considered for need-based aid at schools which use the CSS Profile Non-Custodial Parent form. Unless the school uses FAFSA only, or explicitly states that it does not use non-custodial parent information, then be sure to include his household income in any net price calculator runs.
However, if your stepdad’s income is very high, that is probably a moot point.
Both Emory and UGA have competitive merit scholarships–check both out! UGA also has merit scholarships that are only open to Southern residents that you would qualify for. Totally worth looking at. Actually, if you want to stay in region and are looking for scholarships, look at University of Miami too.
@irlandaise I definitely agree with all your points those are the most important, especially your first point (which I have learned now ) I am so glad I decided to sign up with this site today, I’ve learned a lot in such little time, that sadly my counselor has not taught, from not just you but from everyone who has replied to my questions. I will most definitely try my hardest to achieve as many scholarships, honors, etc as possible to make college as free possible.
OP, choose a school with good scholarships and make it a moot point. But seriously, don’t count your chickens before their hatched. You could get great scholarships (I hope you do!) but you might not. Repost in another year or two and we will be able to advise you better. My dream schools was anywhere a) that had AeroE, b) I could get into, and c) I could get a great scholarship. I’ve found that in a couple of state universities (not flagships), but I understand that many people shoot “higher” than that. In your hypothetical situation, you may not have that much choice. If your parents can’t afford much (not criticizing here, my parents are in the same boat) and don’t want to cosign on loans, then you will have to go where the money is.
And even if you ended up going to a state university, that is by no means a mark of shame. There are fine educations at many state universities. Also, if you solidify your degree interest, you very well could find a run-of-the-mill state university that just happens to have a very strong program in that area. Those do exist. So, don’t close out your options.