State School vs. Private Christian; Which is the smarter choice?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have already finished a year of college. I spent my first semester at my state university, UNLV - a fifteen minute drive from my house. With my Pell Grant going to school costs me around $3,000 a year and I'm eligible for scholarships now so that number could be even lower once I apply for them. </p>

<p>I spent my second semester at a small private Christian university in California. It costs about $35,000 a year to attend and I am given $13,500 in grants - the rest I have to take out in loans. Scholarships are not easy to apply for at this school, since it is not funded by the government so the chance of getting more free money is slim. </p>

<p>It was always my dream to go to a small, nice school out of state. I had a lot of fun at the Christian university. It was small, friendly, I made lots of friends right away, and it just felt like home from the moment I got there. I hated being away from my family though, so the only downside was the homesickness, oh and chapel 3 times a week (I was not into that).</p>

<p>I want to go to the Christian school, I really do, but right now I'm having the hardest time deciding if I should go back this fall. If I went back, I would be doing a "study abroad" program in Yosemite national park for the semester. I'd spend the entire semester learning and hiking in the woods. It seems like such a once in a lifetime opportunity so I am wondering why I'm having such a hard time wanting to go back. I'm a Christian and I like being around Christian people and not having the pressure to drink or party all the time. I liked being able to hang out and just do normal goofy things. </p>

<p>But on the other hand, I wouldn't be getting myself into tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt at UNLV. My sister is starting college there this Fall, so we could go together and I could still live at home, which sounds REALLY good to me. She's my best friend and I would love to go to school with her, I hated being so far away from my family. UNLV also has bigger research opportunities for me, which is important because I'm double majoring in Psychology and Biology - with grad school in the future. </p>

<p>I just don't want to regret staying home. I don't want to look back on my life and wish I had taken the opportunity to have amazing fun times at the Christian university with amazing friends and people. My personality is a coward by nature, which might be factoring into this. It takes a lot for me to get out of my comfort zone and do things that are unfamiliar, and a part of me is scared to death of the Yosemite semester, even though it would be life changing and great for me. I know that economically it's smarter to stay at UNLV, but should I not make money an issue here? Is there more to life than saving money and doing things the "smarter" way? Do you think in the long run that my experiences at the second university would be priceless and the debt that follows won't be impossible to deal with?</p>

<p>What do you think I should do? I know this was long, but I'm having an immensely difficult struggle with this right now. Any advice?</p>

2

<p>what’s the name of the Christian university?</p>

3

<p>Azusa Pacific University, why is that important?</p>

4

<p>yikes! This is a tough decision</p>

<p>On one hand, Azusa Pacific is probably better than UNLV but is it worth $70,000+ in loans? I don’t think so. The general rule I’ve heard is that you should never take out more loans than what you think your starting salary will be and $70,000 is really pushing it.</p>

<p>I say stay at UNLV. The education at Azusa Pacific isn’t worth that much in loans.</p>

5

<p>In this case, I agree with Pierre. Since it is recommended that you do grad school at a different place than your undgrad, you will have the opportunity to live away from home in the near future. Look into study abroad (or college exchanges) within UNLV. It is possible that a research immersion trip or semester abroad opportunity could be found for less money. There are Christian groups on campus, so you should still have the opportunity to meet those that share your values.</p>

6

<p>Yeah you guys do make good points. Part of me is wondering if there are any arguments FOR APU though. Any other opinions on the matter?</p>

7

<p>When you said Christian school in CA, the first one that popped into my mind was Pepperdine. I could see, perhaps, incurring a SMALL amount of debt for it because it’s ranked relatively high; however, in your situation, I would probably suggest you go to UNLV. Given the issues you mentioned, it sounds like the best school for you to finish out your undergrad.</p>

8

<p>It is not worth the debt.</p>

9

<p>Any other opinions or advice?</p>

10

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<p>I know nothing about Azusa Pacific University, but I can tell you that in some circles, a science degree from an evangelical Christian University [e.g. the ones that don’t believe in evolution] would not be respected.</p>

11

<p>An emphatic ditto on the above posters. Do NOT go into debt, and particularly don’t incur that much debt at Azusa Pacific.</p>

12

<p>Speaking as a Christian, I think missypie makes a very good point. A physics degree may be ok but a biology degree at a non-Christian university would make your career prospects a lot better. You don’t have to agree with what they teach you at UNLV but a degree at a non-Christian university is better especially in the field of biology.</p>

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<p>Well, whether or not I’m going to pursue the Biology major is still up in the air. I haven’t fully chosen a set life path for myself. I do know that I want to go to grad school though, so either way it is VERY important. </p>

<p>But I guess my question now is, do you think that the debt could be worth it in any way? I know it is smarter to go to UNLV, I know. Is there more to life than saving money and doing things the smart way though?</p>

<p>If I stayed here, I would get a job, commute to school, be virtually debt-free, and just live my life, nothing exciting. Part of me still wonders if I’m going to severely regret giving up the opportunity to go on really cool study abroad trips and mission trips and be in a small environment with awesome professors that you can talk about anything with and meet amazing people and be in a place that I love. </p>

<p>I don’t know, I’m just having a really hard time wrestling with all of this. Maybe I could spend another year here and transfer to an even better university, I don’t know - but I would love some more insight from anyone who thinks they can help.</p>

14

<p>Even if you are commuting to college, you can still make it exciting and worthwhile. You can still study abroad and have relationship with professors. The money that you save now gives you choices that you may not have if you are in debt. Want to do mission work after grad school? That wouldn’t be an option if you would need to get a job to pay those loans. After grad school you won’t need to take a job that you don’t like just because it pays more. You would be able to buy a home sooner, save for your children’s education, save more for your retirement, etc. I would go back into UNLV with a mission to make the most out of a very affordable school.</p>

15

<p>Yes, just because you commute, it doesn’t mean that you have to go home right after class!</p>

16

<p>“If I stayed here, I would get a job, commute to school, be virtually debt-free, and just live my life, nothing exciting.”</p>

<p>It may be a lot less exciting right now. But it doesn’t mean that the whole rest of your life, or even your youth, has to be that way.</p>

<p>If you graduate with no debt, it means that you will be free to take virtually any job anywhere in the world. You could get a job at Yosemite! You could join the Peace Corps or a mission program that takes you all around the world.</p>

<p>There is definitely more to life than saving money, but you won’t be able to embrace all that “more” if you’re weighed down by $70,000 in debt. Have you visited the various Christian groups at UNLV (there are a bunch) or gone on community service programs? How about an outdoor-adventure group?</p>

17

<p>Hanna’s comments are right on.</p>

18

<p>Can you do the study abroad semester, then transfer to a state school?</p>