<p>So I got into my safety (my state flagship) and it's honestly really good. Since my mom works there, I would not have to pay any tuition all four years. </p>
<p>I was thinking of applying to other places. I got a 2280 on my SAT, 790 math II, 740 Lit with some fairly unique and impressive ecs. </p>
<p>But why bother? I've got a 3.83 weighted GPA. Even with extenuating circumstances, it's just not good. I'm not even in the top 25% at my high school. What's the point? I'm not going to apply to match schools because I would not get nearly as much money as I'll get with my flagship. And I'm not going to get into my reaches… because well class rank (and bad essays. I put so much effort into my personal statement, and it's about overcoming adversity sort of. But apparently that's a bad idea because it doesn't show intellectualism enough and my conclusion sucks.)</p>
<p>Should I bother? I'm still working on the supplements, and all hope seems lost.</p>
<p>Oh geez – you have the golden ticket. Think of all the money you get to save (or at least your parents for their retirement). Make the most of it. When you have your first job and car and apt, your other friends will be paying off $70K in loans, driving dad’s old car and maybe living in the basement of gramma’s house.</p>
<p>Regardless of your class ranking, it’s clear you have lots of academic achievement and potential. You never have to look at that class %age ever again. Go kill a fantastic GPA at your college and never look back.</p>
<p>If your parents have the money, each year i would ask then to give you the money they would have paid for your college upfront. </p>
<p>Then both you and your parents chose and excellent investment advisor and start an account for you in your name with dividend-producing stocks, some high-growth risky stocks, gold and a saving account (no checking account privileges - this pure investment). </p>
<p>Do this and at the beginning of each school year, if done wisely, you should leave college with over 130K (a good chance a bit higher) in investments and growing, even if they just invest 25K at the beginning of each school year. </p>
<p>I do agree with @T26E4 that just go, get a killer GPA and do not look back. </p>
<p>Ah… nope. I think that is a terrible idea. It is the parents’ money, even if they 'have it". It isn’t joint money to invest with the kid. The student should feel really lucky that he/she doesn’t need to take out loans, is happy with their state flagship, and be glad that he/she is making it easier for his parents to retire without the OP being as likely to have to support them. Or maybe the OP will inherit some of the money someday, but there is no reason why the parents should engage the student at all in investing any money that is saved. Their money, their business.</p>
<p>Yes, you are correct in that it is “Their money, their business,” and thus the OP’s parents can do what they want. </p>
<p>If the OP asks and the parents agree, then they can do what they want with their money. I think it is great. I do anything and everything to help my kids be better off, so I am just thinking about what I would do if I had the money and did not have to pay college tuition. </p>
<p>OP, your parents may love to help you to get started on a great investment account - hey, you may have one already - this would just add to it. Your parents may also say no. So what? However, you would never know unless you ask. </p>
<p>To me, it is worth asking to get a great head start on an investment account, if your parents have the money. It is not like you are asking some stranger; it is your parents. </p>
<p>Sounds like you are a lucky kid…great school,and no debt? No brainer…be happy and do well. And don’t ask your parents for money. It smacks of entitlement.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t really want to get into a discussion on investing. </p>
<p>I’m A: aware that this is the cheapest I could get my education for and others would be lucky to have it so cheap
B: aware that my mom might lose her job (she keeps telling me she’s going to since changes are going around) though she’s worked there 20+ years so the whole thing might be moot anyways. My dad’s not in the picture so we’d have no income.
