<p>The two schools in question are Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Virginia. I'd be in the Honors College at VCU and the Echols Scholars program at UVA. VCU will pay my tuition, but not room and board. UVA won't give me a thing because they dont offer merit aid, and our EFC is artificially high (don't they realize we have to pay for FOUR years???!!!) so I can't get anything need-based. I'm instate, so UVA tuition isn't exorbitant, but theoretically I'd be taking out 30-40k in loans. I visited VCU and really didn't like it. It's a commuter school with no college feel, it's in the same city I grew up in, it's not prestigious (every kid in my high school uses VCU as a safety, and if you go there you're pretty much considered a failure.), everyone there is from Virginia, etc, etc. UVA has great academics, a gorgeous campus, great college town, excellent prestige/reputation, etc. I love it. When I picture myself at college, it is at UVA. What I want to ask is: Would going to UVA be a stupid decision?
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<p>Given your instate tuition I’d probably side with UVA. I’d like to hear some other opinions though.</p>
<p>Why would you apply to a school you “hate”?</p>
<h1>theoretically I’d be taking out 30-40k in loans</h1>
<p>??</p>
<p>Per year or total? </p>
<p>Are you saying that your parent will pay all costs at UVA except for about $8k - 10k per year? </p>
<p>Do your parents know that they will have to co-sign the loans that are beyond…</p>
<p>frosh 5500
soph 6500
jr 7500
sr 7500</p>
<p>So, if you have to borrow $10k for frosh year, your parents would have to co-sign for 4500 that year.</p>
<p>What are your parents saying? How much will they pay each year? Are they saying that they will only pay the amount of room and board at VCU because that’s the “best deal”???</p>
<p>Didn’t you apply to any other schools??? Other schools that will give you good merit??</p>
<p>Why do you hate VCU? Do you have substantial reasons for not liking it…or do you dislike it because you could get into better schools? What don’t you like about it?</p>
<p>What is your career goal???</p>
<p>P.S…are you still considering rushing at UVA…if so, you need to budget for that as well…that can easily be another $3k per year…or more!</p>
<p>^^ What jym asked…</p>
<p>I’m not sure that the OP truly hates VCU or not. In another thread, she is recommending it to another student. I can’t imagine recommending a school that I truly HATED to another person…at least not without a mention of what I didn’t like about the school.</p>
<p>It may be just that too many high school classmates are going to VCU and she considers it a continuation of HS. She may want to branch out to a school where she’ll know fewer people. </p>
<p>Or she thinks VCU is beneath her academics. UVA has a much, much greater prestige.</p>
<p>Or she doesn’t like that VCU isn’t as pretty as UVA.</p>
<p>She may not truly hate VCU as in “I would be miserable every day that I would be on campus.” Or maybe she really does HATE it. With 18 year olds…they can say that they hate something just because it’s not what they WANT to do.</p>
<p>For Virginia residents, UVa costs about $22K/year (tuition, fees, r&b).
How much of that is your family actually willing and able to cover?</p>
<p>Well first off, vcu isn’t a failure school that’s just insulting, but anyway uva is far more superior than vcu prestige wise, and if u still r gonna have to pay for room and board at vcu uva doesn’t seem all to ba since ur instate</p>
<p>Sometimes these kinds of threads have other intentions…just saying…sigh.</p>
<p>Jetsfan…</p>
<p>I hope you aren’t thinking that I am saying that VCU is a failure school.</p>
<p>My point was that young people often view their lower ranked state schools as destimations for their lower achieving HS classmates. It isn’t a nice attitude, but it’s a common view - especially amongst kids with the stats to get accepted elsewhere.</p>
<p>My parents could only pay for two years at UVA, I’d have to pay for the rest myself by taking out loans. The 30-40K is total, worst case scenario.
I thought I liked VCU, but when I visited it didn’t sit well with me at all. Hate is a strong word, and miserable I would not be in all likelihood. But the student body at UVA appeals infinitely more to me, and from what I’ve gathered, I think i’d be a whole lot happier there.
