<p>so basically my family's income falls in that gray area where i may or may not recieve financial aid.
The schools i applied to are:</p>
<p>harvard
yale
brown
columbia
upenn
dartmouth
hopkins
duke
emory
georgetown
vanderbilt
washu</p>
<p>Which of these schools, if any, do you think are worth paying the full 55k?</p>
<p>I would say that any of your favorites on that list are going to be “worth it”…if you study hard and take advantage of the programs and opportunities they offer and if your parents can afford it and want to give you that gift! Otherwise, it’s very hard to quantify because there are so many subjectives and variables. I’m of the camp that believes many schools can probably get you to the same place in the end, as so much of the end result depends on the individual. For that reason, I don’t think it’s worth going to a school that leaves a family/student with huge debts for an undergrad degree. Do you know how much your folks are willing and able to contribute to your education each year?</p>
<p>I would be hard pressed to justify spending $220,000 for a bachelor’s degree from ANY school.</p>
<p>i think it may be possible for them to pay full price but it would defidently be a stretch. My dad said he was hoping to only pay 30k per year (40K if it came down to it.) I don’t want to finish undergrad with more than 50k worth of debt</p>
<p>What’s your major and do you intend on going to grad school?</p>
<p>I’m assuming you are a junior this year? Have you used the calculators College Board has for estimating your EFC under FM and IM? You have a number of schools on that list that guarantee to meet 100% need and have no/low loan policies (you can see the exact details on the Project on Student Debt site). Your parents should probably become very familiar with the ins and outs of financial aid and a good place to start would be with the book “Paying for College Without Going Broke”, which is updated annually.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, you should look for schools that will give you decent merit aid for your stats (which I assume are excellent based on your list). Make sure you have at least one true financial safety…that is a school you’d be happy to attend and that you KNOW will be affordable.</p>
<p>A question visited by everyone who has faced the expense. Does anyone know the stats for full pay? Often students and their families do not have to face this kind of debt because of large endowments that support financial aid. Intresting how financially divided up people are on these posts. Some not a worry no matter the price tag. Others who feel fortunate to afford the state U. Then others who are trying to game their residency status. In Canada there is one price for everyone.</p>
<p>i am currently a senior. I have already been accepted into UNC chapel Hill (which is my back-up), and i know my parents can afford that. We have indeed looked at many of the schools’ financial aid estimates. The Dartmouth calculator said that we can afford to pay the full price, and i hear that it is pretty accurate as to the financial aid Dartmouth gives to its accepted students. I am hoping to study biology and then continue on to medical school.</p>
<p>I don’t think you are going to get an answer that helps you, but like many of the kids accepted to the top UC’s, you are SO fortunate to have UNC among your choices.</p>
<p>I would suggest learning to like UNC a whole lot. Once you get your financial aid packages, you can see if any of the schools awarded you enough to keep your costs to a level your parents feel comfortable paying … some of your schools do offer merit. If you find that a school you really like ends up being affordable, you can decide if it’s “worth it” at that time.</p>
<p>If you are serious about medical school, think very hard before taking on any debt for your undergrad years. There is little to no financial aid for medical school except for loans. (And many med schools, including all private medical schools, will require parental financial info until you are 30!)</p>
<p>UNC-CH is a strong university which will offer your excellent preparation for the MCAT and medical school. Save your borrow to paying for med school.</p>
<p>(And honestly, attending any of the schools you listed above will not give you an advantage when applying for med school over UNC-CH.)</p>
<p>Another vote for UNC! It belongs right there with the rest of the schools in that list.</p>
<p>the ivies and emory are totally worth it</p>
<p>Need to laugh at those who said no school is worth 55k…i respect your opinion,but normally those that say such can’ t afford it,so it is easy to knock it…If you can afford the price without eating ramen noodles,so be it…i guess a Mercedes or other luxury car isn’t worth it,as a Kia does the same thing. ;)</p>
<p>Not necessarily.</p>
<p>“Need to laugh at those who said no school is worth 55k…i respect your opinion,but normally those that say such can’ t afford it”</p>
<p>Disagree.</p>
<p>And i respect that,lol…but look at many of these type posts,you’ll see many knocks on those who choose or consider pricey schools,and not ONE criticizing second or third rate state schools that are just taking money from students who never graduate…i’d rather pay up then pay down, as the graduation rates at mediocre schools is abysmal</p>
<p>Even though i have no doubt that unc is a great school, i feel that it is just not for me. I feel that going to a “better” school with a more prestigious name will give me a better shot at a top med school. This being said, i understand that i will have to preform well during my undergrad years no matter what school i attend. Do you really think that i would have the same chances of attending an ivy med school if i were to go to unc versus a top 20 school?</p>
<p>A new study was released covering this question. It is an updated version by Dale and Krueger of their 2002 study, which was not without criticism. Here it is in a nutshell
[quotes from the study]
:
</p>
<p>What Dale and Krueger are saying is that your characteristics coming out of high school matter more than the school you decided to attend.
</p>
<p>One caveat, Dale and Krueger use Barron’s list of “most competitive” colleges, 56 in all, as the highly selective colleges in the study. That is far more than you have listed.</p>
<p>For someone looking to attend medical school try to minimize undergraduate cost, get excellent grades, study for the MCAT, and gain admission to a top med school.</p>
<p>full study: <a href=“http://www.irs.princeton.edu/pubs/pdfs/563.pdf[/url]”>http://www.irs.princeton.edu/pubs/pdfs/563.pdf</a></p>
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<p>Well . . . that’s absolutely right. A Kia is a safe vehicle that travels up to 70 mph in relative comfort. So is a Mercedes, but it gets you there with leather seats and woodgrain details. I think the difference between the experiences at the top universities in the country and those at more typical schools is far more substantial than the car analogy would suggest.</p>
<p>But whether those differences are worth $150,000 or more is another question.</p>