C: worked pretty damn hard in high school thus far. It would feel crappy ending up at the place where the kids with 1500s and 3.0s from my school go to
D: feeling super insecure and stressed about these essays. and please nobody say “You should have done it earlier” and all that. I know.</p>
<p>OP, the way I see it is if you are completely happy with the school you are in and it costs you and your family nothing, then you can only really do downwards in in one or two ways: </p>
<p>1) you get into a school that gives you great aid, so you have to pay little, but you do not like it as much or </p>
<p>2) you get into a another school that you have to pay for and you like it just as much</p>
<p>Both of these situations are losses compared to what you have now, assuming your are happy with the school, and it has your major.</p>
<p>Sure, you could get into a school that you pay for and love it more, but what are those chances, given the in-depth knowledge you have about the school you are in now? </p>
<p>Knowledge and experience trumps everything really, If you know this school you are in fits you and you will enjoy it, then it is actually a risk to go anywhere else. </p>
<p>Read @T26E4’s post #1 again - it hits the nail on the head really from a real world point-of-view. Debt-free is king!!!</p>
<p>@awcntdb yeah. For their engineering honors (which ideally I’d like to be in) they require a class rank of 5% or lower. I don’t know if that’s something I could haggle over. also I’m not ‘in’ the school yet. Just accepted.</p>
<p>and I keep thinking… what if I got into Yale? Or Harvard? And I know… don’t look at just prestige but like also Harvey Mudd. But I’m not going to. So yeah anxiety</p>
<p>^I realize that last sentence wasn’t even a sentence. Testament to anxiety</p>
<p>Or it represents families who like investing in future generations. Not all families see investing in kids accounts as entitlement; they see it as helping out the next generation. </p>
<p>Congratulations on having an affordable safety that you like.</p>
<p>Are any of the other schools that you may apply to ones that (a) may be affordable (ask your parents and run net price calculators), and (b) may be schools that you would choose over your safety? If there are any such schools, apply only to those schools and drop the rest. If there are no such schools, then you are done with college applications – just finish off the rest of senior year well and prepare to go to college next year.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus We have the money for me to go wherever. But then there would be practically nothing left for grad school or a down payment on a house. There are definitely schools I would choose over it. Yale. Harvard. Harvey Mudd. But I knocked Swarthmore and Reed off due to that reason.</p>
<p>**I’m sorry if this thread comes off whiny. I despise college admissions and the essays that come with them.</p>
<p>Your other posts indicate that you live in NJ, so the state flagship is Rutgers, which is a good school for engineering and physics that you mention here and elsewhere. You also mention in other posts being full pay in the net price calculators of private schools (is that because they require your father’s information and he is unwilling to provide it or pay?).</p>
<p>However, one potential question mark is if your mother loses her job, what will become of the tuition benefit for you? If it disappears, then will Rutgers be affordable?</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus He’s dead. So there’d be no income there. It’s because of assets we have and my moms job is pretty good. My grandma left money for all the grandkids (me included). It came as a surprise to me though when the calculator showed up with nothing. Some of these schools say if you make between 65k and 200k we will only make you pay like 10-20% of what you have. Tis bs.</p>
<p>I would lose the tuition benefit. But it would still (since we’re instate) be much more affordable than these schools where I’d end up paying overall 240,000+ and ultimately we would still be able to pay it, along with the other schools. Again though… grad school and a down payment would not be looking good</p>
<p>We invest in our kids’ education, so that they can someday work and fund their own bank accounts. If any of them thought to ask for money because they were attending a school for free, I’d be flabbergasted. Especially since even with a “free ride”, most families are still providing support…insurance, transportation, possibly room and board. If anyone feels differently, I’d think that the conversation might better be started by the parent, not the child. </p>
<p>But that’s not what OP wants to do, it seems, so this side chat is moot anyway ;-)</p>
<p>Good luck to you, OP. If it were my kid, I’d suggest taking the free undergrad, and spend the savings on a good grad school or a down payment on your first place. You are in an enviable position.</p>
<p>What kind of “graduate school” would you be looking at?</p>
<p>PhD programs worth attending are funded (full ride in exchange for being a research or teaching assistant).</p>
<p>Master’s degrees in engineering are often funded by employers paying for part time attendance.</p>
<p>Law or medical school are typically paid for by the student, and very expensive.</p>
<p>However, saving your mother $140,000 to $240,000 should keep her comfort level up in terms of financial resources in retirement, even though she apparently does have considerable assets.</p>