<p>University of san diego: most prestigious of the three. Beatiful campus and it's in SAN DIEGO!!!!I feel it's the best school i got into after working hard in highschool. Everyone has a lot of money who goes there, so it's a good place to meet connections for the future. Problem: It's tiny and it's $55,000 a year!!! 3:1 girl:boy ratio. my parents will pay only $24 a year, the rest ill have to get loans.</p>
<p>Colorado at Boulder: Big school and beatiful campus, friendly people, good eduaction, lots to do in Boulder. Except all these people i know I worked harder than from my highschool got into the school too... zero diversity....also it will cost $43,000 a year and my mom will still only pay $24,000</p>
<p>UC Santa Cruz: I live in california so i get the UC benefit price. My mom would pay for all of it. Obviously this is the best one for my money and has a beautiful campus. Problem: full of hippies, pot smockers, everyone gets bored on weekends, weird people, it's very close to where i live and i want to try some place new, and it is known as the UC you go to if you don't get into the other UCs</p>
<p>Okay...I think you should narrow this down to USD for CU-Boulder. You only go to college once, so you should go to a school that you would actually enjoy. UCSC doesn't seem right for you, and if I was in your position I would have never even considered it. </p>
<p>My vote is for USD. You seem to definitely prefer it over the other two. I'm not sure if it is considered to the most prestigious, but I definitely think you will get a better education, more one-on-one with professors, and small class sizes. And the students at USD initially had higher stats than the students at your other school.</p>
<p>Also USD has one of the most amazing campuses on earth, San Diego has everything, and USD is just a great place to go to school and get an education.</p>
<p>USD's price is a bit inflated. It's about 50k/year....so that would be 25k/year left. So if you worked you could easily lower that.</p>
<p>But if you feel it is still to high. CU-Boulder will be 15k/year...and after working, getting internships, and outside scholarships...you could easily do it.</p>
<p>That is my opinion. If I want to go somewhere, I'm not going to let cost decide it for me. There is always ways to lower that loan total. And I'm not going to spend 4 years of my life at a school I wouldn't like.</p>
<p>Unless you really do not like the campus, I would go for the college that will not leave you in debt for $80,000. to $100,0000.: UCSC. I know two students who chose between CO and UCSC last year and both are very happy at UCSC. UCSC is considered the new Berkeley type of school, drawing lots of students who are very smart but kind of "colored outside the lines" in high school by not getting straight A's, etc. Starting out with a huge debt load will limit your choices once you graduate. You can always start at UCSC and then transfer if you do not like it. Neither USD or Boulder should be too difficult to transfer into later. Your mom will still have to co-sign for all of those loans... is she able and willing to do so? Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Most people overexagerate how much debt you get in college. A good college won't let you get into more than $40,000 debt. The better the school, often the cheaper. Average harvard debt is only $9,000, while average Syracuse University debt is $33,000...hmmm.</p>
<p>
[quote]
it is known as the UC you go to if you don't get into the other UCs
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's really not true about UCSC. Lots of people actively choose it, for lots of good reasons. Going into $80K+ of debt for undergrad is, let us say, unwise.</p>
<p>oh ok
Tuition (12 units per semester) $34,000.00 ($1175/unit)
Room and Board * $10,000.00<br>
Health Insurance (Mandatory) $858.00
Personal Expenses *
(Books, Fees, Supplies, Transportation) $3,600.00 </p>
<p>Total $48,458.00 </p>
<p>ok oops i just realized that's for international students... but it still must be close to that minus the health insurance thing?</p>
<p>nevermind! I got all the money situation figured out for USD! I got a huge grant, and my parents decided they could pay for more. so basically in the end, i'll only need to get a student loan for 5,000 , unless i get a job over summer and can pay for some of that. but i'm good with USD :)</p>
<p>You should go with USD.
Boulder is known for it's good bud and "pot smockers" as you say. Judging from your statements, it seems that you aren't the party type person.
Then again..SD is a good party school.
Boulder in my opinion is better in some majors but it comes down to what you want to study and how YOU feel at the school.</p>
<p>You don't say what you plan to major in but I would not advise anyone to go into that kind of debt for an undergraduate degree unless maybe and it's a big maybe you are going into engineering or a field where you expect to make a good salary right out of undergraduate school.
Particularly if you are planning on going on to grad school do NOT take on that kind of debt as an undergrad.<br>
I know lots of young adults who are struggling to pay off their student loans.</p>
<p>Yes, it is absolutely true, WestCoast. University of Colorado, Boulder has Nobel Prize winners and is in the top ten of federal research money -- right up there with Berkeley, MIT and others. It has top engineering, astrophysics, chemistry and business programs. UC Santa Cruz is part of an internationally renown educational system. University of San Diego is a local religious school with a reputation for attracting students who couldn't get into UCSD. </p>
<p>OP, choose the school you like the most, that has the best academic and financial fit. That is the best gauge for an undergraduate education -- since the education you get anywhere, including at USD is mostly up to you. But if reputation is at stake, choose the huge research publics everyone has heard about, especially those in education and industry.</p>