<p>Hello all-
I'm currently a high school senior in a bit of a rut. I was admitted into SLU's 5 year Occupational Therapy program with scholarships and money. They were generous. But the problem is, their tuition goes up every year and it's not exactly the "college town" I've come to know and want. I liked the campus, but it wasn't anything to drool over. So it'll be around 22,000 a year (not counting loans) + a whole summer of gross anatomy (more tuition and room & board) and the financial office said the 2 years of grad school isn't covered by the federal aid I'll be receiving right now. We all realize how expensive grad school is.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I love the University of Iowa. I'd major in Exercise Science. Would that give me a more diverse backround with OT and AT? That's about 28,000 for four years. I really would love to go there, but is it worth being in all that debt after only 4 years? (I'm going to be paying for most of college myself) And then having the stress and uncertainty of not getting into grad school? At the same time, I like the options I have at Iowa so if I decide I'd rather pursue something else, I have the resources available. </p>
<p>So I'm basically conflicted with the program at SLU and Iowa and the Big Ten college I dream about (whose program is nice) </p>
<p>Any suggestions? I have less than 2 weeks to decide :/</p>
<p>Here is a tool that I like that will allow you to compare the financials for those first four years (or three at SLU), but also has lines for other factors that might be important to look at.</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>Two things that you need to clarify with the people at SLU are the financial support you can expect (or not expect) from them to cover the full costs of the required summer course, and financial support for the costs of the graduate school years. Will you be expected to pay for those entirely on your own? If so, ask them the details of graduate student loans.</p>
<p>You may find that four years at U of I as an undergrad, followed by the X years required for an OT or AT at in-state rates in Iowa (is that also at U of I???) work out to be a better deal.</p>
<p>I can’t tell from your post what the total costs are at each school. You say you’ll be paying $22,000 a year at SLU plus loans plus a required summer. How much are the loans and how much is the summer cost. And at Iowa, is it $28,000 a year for 4 years, or $28,000 total. Are you in-state? Does Iowa have the same program? How sure are you about your major choice? And how many years at SLU does your package cover? Is it only for the undergrad portion?</p>
<p>I would check around about what the degrees are worth too. Around here, one can get reasonably high paying jobs pretty easily with a PT degree. Not as much money, not as easily, but doable with OT. Anything else, gets the dregs. My son’s SO is in the field and getting her master’s right now in PT, and pay differential is instant when you get conferred the grad degree, so regulated are the pay scales where she works.</p>