You may be able to get into “better” schools but your ED school isn’t exactly chopped liver. In addition, it is part of a consortium with some great schools, so while you may not seem totally enthralled with it, it’s actually a good choice. Truth be told, I’d pick Scripps over almost all the other schools on your list except maybe CMC and that’s part of the consortium.
To answer the question in your title: it is far worse to have crippling debt for the next couple of decades than to have “no freedom” (I seriously doubt this) for four years.
The OP can’t take on the crippling debt if she wants to anyway. She can only borrow her federal loan limit unless some adult with good credit cosigns, and her parents clearly aren’t going to do that. Nor should they.
Be grateful they are willing to pay for a decent school even though there is only one school they are willing to pay for. Yes it is a crappy situation to be in from ONE perspective. But there are many kids with much higher stats than you who never get to go to college.
Go to Scripps and refuse to be miserable. If you go planning to hate it you will hate it. Go with eyes open for good friends and wonderful experiences and you will find them.
Wait, did you change user names? I thought that your dad was forcing you to apply to CMC and you hated that one. You were freaking out about that a few months ago because you just didn’t feel comfortable there. Now it is Scripps? It sounds like you are just going to have to deal with it, to be honest. Scripps is a great school, if you can get in. You have the whole consortium to choose classes from. If you cannot get in, you may just have to choose from one of California’s fantastic public schools.
If you are fighting as much with your parents as much as you are commenting on CC about the situation, it might explane why you dad is getting so upset. In the end, it doesn’t matter, you can’t take on a debt of $250,000 without a cosigner.
Other users have given you excellent advice, including “Bloom where you’re planted.” To answer the question you posed in your title, assuming you can take on the debt, however:
What’s worse: no freedom or crippling debt? Neither, because crippling debt = no freedom. They are one and the same. The only difference is that your definition of “no freedom” lasts for 4 years, while “crippling debt” and the lack of freedom that it brings can last a lifetime.
No, crippling debt is far worse than the “no freedom” of attending a very nice school that many kids would love to go to. And which is one of the best and most appealing options on the list anyhow.
If you think that is loss of freedom, how would you feel when your friends are buying houses and you can barely afford the rent on a run-down apartment, your friends are going out to eat and you decline because it’s not in your budget, your friends are talking about their vacation plans, and your vacation plan is to stay for free at your parents’ house. How would you feel when you get married and have kids and your kids have to attend a not-very-good school, not nearly as good as the one you now attend, because you cannot afford to move to a neighborhood with better schools. All because you didn’t want your parents to push one good college on you over a different good college. You seem extremely sheltered. I don’t think you have any concept of what starting out as a young person with a $250,000+ debt would mean.
I know it’s hard sometimes to step back and look objectively at what you are saying, but OP, you are upset that your parents (who are paying for your education! That’s a big deal!) have a preference in where you go. It isn’t like they are forcing you to Podunk Community College. They are offering you a chance at a well-respected college. Aside from the fact that you would never be able to borrow $250k anyway, the fact that you would consider that an option over attending a perfectly fine school on someone else’s dime says quite a bit. We are struggling to find schools my DD can afford to attend, so it is pretty astonishing to me that anyone would willingly choose massive debt just because they think they can “do better” in terms of school choice.
Take the amazing gift that they are offering you and be determined to use it to get where you want to be in your future. Going into debt over what you consider to be a “better” school is not going to benefit your life in any way.
Op, if your parents saved the money in your UTMA/UGMA accounts, then he can’t do that and they will be your money when you reached the age of majority.
Hey - That your dad and mom would say they could see you “rotting” away no matter what , well, these are people I would work hard to get away from.
Listen, I have cousins at Harvard and Brown and Yale. You simply are not getting into an IVY with your profile. None. Not to be mean but you just are not. Don’t waste your money on the application fee. You have two choices, suck it up and use your parents offer. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Or, go to a much less competitive college for free. Whatever you do, don’t go in to debt. That’s stupid. Make your goal be to do well enough in undergraduate so you can get free graduate school somewhere else. By all means don’t end up becoming the bitter angry people your parents seem to be. You seem smart enough to begin the rest of your life free from your family. Don’t blow it now
How can your parents be immigrants who don’t understand college and yet you be a legacy to USC? I think you are working yourself into not liking whatever your parents suggest. They want you to attend an all girls college? Well, Scripts would be a good one but you could suggest others. Many kids are restricted in where they can go. A friend had to pick a catholic college, so she picked one she ,iked rather than fight about it. Others can only go to college if they can live at home, but in most cities there are still several choices.
Uh I’m in a similar situation except my parents can’t pay for the colleges either way. My parents are also making me apply to certain schools that I don’t want to go to and although I think that crippling debt would be worse, I am totally with you on wanting to go to a college that YOU want to go to. Show your dad that you can get into an even better college than Scripps and maybe he’ll be less demanding about you going to his choice of college.
I would so much like to hear directly from the OP’s parents…
OP, what do your high school college counselors say? Where were students with your stats accepted last year? If you can find out where similar students who are full pay were accepted last year in ED, that would be especially valuable as that would help determine your chances at some of the private schools on your list.
What do you want to do after college? Are you planning on attending grad school? If not, what kind of work do you anticipate doing after graduation?
Do you have a favorite on this list? If so, is it in reach territory? Or are you just interested in going to the “best” school you’re admitted to?
For Chemistry, when you say “better” then from your list Mudd and Cornell and some of the UCs qualify. Not so much the others. CMC and Scripps (and Pitzer) share the same science facility, so getting a Chem degree from one or the other is essentially the same thing. For a women’s college and chemistry, I’d personally suggest going east (Bryn Mawr, Smith, Wellesley), but you seem to prefer larger schools.
The Claremont consortium is really very tight–seamless to enroll across the campuses, so you do get the benefits of courses at Mudd etc etc if you want them. My D2 is a Pitzer sophomore who has already taken classes at every 5C campus.
You say that your parents don’t know how college works in this country. Will your parents be able and willing to pay for you as full pay at Scripps if you are admitted? Being admitted ED, and then having your parents withdraw their financial support, will mean that you will be taking a gap year. Be very sure that they understand the commitment implicit in applying ED as a full-pay family.
The parents’ income is $280K per an earlier post. They are willing to pay for Scripps ED. But they won’t let her apply elsewhere ED, and are requiring the ED application. The OP has been wresting with them for many months on this. I think the OP is from CA, and her parents also don’t want her to go too far away if I remember correctly? So not sure East coast suggestions will get any traction. But the OP would have to concern.
I already submitted my app. No messing around, just took everything like I usually do and submitted.
I'm not trashing Scripps in any way. I am not saying I am above Scripps in any way. Scripps is a great school, but I'm not sure whether or not I would like to go there.
I'm not saying I'm getting into an Ivy League. Whoever said that, please don't hold me in that light.
I'm not saying that I am a superstar perfect CC student who will get into the college of her choice. I'm not that up in the clouds.
I am well aware of my privilege, and have accepted it long ago.