<p>Okay, we know UVA is awesome but is it worth full OOS tuition vs. a free UF honors education? Daughter will most likely go to grad or professional school after undergrad which makes the UVA cost for undergrad (approx 184,000) seem unwise financially. Daughter is really thinking with her heart and not her (and parents) pocketbook in mind. Will leave no money for grad school and would likely need loans then. Are the academics, environment and opportunities worth the price?</p>
<p>This is tough. UVa is clearly better than UF, but whether it is 184k better totally depends on you family’s financial situation. For most people, I would say pick UF for free. </p>
<p>One possibility would be to force your daughter to think with her pocketbook by having her take some loans if she picks UVa, say 1/3 of the cost.</p>
<p>Another good option if she is dead set on UVa is to graduate early. Not only would that eliminate a year of tuition, but it would also get her one year closer to earning a paycheck.</p>
<p>She could do two years at UF and then transfer…if she’s a really good student, I’m sure she’d get in given that she got in as a senior in h.s. Could you talk to the financial aid office?</p>
<p>What is the profession she wants to pursue after college. I actually have received a full ride to FSU, but I’m chosing UVA for full OOS tution. I personally want to go into business after college, and your undergrad follows you for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Unless your income is 200-300k+, I would go with UF… 184k, close to 200k with the OOS tuition increase every year is not good for anyone. Then you have to look at the cost of graduate school. If it’s medical school, add another 150-200k. That’s way too much debt!</p>
<p>Are you aware of the type of interest that will accrue on these loans? You’re looking at much more than $200,000 over time. You could buy a house in a good area for this kind of money.</p>
<p>UVa is a great school; if I was making the decision, I would probably prefer it. However, no school is worth this kind of debt, and UF is still a top notch public university where you can receive as good an education as you’re willing to work for.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, UVA undergrad tuition will require a small loan . Money has been saved for college but paying OOS UVA tuition will wipe it out with none left for grad/professional school. This is the debate since D is thinking medicine but even if she decides a different career path, grad school is highly likely. That’s the beauty of UF - she’ll have money for grad school.</p>
<p>If UVA gave merit money it would make choosing UVA much easier. </p>
<p>Any opinions to help tip the scale?</p>
<p>2smile…My D is a current OOS first year at UVa. One of her really good friends from high school had narrowed her choices between UVa, UNC, and UF Honors. (She was also OOS for FL.) She, too, received considerable merit money at UF but none for UVa. Her goal is to obtain a degree in engineering and perhaps continue on to grad school. She ultimately selected UF because of $ and major. UF may not be as strong in some areas (ex. business); however, it’s quite strong in others (ex. engineering). Furthermore, if she’s been selected to be part of their honors program, the opportunities are pretty enticing especially for the cost. I personally would encourage her to think of using that 200K for grad school. Good luck!</p>
<p>If she wants to do a PhD, grad school will be free and she will be paid a stipend–keep that in mind (at least at reputable programs at good universities)</p>
<p>Just my opinion, but I believe the cost of a college education has to be viewed like a business decision for everyone but the very wealthy. If she does go to UVA, then loans are needed for post graduate studies, who will take on the loans? If it’s the student, will they recoup that monthly debt in wages? If it’s the parents, how will it impact their budget? I’m a professional from Chicago who hires many people into a high paying industry. I can personally tell you that although I know that UVA is generally known as a better school than UF, I wouldn’t choose to hire one person over the other based on those schools. </p>
<p>How about this process? Write a business case for each school, and present them to a family member to help you decide.</p>
<p>^^Great perspective! Employers are not hiring a college, they are hiring a person.</p>
<p>Wahoomb- This is becoming less of a sure thing, and not everyone can get into the best programs at the best universities that offer the best packages. I know many friends who are incredibly bright and qualified for the best programs, but did not get in (increasing competition) and had to resort to attending “lesser” programs where funding was limited or non-existant.</p>
<p>I do agree with your statement about transferring though. Kid still gets a UVA degree but with lower costs to you/your family. I, my brother and my ex- all did a year at the local state-run university with little to no cost and then transferred. No one thinks any less of us because we matriculated somewhere else first. </p>
