<p>no aid for vandy' would only have loans half in d name half in ours. the other schools are good ones but not ranked as high or as good. d is in love with vandy. how much is too much to pay and spend the better half of your life paying back?</p>
<p>Congrats to your d. for getting into Vandy. If Vandy is a perfect fit for your daughter than go for it. Don't choose a school soley for it's ranking.</p>
<p>i am so proud of her. she at one point loved lehigh and lafayette but then got into vandy(i dont think she thought she would) and now thats where she wants to go. i am not sure that a lifetime of debt for her and us is wworth a good fit. where is jane going?</p>
<p>Still waiting to hear from three more choices in the next few days. But d. did fall in love with Lafayette. She received a Marquis Scholarships too which was a blessing. She sat in on two classes while there and really enjoyed them. There english dept. is pretty strong and there is a residence-in-writer that d. hopes will help her hone her skills. There is also a 5 year english and math degree which d. seems interested in. It is a fairly intimate school and d. enjoyed that level of intimacy. Everyone was friendly and she just felt comfortable there. It is a short ride from home so that is a blessing. </p>
<p>But, d. still has not made up her mind.</p>
<p>I second the congratuations. Getting into Vandy is quite a feat.</p>
<p>Two questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What is the difference in cost?</p></li>
<li><p>What representations did you make to your daughter during the process with respect to the role that price would play in the decision?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If your daughter's career plans involve professional school (law, medicine, veterinary, business, etc.), then maybe it would be a good idea to think twice about taking on substantial debt for undergrad. There will be more debt to come.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if she is likely to get a job right after graduation or to go into a PhD program, where she would be self-supporting as a TA, maybe undergrad debt doesn't matter so much.</p>
<p>I am in at Vandy and have had to call financial aid to ask other questions. I don't know about your situation, but they have been VERY friendly in that office, and helpful, and will pull your stats up on their screen and can explain to you all of your options. I would suggest that you call them, and talk to them about your situation, and see what suggestions they have. Maybe they can "sweeten" your package as some students they have offered aid to decide to go to a different school. Most of all, I wanted to let you know that they have been very very nice to me.</p>
<p>I also suggest contacting the Financial Aid department. I'm sorry and a little surprised to see that your daughter's package was all loans - according to their common data set, Vandy awards about 4 and a half times as much in need-based grants and scholarships each year as they do in loans. I'm a huge Vanderbilt fan (my daughter is very happy there) but I'd hesitate before taking on that much debt anywhere, especially if professional school is on the horizon.</p>
<p>Can you show your daughter what her (and your) repayment schedule will look like? That might make the idea of a future debt more concrete.</p>
<p>your post is not clear. Would your family borrow the total cost of attendance (~$46k) or half the cost of attendance ($23k) or some other amount? IMO, no school is worth the former, but the latter amount is the cost of our state public uni.</p>
<p>Following up on my earlier queries, I think that three points are relevant to this situation.</p>
<p>First, almost forty years ago, a friend of my older brother made this entirely accurate observation about the college selection process: "Nobody knows anything important about a college until they have lived there, and by that time it's too late." The point is, that while your daughter may think that she will be ecstatically happy at Vandy, there is simply no way of knowing whether she will be happier there than at either Lafayette or Lehigh. The quality of her college experience depends on too many factors that one cannot predict at this time.</p>
<p>Second, the economic advantages of going to Vandy are likely to be marginal at best. While Vandy students may on the average get better jobs than those who graduate from either Lehigh or Lafayette, that advantage is likely to be negated by the fact that your daughter projects to have a better record at either of the latter school simply because the students, while good, are (again on the average) less accomplished and able than those who are at Vandy.</p>
<p>That having been said, if you have represented to your daughter that if she gets into Vandy you will find the money (I faced an analogous situation), then I think that you need to honor that commitment--even if it hurts. Of course, you might also want to talk to her about the consequences of her taking on substantial debt.</p>
<p>appreciate everyone's thoughts. d also has 6 courses of AP credit and would graduate in 3 years. Vandy only elevates based on APs, so there is also a one year cost advantage to any other choice.</p>