<p>I usually <em>hate</em> these threads but have been thrown for a serious loop. </p>
<p>Here is the gig - I got waitlisted from my top choice (Harvard) and now have to choose between:</p>
<ol>
<li> Boston University = full merit scholarship through Trustee's Scholarship</li>
<li>Tufts = $0 aid </li>
<li>American University = a $20,000/yr scholarship and admission to the Global Scholars program, which is an IR degree in 3 years and a Master's after the 4th year</li>
</ol>
<p>I can pay for undergrad and graduate school if I choose BU or American. However, if I were to choose Tufts, I would graduate with zero money with my bachelor's and if I do grad school after Tufts, I would end up in roughly $120,000 of debt.</p>
<p>I am an International Relations major, perhaps a minor in Turkish. I'm wondering if anyone has any input on these three schools financially, academically, socially or otherwise.</p>
<p>My son didn’t apply to BU because it was so big, so I really can’t speak to that. He was also admitted to AU with a scholarship that paid about half the costs. He loved AU and he liked the idea that he could do internships in DC during the school year. We also have family in the DC area. Ultimately he decided that if he was 100% sure he’d stick with International Relations AU would be great, but it was not nearly as strong across the board as
tufts. He really only found out about IR through the admissions process and was worried that while it seemed like a perfect fit for his interests it might turn out not to be as interesting in real life as it seemed on paper.</p>
<p>One of his best friends is at AU and loves it. My son is at Tufts and is also very happy. He’s working his butt off, while I think things are somewhat less stressful for his friend. That’s probably because his friend isn’t doing EPIIC and Arabic (my son is not a linguist a* big *disadvantage for him at Tufts.) EPIIC, while a huge amount of work, has however been an amazing experience for my son including a subsidized trip (as a freshman!) to India and Pakistan to interview people about nuclear arms issues.</p>
<p>In terms of reputation, Tufts is of course way ahead of BU and AU, and future employers will know it. Tufts’ IR program is also superior.
But a mountain of debt vs little debt vs being debt-free? That’s an important consideration.
Finally, keep in mind that you are likelier to be at a higher percentile in your class at BU or AU than at Tufts, because Tufts is SO much harder to get into (i.e., the competition is not just stronger for admission, but also for being a standout student when you’re there). That means that your chances of graduating with honors, at the top of your class, are better at the other schools.
So if you were my kid, I’d want you to go to Tufts, all other things being equal. But they’re not equal, and if you could go to BU for free, I think that might be hard to pass up.</p>
<p>Please read the posts by Snarf who graduated last year and, through his fabulous posts on this forum, exuded his love for Tufts. However, he says that if he had it to do over again, he would have taken the full ride at American. And that would be my advice to you: you can get what you need from your undergraduate experience from BU or American and then have money for graduate school (perhaps Fletcher) or a down-payment on a house or to start your own venture, etc. We tend to put way too much emphasis on the undergraduate degree, including committing too large a chunk of available financial resources. Tufts is great, but not to the tune of $100,000-200,000+. You will meet interesting people/have good professors at all three places.</p>
<p>I think Tufts may be able to give you some aid-- I know that the financial aid packages haven’t been released for Tufts yet; they will be released either Monday or Thursday (I’m getting mixed messages). So fingers crossed!</p>
<p>^ I think he’s talking about merit aid. I don’t know anything about his situation beyond how much money he says he has socked away for college but that would seem to imply that he doesn’t qualify for need-based. I’m in the same boat.</p>
<p>I think you have the potential to excel at BU or AU and that graduating at the top of the class and having taken advantage of whatever opportunities you get where you choose, you may well end up with the same opportunities and less debt at the end of four years. Most IR majors are looking at more grad school and careers that aren’t going to pay fortunes, so considering the debt load you can afford is wise.</p>
<p>S1 is graduating Tufts IR this spring. It’s been a wonderful experience. Even so, as a parent I would suggest saving your money. You can always apply to Fletcher a few years down the road. A free ride scholarship (congrats!) at BU is pretty amazing. $20,000 a year at American sounds good too, but still leaves you with a lot to pay out of pocket - unless you’re getting need-based aid to boot. At the same time, the opportunities for internships and contacts in D.C. definitely are a big plus in American’s favor… Tough decision, but great choices.</p>