<p>Hello! I am trying to figure out where to go for undergrad, and I realize this may seem like an odd place for this post, but I wanted to hear from those who already graduated undergrad. </p>
<p>I'm trying to decide whether it's a better idea to take out student loans and go to the school I really, really love, which would be about $15,000 more for me, or to go to a less expensive public school that would still be an amazing education.</p>
<p>Basically, if you took out student loans and are now in debt, but you went to a great school, do you regret it? and if you're in the opposite situation, and you went to a more affordable school, do you wish you had used loans to do what you really wanted?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for reading and please give your opinion, whatever it may be. </p>
<p>Note: I am planning to major in Engineering (Materials Science/Engineering or Chemical), which I expect would increase my ability to pay back my debt at a good pace. </p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>
<p>Wow, great question! Hope someone responds as I am ready to go into debt to attend a school I love! For me, though, there is really no second choice. So interested in what others have to say.</p>
<p>Yeah! I really want to feel ready to do that, but I also am hesitant to go into $60,000 of debt (over four years) when I have viable (if not quite as appealing) options that wouldn’t leave me with debt at all - or, at least, very little… I’m seeking some form of reassurance, though I realize I may not get it!</p>
<p>60,000 is no small sum. It really depends, engineering can be quite tough; it would be easy to say yes if you know you will definitely float through engineering and get hired right away.</p>
<p>The market is quite volatile right now. I’d go with the less expensive public, that way you know you won’t have loans. You will get a nice education anyway, plus probably decent internships during each summer break. The internships will get you your job in the end, not your school name.</p>
<p>ledunlap, I think as enticing the more expensive school is, you probably know you should take the less expensive option. It would be different if you didn’t have an affordable place to go but you do. If you think you want to go on to graduate school, it is common for employers to pick up the tab so perhaps you can set your sights for that time.</p>
<p>I will be graduating this May from a top liberal arts school with about $16,000 dollars in debt, and I would make the same decision to attend all over again, even if I could go to another university and graduate debt free. The personal development, relationships, and critical thinking skills I’ve gained here have been invaluable. While this kind of development will surely happen wherever you go, I think it’s easier to cultivate in an engaged environment that has favorable teacher-student ratio.</p>
<p>Also, 15k of debt is not a lot.</p>
<p>15K each year is what he indicated so a total of 60K.</p>
<p>I would give the cheaper school serious consideration IF you believe you will be happy there, just not quite as content as you would be at the other school. However, if the one and only thing that interests you at the cheaper school is the equally “amazing education,” if it was my choice, I would go with the 60k debt. Four years is a very long time, and your school choice will have a huge effect on your life during that time and afterwards.</p>
<p>But, in the case that the cheaper school is not a personal match, is there no “middle” option that is more reasonably priced that you will still be happy at?</p>
<p>Thank you all - also, not to be a stickler, but I’m a girl (haha). </p>
<p>There are some more middle-of-the-liners that may be best. Thank you all for your advice.</p>
<p>My daughter will graduate next month with zero debt. She chose her top fifty university over a top 25 and a top ten university. We would have been full pay at the last two. </p>
<p>She was not able to get summer work because of the economy. One summer, she had a government internship lined up in February, and it fell through because of federal budget problems. Now, she is facing a tough job market because her education is very well suited to government positions (math with language and foreign area study); however, there is a hiring freeze and current government workers will be furloughed starting next month. The tsunami in Japan threw a kink in the works as well because it restricted travel for a time.</p>
<p>My point? Things change. Plans do not always work out perfectly. I hope things will loosen up a bit before the next group of graduates is ready to work. The good news is that if it takes a while for her to get a job, she will not be worrying about debt.</p>
<p>I don’t regret accruing school loans to attend my dream school. In fact when my wife (fiancee at the time) encouraged me becuase it was my dream school.</p>
<p>I transfered from a very prominent state school for a just as equally reputable private university. We didn’t even focus the issue of taking on more school loans. </p>
<p>It was a great experience and it’s location helped us get where we are today. Absolutely no regrets.</p>
<p>I don’t think 15K a year is too big a sum to take on, and if the school is in a good location and has good internship opportunities, I would definitely go for it. You can make a good 8K over a summer in an engineering internship, and I would advise you to put that aside to pay off your debt.</p>
<p>If you go to a school to be debt free, but have no internship prospects, much less job prospects, after graduation, what good was it to have saved that money? Sure, you have no debt, but you also have no job. </p>
<p>Of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll get an internship, much less a post grad job, but I would look at the career center and see what companies recruit there. Also, location, location, location.</p>
<p>In fact, I would even choose a school that’s not a good social fit that has good career prospects over a school that appears to be a good social fit and is debt free. Once you’re in the school, you’ll make friends, gain life experiences, and see new places that you wouldn’t have been to as a high school student. Also, the school that appeared to be a good social fit based on the nice marketing strategies that colleges have, once you’re in, you may find those rose colored glasses come off and you were unwise to drink the kool aid.</p>