<p>I've been stressing out about this decision for weeks, and I still haven't gotten anywhere. Is Johns Hopkins (BME) worth the debt? I have to choose between a 90k debt from Hopkins, and no debt from Penn State (in the honors college). Obviously I prefer Hopkins, but graduating debt-free is also rather enticing. Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Penn State has an excellent engineering program. If you are worrying about the financial implications, then that already tells you the best choice.</p>
<p>Worth the debt? Probably not. </p>
<p>My son was faced with a similar choice - University of Maryland for free, Havard for an affordable amount of money, or Hopkins for nearly $100K over four years. Maryland for free was very enticing. The EFC from Harvard appears to be something I can pay as I go, resulting in no loans for my son or my wife and I. Hopkins was ridiculous. Likely to generate $50K in loans over four years. I told the financial aid folks that although Hopkins was my son’s first choice, I wouldn’t feel guilty if he wound up at Harvard. They politely suggested that my son would probably enjoy Harvard, and to otherwise have a nice life.</p>
<p>Hopkins’ loss.</p>
<p>I don’t want to tell you what to do since I don’t know anything about your financial situation, but this is my suggestion- research average BME-major salaries from Hopkins and from Penn State. If there isn’t much of a difference, then I’d lean more towards Penn State. If there is a difference, you have to decide if it’s worth it.</p>