<p>if I was wharton, I would ask this very question of every applicant and reject every single one that picked the "dream school" option for lack of any business sense</p>
<p>Hahahahaha. Good one.</p>
<p>"jpps, for someone who wants to go to wharton, you have absolutely no business sense. 1 Million dollars is more than enough to go to ur 2nd choice school and get just as good of an education without the stress of paying for any of your education."</p>
<p>I'm going to CAS.</p>
<p>Anyways, I didn't take the question as literally as you...of course I'd take a million if I could have Princeton over Penn. But the question is pretty dumb if that's what it reduces to. I figure it'd be more interesting if it meant your dream school or a million bucks and some school outside of the top 30.</p>
<p>1 million dollars easily. First of all, how much you make in life depends on who you are, and college is only there to bring out those qualities. Someone who has the business acumen who goes to a community college may end up far better than a Harvard graduate who makes poor decisions in life.</p>
<p>So college isnt the cause for someone who is intelligent and will be successful, but rather a symptom.</p>
<p>yes, but college also helps you and guides you, even in small ways to the top.</p>
<p>yes, but college also helps you and guides you, even in small, to the top. they influence the decisions and the paths you take, how the outer world will accept you and the connections you make.</p>
<p>Reeze, you are very narrow minded and believe that money equals happiness or success in life. That is not the case. No amount of money, even $1 million will bring you happiness. You cannot buy the most important things in life.</p>
<p>newcool, thanks for the personal insult. hahaha. It's not that I believe money is the supreme power, but rather I see this as an economical decision with money coming out on top over my #1 school</p>
<p>1 mil~ and invest ^^</p>
<p>It would be HIGHLY unlikely for your number one college to make you significantly happier, more financially secure, or anything else than your number two college.</p>
<p>Therefore, even if it was 250k, I'd take the cash and go to cmu instead of olin even considering that olin is free and cmu costs a good bit.</p>
<p>I would take the million, then spend some on some sat/essay classes and get into my dream school. :-D</p>
<p>I'd take the school.</p>
<p>the thread is starting to get long... and we're getting diff answers...</p>
<p>After reading what you guys wrote...its easy to say that the average person would take the million...however..if somebody knew that they were bound to succeed and has been working their tail off...I think they would accept the dream college and then make their millions...</p>
<p>I'd definitely take the $1 million. I can get into a decent college on my own. Plus, an acceptance is more satisfying when you've earned it, as corny as it may sound.</p>
<p>"if somebody knew that they were bound to succeed and has been working their tail off...I think they would accept the dream college and then make their millions..."</p>
<p>Uh, going to a dream college does far from guarantee you'll make millions. If anything, the financial differences in the long term are going to be relatively little for two people with similar intelligence at different places</p>
<p>Guarentee of Admission to Wharton.</p>
<p>Then once I graduate, I can work in Ibanking, get my MBA at Wharton, then make millions.</p>
<p>This is if I don't get into NYU-Stern.</p>
<p>If I get into NYU-Stern, then I'm taking the $1million and investing it someplace (maybe stock market-make millions off of my millions). Or buy 5 houses in Arizona, rent them out, make more money, and make millions off of appreciation.</p>
<p>lilmick, if someone is "bound to succeed", going to a lesser school will make zero difference; they will be successful no matter what. He/She could use the debt to pay his/her debt off, while still having a lot of money left over.</p>
<p>"Reeze, you are very narrow minded and believe that money equals happiness or success in life. That is not the case. No amount of money, even $1 million will bring you happiness. You cannot buy the most important things in life."</p>
<p>Okay, but would you rather be unhappy and poor or unhappy and rich? At least if you're rich, you can buy temporary comfort in cars, houses, massages...not to mention therapists and Zoloft.</p>
<p>As they say: Money can't buy happiness, but poverty buys you nothing.</p>
<p>Studies show that ambition, not where you actually go to college, is the main factor in deciding how financially well-endowed people end up being.</p>
<p>You'd be crazy not to take the million dollars. Absolutely crazy.</p>