<p>Hi, I'm currently a senior in high school and have been wondering what route I should take to get to where I want to be in the future. Obviously I've done plenty of research and have narrowed my list of schools to two (JMU, PSU). Both schools would leave me with a debt of over $100,000. This amount scares me because of the stories that are told about college debt. I'm a fairly competitive student (3.8 GPA, 26 ACT, etc, etc.), but am confused on whether to take the least expensive route, or the "common route". My intended major is in business and (Finance, Economics, Marketing) seem to be the most likely. I would love to be a 6 figure man someday and I fully understand that now is where it counts! Overall, I am just looking for advice on how to get through this period in my life. Suggestions regarding the current schools I am considering or any new schools to consider are greatly appreciated (or simply JMU vs. PSU). </p>
<p>PA
Math is as follows: Geometry, Algebra II (Honors), Trig/Pre-Calc (Honors), AP Statistics
Math hasn’t been much of a burden but some of the concepts escape me</p>
<p>ACT: English (24), Math (23), Reading (31), Science (24) Composite (26)</p>
<p>SAT: Math 540, English 560, Writing 540, (1100, 1640)</p>
<p>In my opinion, that’s way too much college debt. If you don’t agree, are your parents willing to borrow that much in their names? You cannot borrow that much in your own name. [Subsidized</a> and Unsubsidized Loans | Federal Student Aid<a href=“see%20the%20chart%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20page%20for%20annual%20federal%20student%20loan%20limits”>/url</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, many factors affect what people earn; the payscale.com data should not be taken as Gospel. My point is only that it may be harder than you expect to pay back a debt that large, even with what you think is a relatively marketable degree. So you may want to focus on less expensive options, such as public universities in your own state.</p>
<p>Some business majors are not far behind if not ahead of the aforementioned degrees.</p>
<p>I understand where your coming from though. I should more or less say that I will be investing $100,000 for a degree rather than it all being debt.</p>
<p>Just as all biz majors are not created equal neither are all engin. majors. Any good school should have very good placement data by major. Finance generally is top pay B major. $100K is too much debt.</p>
<p>I must agree with the above posts. I don’t believe 100k of debt/investment is worth an Ivy League education. Here, 100k is just too high for a business degree, one that is highly volatile, unlike engineering. I suggest you reconsider your options and look at your state flagship.</p>
<p>I think Penn State is the OP’s home flagship. I admire the ambition, but I agree that $100,000 is way too much debt for any bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>In business school, you will learn about the capital structure of an enterprise – some balance of debt and equity. Equity is what a co-owner of the business has put on the line and is prepared to lose. Debt is what a third party has lent to the endeavor, and they must be paid back with interest. With college funding, debt is not an investment, in the business sense; it is the worst kind of debt because you can’t default.</p>
<p>You will also learn in business school about making the most of the resources that are available to you, so that your enterprise can be profitable. Pennsylvania seems to have a nice system of satellite campuses. See if you can cut down the cost of the degree by doing the first two years as a commuter. It is very tempting to picture onesself on a campus like PSU State College Main Campus or JMU, a few months after high school graduation. I understand. But the purpose of all this is ultimately to give you a nicer adult life, not to set you up for a miserable adult life. Regardless of your major, and how successful you may be as an undergrad, six figures is probably many years off. And it’s not as much money as it may sound like, especially with so much debt.</p>
<p>Always funny when a firm like Booz is the example as they mostly hire very selectively from Ivy and similar schools and their business IS not knowing anything so it works for them. However most real businesses that make and sell things are still hiring many undergrad biz majors–just not those from schoools outside the Top 50 or so b schools. So yes, going to Joe Dokes State and majoring in business is not a ticket to a good job–but neither is going to Joe Dokes and majoring in philosophy.</p>
<p>Some business classes, especially economics and finance, require strong math.</p>
<p>Also check the 14 state schools. There probably is one near you. Especially check alumni networks in businesses in your region.</p>
<p>Another option: get a full-time job with an employer that will pay for part-time classes. Try banks, insurance companies, hospitals, and colleges themselves (many let their staff take courses for free).</p>
<p>I have been looking at this issue for a long time, and do not find the article convincing. While I always hear from CEOs and commentators that one should study liberal arts and leave professional programs to grad school, hiring managers do prefer professional degrees, and sometimes, only professional degrees. Furthermore, as student debt is becoming a serious problem, why should one pile debt upon debt?</p>
<p>Recent studies are suggesting that students actually learn to think better by majoring in subjects such as sociology and business than English and economics. These folks obviously have not read up on these most recent of studies:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>BTW, I suspect the common denominator to high paying subjects is math.</p>