We have a choice to make. Full ride to Mizzou or pay about 15k/year for Ivy school. We’d have to borrow the total of 60k. Kid has definite plans to go to grad school in physics. Some say it doesn’t matter what undergrad you go to. But it’s hard to believe all things being equal that a top grad school is going to choose my Tiger over a Harvard grad.
@ KunjiBoy Hmmm tough decision. At which school does your child feel most “at home” or “comfortable”? Going to an Ivy definitely opens doors when applying for graduate schools. That said, Mizzou graduates get into great graduate schools too! If your child takes Honor classes and major classes and does well, participates in undergraduate research opportunities, makes connections by attending scientific meetings, has strong recommendation letters from PhD prepared faculty within the Physics department, getting into a top graduate school should be within reach. I can’t speak to how your family should decide, but these are the conversations that we’ve had at our house. I have a certain amount of money saved for my DD’s education. She can chose to use that for her UG or her graduate education–it is up to her. While she is welcome to take out a student loan ($5500 max freshman year), I will not take out a parental loan so that she can go to a selective school for her UG degree. Good luck!