<p>I'm in a similar situation, torn between the University of Minnesota and Yale. I'm interested in English and or other social science programs, not necessarily the stuff that makes a lot of money outside of college (but I don't want to be a teacher). I do think I would want to go on to some type of grad school, however, if I should decided on a social science subject. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Ok here's the scenario...</p>
<p>My decision has come down to two schools. </p>
<p>1st school:
I first visited Washington University in St. Louis last spring and have loved it since I first stepped on campus. I have been back 4-5 times and fall in love even more each time I am there. I am going to major in economics and go on to grad school to obtain a dual MBA/JD degree. Also, I will have the opportunity to play for the Bears Women's Basketball Team which has been a DIII powerhouse for over 20 years. I love the coaches, the team, and everyone I have met at WashU. It has pretty much been a dream of mine for the last year to attend WashU. I have gotten a pretty good financial aid package but it will still cost me $20,000 a year to attend.</p>
<p>2nd school:
On March 23, I was awarded one of the most prestigious scholarships in the state of Indiana. This scholarship is a four-year full-tuition scholarship to any accredited public or private university in the state of Indiana. If I choose to stay in Indiana, I will attend DePauw University. DePauw is a great school and has a strong reputation for its economics department. I went down to visit this week and was accepted into the Management Fellows Program. This is a prestigious program that will ensure me an awesome internship and great connections upon graduation. Also at DePauw, I will have the opportunity to play basketball. They also are DIII and ironically beat WashU in the national championship game (so no matter what I will be playing at an awesome and well-respected program). Now that I've had the opportunity to visit DePauw, I now love the coaches, the team, and everyone I have met there as well. If I chose to attend DePauw, I will be making money, because I was awarded a $17,000 scholarship before I received the full-ride. I have talked to my parents and it sounds like I will be able to pick out any new car I would like if I choose to attend DePauw also.</p>
<p>I just wanted to get some imput while I was making my decision.
DePauw or WashU??
At WashU I will come out with close to $80,000 in loans, at DePauw I will have nothing to pay at all.
Which one of these schools sounds like the better choice and opportunity?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.</p>
<p>Plymouth, if you love DePauw, I'd take the money and enjoy it!</p>
<p>WashU is lovely, and I can understand your desire to go there. However, since you seem to also love DePauw, do you think that you like WashU more than DePauw by $80,000? It's a lot of money for an undergrad education.</p>
<p>I wish I were in your position. I have expensive schools that I love and a cheap school that I hate. If you have a cheap/free school that you love, seems like a no-brainer to me.</p>
<p>Plymouth:</p>
<p>Congrats on winning the Lilly! My S won for Fulton County and is in a similar quandry as you. He is trying to decide between Notre Dame, Yale, or Duke. You both have difficult, but wonderful choices.</p>
<p>Is it true DePauw pays for the room & board for Lilly winners? Wabash does, but Notre Dame does not. Are you positive you will get the $17000 previous scholarship in addition to the full tuition Lilly? In our experience, the Lilly completely replaced any previous merit scholarships.</p>
<p>My grandma graduated from DePauw and I've lived in central Indiana. Across the country, and midwest, my guess would be WashU has somewhat of an edge in "prestige", whatever that means to you. However, DePauw has an excellent reputation, especially in the Indianapolis business community and their management fellows program is great.</p>
<p>Does location and proximity to home matter to you? Greencastle would be fine for my S, but some kids don't like the small town/ruralness. My guess is cornfields don't bother you either.</p>
<p>Does the extremely Greek presence bother you? My S kind of liked that. I have gathered midwest and southern folks don't flinch at that like some east coasters. </p>
<p>Have you done a loan calculator to see the monthly payments on $80,000? IMO, way too much, especially given the fact you have $0 at another fine school.</p>
<p>Does it bother you to turn down the Lilly Scholarship (I'm assuming that's what it is) and the honor that comes with it? I think that is playing into my son's decision somewhat. That, and to many in northern Indiana, Notre Dame has as much prestige as Yale. He's worried about fit at Yale too.</p>
<p>Sorry for getting long. PM me if there's any other questions with which I can help.</p>
<p>Can people help me decide between colleges as well? I posted all the financial aid info so everyone can see which I should decide between UMass-Amherst Honors, UConn and UDel.</p>
<p>linkinpark, Why not UNH? I really think that all of your choices are good ones. I would go to UMass or UNH b/c money is a big factor (as long as you and your family can swing it financially).</p>
<p>UNH is too far for my parents. I won't have a car right away so my dad would pick me up and it would be about 6 hours each way. 12 hours altogether.</p>
<p>linkinpark, that is the exact commute that I have when I pick my kid up, but I find it is worth it b/c it is the right school for my son. I did want to say that I heard that UNH has an Amtrak station on or very near campus. I understand that kids take that into Boston, and then fly home out of Logan. I could be wrong about that, but it is worth a phone call to admissions. If this is the case, your parents would only need to worry about doing this trip twice a year (beginning and year end).</p>
<p>plymouth - you sound like a really locked on individual who will do well at either school (or any school for that matter), hence I would suggest that the money becomes a very large factor. Wash U is your dream but $80K in loans could be a nightmare down the road, especially if you go MBA/JD which means you won;t be earning substantial income until well into your 20s. That's a long time to drag that debt around.</p>
<p>If your parents can afford private schools, all it does is give you additional CHOICES. IMHO, the PERFORMANCE is still up to me whether I'm in a public or private school. Many people I know, including my older siblings, were not set back by "lack of choices". Many were set back by l"ack of performance". Starting life after graduation with a large debt sounds burdensome to me, unless I major in a highly-paid high-demand technology career. If I decide to major in philosophy, art or religion, how am I going to pay for that large debt? How am I going to even consider going to grad school if I'm already deeply in debt?</p>
<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE:</p>
<p>Threads about choosing a college after being admitted belong in the College Search & Selection forum, not in the College Admissions Forum, naturally. Good luck at finding advice for making a suitable decision. </p>
<p>And now back to the discussion already in progress.</p>
<p>Look at the acceptance rates at each college and the size of the University. No disrespect to ASU but a school that has a 95% acceptance rate, a low six-year graduation rate, and 60,000 students on four campus' makes you ask some hard questions. Quite a nuumber of classmates from my kid's HS got accepted to ASU and almost everyone got a scholarship...</p>
<p>Okay, i already have made a topic. But since so many people are responding here, I will just add my dillema and ask for advice. </p>
<p>I was accepted into NYU's film school and UVA. UVa will be around $20 grand debt in total (for all four years.) While NYU would be somewhere around $40 grand to $60 grand. </p>
<p>Now, if I go to NYU, I have the option of getting a BA in Film, and a BA and Master in Public AdminstrationManagement in just five years. I can double major, and get my masters--all for around $60 grand total in loans. </p>
<p>However, if I go to UVA, I have to gave up my film dream, and I will also have to go to grad school for management. </p>
<p>So, is 60 grand loan worth it? Or should I take the safe road?</p>
<p>$60k in loans is a massive amount that will close doors for you in the future, as all debt does.</p>
<p>Does UVA not have a film school? Are you sure you are making a decisions based on all the factors and not just looking for ones that support your desire to attend NYU? Remember, you may (and frankly probably will) change your mind about exactly what you want to do and study.</p>