<p>And I second the idea to consider the accrued interest over 10-20 years. Take a look at a loan repayment calculator…my 32k in loans turns into 50k+ (one is an evil private loan with a higher rate) after I finish repayment. (So even something “small” can really add up over time.)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the name of your undergraduate institution follows you and as one poster said, he might not simply choose a person based on where s/he went to school, a lot of the times, your resum</p>
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<p>Though this may be the case, without the undergrad, many grads do not have a chance of being hired (for specific fields of course). I really don’t know much about other fields, but in business your UG school matters. Certainly you can get a fantastic investment banking job out of any college. However, if you’re not at a target, it is going to require a great deal more of work. At UVA, a plethora of companies interview. This is because they know the quality of the school. At a school, such as UF, not even close to the number of banks interview (if any at all). </p>
<p>Also, networking is an important part of any student who aspires to get a job. And, there will be more people working at these large companies out of a school say UVA, than UF. Again, this is only for someone who desires to work in the business field. I’m a rather avid lurker of the Wall Street Oasis forums and this post always makes me smile:</p>
<p>[Why</a> are there so many UVA kids in the industry? | WallStreetOasis.com](<a href=“http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/why-are-there-so-many-uva-kids-in-the-industry]Why”>Why are there so many UVA kids in the industry? | Wall Street Oasis)</p>
<p>My dad has told me time and time again - It’s all who you know.
[YouTube</a> - Rock me Gently + Lyric](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIVX1_J_87s]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIVX1_J_87s)</p>
<p>For those for whom rankings are important, UVA is ranked 25th on USNWR and UF is ranked 53rd. For a difference of $184K (which could be applied to grad school for the OP), unless you’re really wealthy or haven’t learned to say “no” to your children, this seems like a no-brainer!</p>
<p>
Well, the WSJ released a ranking done entirely by business recruiters, where they rank based on where they prefer to recruit students, and which grads see to be the most capable, and UF was #9, while UVa was tied for #19.</p>
<p>[Best</a> Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ.com](<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060.html]Best”>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060.html)</p>
<p>And here’s an article about the WSJ rankings: [Job</a> Recruiters Prefer State Universities Over Ivy League Colleges - WSJ.com](<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704358904575477643369663352.html]Job”>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704358904575477643369663352.html)</p>
<p>While rankings present a flawed picture, I would imagine that this direct ranking would show that UF is hardly underrepresented in business.</p>
<p>However, the OP’s child is thinking medicine, not business.</p>
<p>
I am not aware of how true it is, but the oft-repeated mantra on this website is that undergraduate school matters less than a good GPA for med school, and being in a better financial situation is preferable, since med school is very expensive.</p>
<p>The top 5 schools named in that ranking are large, not-at-all-selective, state universities. Business recruiters is not equivalent to highly prestigious consulting firms wherein UVA students are often over-represented.</p>
<p>PS: I also don’t know how much to trust an article that identified Stanford as an Ivy League university. This is news to me, I didn’t know I was a student at an Ivy League!</p>
<p>The question was, given the fact that the student will be going for post-graduate studies, does it pay to spend the money at UVA as opposed to a free education UF. This to me is an easy no brainer - NO! Study hard, get good grades, and have the money to spend on the best graduate school that you can get in to.</p>
<p>^ Totally agree with wahoomb. Those rankings fail to concentrate on what matters. People who hire at McDonald’s may be “business recruiters”. McDonald’s is probably an exaggeration, but there are plenty of recruiters around America who try to grab up Penn State kids and stick them in mediocre, dead end jobs. If you hope and expect to be successful, the undergraduate school you attended does matter - especially at the beginning of your career. Where you go more or less decides the type of job you can get. </p>
<p>On the other hand, in this case the graduate school thing changes the situation. What area is your daughter interested in, and what graduate degree does she think she wants to get? Graduate school could mean a one year masters, an MD, a JD, or a PhD. There is a HUGE difference between those.</p>
<p>I really think business school rankings are so flawed. In no rankings is Wharton #1. Now, if you can find me one “business recruiter” who doesn’t think Wharton is the best BS in the world, all the power to ya.</p>