VCU is not a failure school, that’s an assumption that some people at my high school make, though.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about pre-law or business, which would give UVA the edge.</p>
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<p>I’d say that UVA is well worth that 20k loan. I’m from Virginia as well and most people at my high school look at VCU as just the “last resort” school. In contrast, UVA is considered very prestigious and only the cream of the crop are(is?) accepted. I also feel like if you go to VCU you’ll mainly only get job offers from companies in VA, while if you go to UVA, you’ll have more of a choice, whether in state or out of state. But by no means will you be a failure if you attend VCU; several of my teachers are VCU alum and they are very knowledgeable in their fields (Not sure if a teacher is a good standard of measure, but eh).</p>
<h2>My parents could only pay for two years at UVA, I’d have to pay for the rest myself by taking out loans. The 30-40K is total, worst case scenario. </h2>
<p>It doesn’t sound like $30k-40k is worst case scenario. Your junior and senior years will probably cost at least that. Maybe more…especially if you pledge.</p>
<p>School costs rise each year, so the instate cost of UVA by the time you’re a junior or senior will be higher.</p>
<p>YOU can’t borrow that much. Wil your parents co-sign large loans? If not, then that is moot.</p>
<p>YOU can borrow the following without parent co-signers…</p>
<p>junior year…7500
senior year…7500</p>
<p>"I thought I liked VCU, but when I visited it didn’t sit well with me at all. Hate is a strong word, and miserable I would not be in all likelihood. But the student body at UVA appeals infinitely more to me, and from what I’ve gathered, I think i’d be a whole lot happier there.
VCU is not a failure school, that’s an assumption that some people at my high school make, though. "</p>
<p>I think you should visit VCU again.</p>
<p>“Recently, I’ve been thinking about pre-law or business, which would give UVA the edge.”</p>
<p>going to UVA for pre-law (and getting DEBT!!!) is not an edge. That is a BAD idea.</p>
<p>mom:</p>
<p>She will file a FAFSA every year. I am certain UVA would not want an Echols Scholar leaving because of money. They may give her grants. Goodness!</p>
<p>I do agree UVa is the much better school. And a high percentage of UVa students live off campus as upperclassmen to save money. </p>
<p>If someone has a vibe at one school that its not them, I dont second guess that…so long as the vibe is not influenced entirely by the prestige hound factor of the competing school(s). </p>
<p>Being in-state UVa is not that bad. Law school is very expensive…and diminishing returns in the present state of law firms. But being an Echols Scholar she will likely do well and get into law school with no problems and maybe a big scholarship.</p>
<p>I think its worth the risk. Just double check. Visit both schools again. </p>
<p>Congrats to the OP and good luck.</p>
<p>^ It seems that UVA only offers Jefferson Scholarships for merit aid, the remainder is need based. Since the OP’s family can afford $30K for two years I doubt that will pull in extra $.</p>
<h1>She will file a FAFSA every year. I am certain UVA would not want an Echols Scholar leaving because of money. They may give her grants. Goodness!</h1>
<p>i wouldn’t count on her getting grants when her FAFSA will clearly indicate an EFC that her parents should be paying.</p>
<p>if UVA gave this scholar grants just because the parents won’t pay their EFC, what’s to stop the other scholars’ parents from doing the same. I think UVA would rather let one scholar leave than let a bad precedence get started.</p>
<p>and…the issue is too big to risk anyway…if she does have to leave UVA, then she won’t have that VCU scholarship anymore.</p>
<p>
Can they afford half the annual cost per year out of current income (without borrowing)? The remaining half would be about $12K/year at current rates (but escalating), payable from student loans ($5500 - $7500/yr) and perhaps your own earnings. $6500/year or more is a lot to expect from student earnings. Can your family help defray any of that from savings or debt?</p>
<p>If your family can only afford two years at UVA, what about spending the first two at a VA community college that has a transfer agreement with UVA? I know that the CCs in VA vary from each other, but if your CC is NOVA, it might not be any “worse” than VCU.</p>
<p>What exactly are your parents saying?</p>
<p>Are they saying that they will pay $25k for your frosh year, and $25k for your soph year ($50k total)?</p>
<p>If so, then ask them if instead will they pay $15k for each year. Then you could take out a $5500 loan for frosh year, a 6500 loan for soph year…and so forth.</p>
<p>And work every summer ( full time!!!) to cover the difference. and work part-time during the school year.</p>
<p>If you don’t want the work burden, then I think VCU is a better choice.</p>
<p>Can you revisit VCU…not just walk around, but meet with dept heads and such?</p>
<p>What will your major be? business? What area?</p>
<p>Rhebar…if all she needed to borrow is $20k total, then sure VA would be better. But, it’s looking like she’d have to borrow about $25k each year for a total of $50k.</p>
<p>That’s too much debt…especially with law school in consideration.</p>
<p>UVA tuition is about $12k and R&B is about $10k. Then another $4k for books and personal expenses/travel.</p>
<p>Another option…do the VCU scholarship for 2 years…then transfer to UVA for the last 2 years.</p>
<p>They can afford the equivalent of two years, whichever way it’s split up. I’m not sure about law school, not in the slightest. It’s just an idle thought. I have personal savings, I’m currently working and I’ll be working during the summers as well. </p>
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