<p>Would it be better to go to an average, not so prestigious school that will give you a full ride (because you did better in school and better on SATs and ACTs than their average student) or a better school that will pay absolutely nothing?
I'm in a situation where, as a student with a 3.8 GPA, I am stuck between choosing between the University of Bridgeport (with a 3.0 average GPA) that will pay my full way, or a nicer school where the GPA matches men, but will pay nothing.
Don't say Bridgeport is too dangerous a town, either. Bridgeport has a 30% lower crime rate than the town I've lived in my entire life. I'm talking strictly ACADEMICS.
I basically have to take out loans for every dollar the school won't pay. Should I go into debt and get a great education, or should I stay out of debt and get an average education?
Someone told me that it doesn't matter where you went, so long as you have a degree. To be fair, that person didn't go to college. They said if you aren't going to an Ivy League school, you should go where it's the cheapest. Is that in any way true?</p>
<p>What’s the other choice?</p>
<p>How much is the debt? There’s a difference between 20k and 80k of total debt.</p>
<p>When you say the “nicer school” would pay nothing, how much debt are you talking about? If your family can pay most, and student loans would fill the gap, then it depends on how big that gap is. If you’ll have no financial support from your family, you probably won’t even be able to borrow as much as you need, even if you wanted to.</p>
<p>Does Bridgeport have a good program in what you’l like to study?</p>
<p>I basically have to take out loans for every dollar the school won’t pay. Should I go into debt and get a great education, or should I stay out of debt and get an average education?</p>
<p>You can only borrow the following amounts on your own:</p>
<p>5500 frosh
6500 soph
7500 jr
7500 sr</p>
<p>To borrow more would require your parents to willing cosign the loans AND qualify for those loans each year. Since it sounds like your parents won’t be paying anything, then it doesn’t sound like they’d cosign (or qualify) each year. </p>
<p>Besides, it sounds like way too much debt.</p>
<p>Re: U Bridgeport…are you saying that you were awarded: free tuition, free room, free board, etc for your 3.8 GPA and test scores? What were your test scores?</p>
<p>What is your major? How much do you think you’ll be earning upon graduation?</p>
<p>What is the name of the expensive school?</p>
<p>How much was the scholarship that you were awarded to Bridgeport? On their website, it looks like their top merit scholarship is $20k per year. Is that what you were awarded? </p>
<p>UBridgeport costs $47,000 per year. I don’t see any “free ride” scholarships.</p>
<p>Tuition and fees $28,140
Room and board $12,050<br>
Books and supplies $1,500<br>
Estimated personal expenses $3,04
Transportation expenses $2,000<br>
Estimated Total …$46,733</p>
<p>At this moment, I am eighth in my class, and have a 3.8 weighted GPA. I know I don’t have the highest GPA, but I’m basically required to go to a four year university because I have 50 hours of college credit (from dual enrollment at the local community college). I want to go out of state for school because I’m in Florida and I don’t care for any of the schools in the state. I have my eyes set on schools in the New England/mid-Atlantic region. Because I already have so many college credits, I won’t have to wait so long to begin my actual degree program. I’m going to get my bachelor’s (maybe my master’s) in journalism. A school I am very interested in is the University of Bridgeport. They have already accepted me and given me a scholarship that would cover the whole tuition (just not the fees).</p>
<p>Ok…so it doesn’t look like you were given a free ride. It looks like you were given an award that covers about $20k towards TUITION (which is $27k per year). Plus you’d have to pay for room, board, fees, transportation and personal expenses. You can’t borrow enough to pay for those costs. </p>
<p>Do you qualify for Bright Futures for a Florida school? which FL publics did you apply to?</p>
<p>What is your EFC? </p>
<p>What are your parents saying?</p>
<p>Yes, it might not matter where you go as long as you have a degree. If you are going to continue on to graduate school, it can matter. If you are going into certain industries, it can matter. But a lot of landing a first, entry-level position has to do with experience, not the name of your school.</p>
<p>Sub-par and “not so prestigious” are two very different things. On the fin aid forum, you’ll be frequently warned that meets X% of need is an average. Well, the same goes for an accepted student body. 1. Looks like your comparing your weighted GPA with the average GPA at Bridgeport, which is probably an unweighted average. GPA may to be so far off. 2. The 3.0 is an average. Many students will be well above that. You will not be a lone bright spot in a sea of mediocrity. Take the affordable option.</p>
<p>Until the OP comes back, it’s not clear whether Bridgeport is affordable either. The student implies that any unfunded college costs will be borrowed with loans. The student also said that s/he has a full ride, but in another post, it doesn’t sound that way. Even at the less prestgious school, the student will have to pay about $25k per year. S/he won’t be able to borrow that much, nor should she.</p>
<p>The most affordable option may be in Florida.</p>
<p>Going back to the OP’s original question about whether it’s better to attend a “nominally” free school vs. one you must pay for, studies have shown that success after college has MUCH more to do with the individual than where one graduates. Go to the cheaper school.</p>
<p>You have to be able to pay to attend, and you have to be able to pay for living costs. If you can’t do that without taking out loans to pay the full costs, you can’t attend the school.</p>
<p>Are you eligible for Bright Futures? The other 49 states will be there for either grad school or a job.</p>
<p>With the FAFSA, I was given a full ride.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What does that mean? What EXACTLY was your award from Bridgeport? Please give us a detailed breakdown of the components of the award.</p>
<p>OP, a Full Ride means that you are getting scholarships for the full COA which includes room and board. The Bridgeport web site indicates they don’t have scholarships like that. Can you explain further?</p>
<p>
So are you getting
$47000 - federal grant of $5500 -federal loans of $5500 = $36000 of scholarships from UBridgeport?</p>
<p>Can you give us the breakdown of your aid pkg?</p>
<p>Scholarship:
Pell Grant:
other grant:
Stafford Direct sub loan:
Stafford Direct unsub loan:
Work study:
Plus loan:
Anything else?</p>
<p>What Florida publics did you apply to?</p>
<p>Do you qualify for Bright Futures? If so, whiich level?</p>