<p>Daughter accepted to Stanford- offered unsubsidized Stafford and that is it.
Public university has offered the top of what they have to offer-Honors College, Presidential Scholarship-guaranteed to cover tuition all 4 years, overseas opportunities, stipend, a dean committed to some 500 students in an institution of 12,000. Going to Stanford would require D to participate taking loans and there would not be funds to help with graduate school, which is a must with her science interests. Public university is in the same town we live in and that is a negative to any college bound kid. Opinions welcome!</p>
<p>did your daughter only apply to that one public school? i say like if ur daughter were to get a full ride to say UCLA or UC Berkeley or other top public schools then it'd be better for her to go there b/c for stanford 43k/yr times 4-5 yr thats a lot of money. Your daughter is kinda in the same situation as me. I got accepted to UCLA but i only got 13k in grants so im going to UC Irvine with a full ride b/c they have a great bio program, spacy and new dorms, and nice campus</p>
<p>We're in same boat. Cost (ours after merit aid) between 2 choices is 46K vs 116K over 4 years. I can foot 50-60K max (got 2 more kids right behind this one). This would mean 60K in loans minus summer work earnings in the D's name. </p>
<p>IMO that's a huge burden for undergrad debt. Chem major so Grad school is very likely. 60K (higher with accruing interest) when chem major with MS degree makes maybe 50-60K is way out of line.</p>
<p>Planning on going to cheaper school, get good grades and get into best grad school possible. you don't pay for grad school with assistanships & sitpends.</p>
<p>I think it might depend on which public univ. Are we talking UVA or UCLA or William and Mary? Or are are we talking Eastern Tennessee State or Western Illinois? Since grad school is a must, and that is what really counts, I'd say go public as long as the public school is a decent one.</p>
<p>I appreciate both your answers. Logically it makes sense, emotionally it is tough. My D applied to 6 schools, 3 public, 3 private. She was accepted at all 6. All the publics offered merit aid, honors colleges etc. One of the privates offered 40% of costs-but after looking at the school she has decided against that one. The other private is nearly as expensive as Stanford, it did offer a $1000/year "award" and a similar additional award to be used for research only-it is something but doesn't make a real dent in the end bill. The two extremes are Stanford with what it has to offer and it's astronomical costs and the public university which is a solid school but not a nationally recognized powerhouse of a public institution. The honors college has done well by its students and she has an opportunity of spending the time and money trying out internships and other experiences without having to worry about paying school now or when the loans would come due. It is a mental and emotional wrestling match to think of saying NO to Stanford. I guess not being financially successful enough has its consequences. (Yes, we have another one after to think of as well).
I wish you all the best.</p>
<p>Sorry for the math error- I appreciate all 3 responses.</p>
<p>Tell us the name of the public school lol</p>
<p>Rio- We just turned down 2 offers from privates (both excellent schools for what she wants to study) which included full tuition and a couple thousand for r/b. DD took the full ride at big state U because law school is likely in the future. Big State U has program of study listed as top 5 in nation. This wasn't a no brainer...for reasons that you had stated...i.e. DD wants to fly away. But it is too much to turn down 4 free years and a school that she will like (hopefully love!) and the no debt outlook in a few years.</p>
<p>similar situation here. although I guess duke isn't as big name school as stanford. But still very good nonetheless. </p>
<p>I am wrestling between going to the Schreyers Honors College @ PSU w/ a very nice scholarship package (2 dif. ones equalling more than half tuition + one time national merit finalist award) and Duke (no aid.......$46k a year). My parents said they COULD afford to pay for duke, but I can't rationalize the money (as I fully intend to pay my parents back for any cost of college). PSU will cost me less for 4 years then 1 year of duke. Any opinions?</p>
<p>racket777-my opinion is......I believe with your attitude and outlook you will be successful no matter where you go!</p>
<p>racket 77
My son is going to Schreyer - he also got a few scholarships from them (Mitte + the $3500 - makes the instate tuition almost free). He's very happy with his choice - and plans to use extra money for grad school. He loved the PSU campus and the kids at Schreyer were really nice. Plus the study abroad grants are really great. Smeal is also a top business school - he didn't apply to Duke because they don't have a business school. But Duke is an great school with lots of prestige so I can understand why you have a tough decision. One question: Are you getting NMF scholarship from PSU? My son is also a finalist but I didn't think PSU gave NM money.</p>
<p>Ask yourself...Is the prestige really worth all the financial headaches? A name like Stanford can only go so far, and remember, this is only undegraduate study. What if your D wants grad. study @ Harvard and will be stuck paying off loans while her co-workers who went to state schools are putting down payments on new homes?</p>
<p>If Stanford matters that much to her, go for it. Its impossible to put a price tag on happiness. At the same time, however, remember that if she wouldn't mind this other school, it will save her thousands in the long run. Chances are her friends in the honor program will be in a similar circumstance in that they were accepted into other prestigious colleges and chose the state school for financial reasons.</p>
<p>I def. I agree with momnipotent. What you get out of college is a function of what you put into it.</p>
<p>Same situation, RIO, the emotions are the hardest part of it all! I just wish we had a better way of knowing what the costs could be before starting. The kids don't really understand what kind of money this is! </p>
<p>The publics are the best value, and as it has always been, the privates have a well heeled clientele. The publics provide up front info about their costs because they are most often associated with a state government who requires it before providing the state funds. There are as many high ACT scoring students at Ohio State as there are at Stanford. The proportion may be different, but your daughter will be amazed at the level of competence of most of her classmates at a good public university. She will have to fend for herself a little more, but that's good practice for life in the big city!</p>
<p>Our federal government indirectly funds private education by encouraging tax deductible donations to these colleges, but there is no accountability to the taxpayers. Some privates seem to be very responsible, but we found the costs skyrocketed in direct proportion to the "eliteness" of the schools. Only lip service to financial need if you have any assets whatsoever.</p>
<p>What is the public university that you are considering Rio?</p>
<p>Thats a tough decision, I am trying to decide between the school i want, and the school that is giving my parents the best deal financially, thats a LOT of pressure</p>
<p>As I mentioned above, keep things in perspective. Chances are if you received admission into an Ivy school for undergrad, you will get into a comparable level graduate school because the competition really drops off. If you do not plan on attending grad. school, go for the more expensive school now.</p>