<p>I have been waiting for months to hear back from all my colleges thinking that the waiting process was the hard part. I was sadly mistaken. Choosing between the schools I was accepted into has been one of the tougher decisions of my life. </p>
<p>Here it goes:
I applied and got into UCLA, UCDavis, USC , Rice, WashU and Vanderbilt(waitlisted here). As far as finances go I got the trustee scholarship at USC(full), 25K merit from WashU, 18K fin aid from Rice, the VA benefit covers tuition at Ucla and Davis plus I got the regents scholarship at Davis. </p>
<p>My parents always said they would pay for undergrad if I worked hard, and I have, but with two other kids in college and some schools expecting 30k a year x 3 kids, it just can't happen without some sacrifices from my parents. They told me that I didn't have to worry about the finances though, and if I chose a cheaper school they would help pay for grad school or something later on. </p>
<p>Now comes the dilemma: I really love the idea of Rice with the small class sizes, the residential colleges, the caliber of the Engineering dept and the semi-nerdy-passionate atmosphere. Yet, If I go to USCmy parents can pay me some money later on or help me out with a car. Basically my question boils down to this: is it worth it to go to a school that I like, but am not in love with (yet), has great alumni connections regionally and has great school spirit and have more money later. Or should I go to Rice, where I can see myself loving it there, getting into my studies but also staying involved and not have as much money later on. </p>
<p>This is only undergrad, but for engineering that can be very important and no matter what field I am in, I will spend 4 years of my life at my chosen college. Please can anyone help with thoughts on this topic.</p>