Ask USC for more money. If they think they will lose you to Yale they will definitely give you more! How much time do you have before you have to let Yale know?
I think you should go with Yale. If you had the money in a college account there could be a discussion but you don’t’. As a questbridge student you are low income and have some family hardships and you should make it easy on yourself and take the money. A 18k loan x 4 means you will pay back more than 100k on an 900 a month payment over 10 years. That doesn’t make sense if you have another way. There is enormous freedom in being debt free at graduation, you don’t have to take any job so you can make debt payments. Also you alone cannot borrow more than the student limits (5,500 freshman year) so your father would have to take out the extra. Is he prepared right now to contribute 12k?
Yale has enormous resources that you will enjoy the benefit of and the residential college system will make it a home for you. You can’t underestimate the opportunities you will get there, you truly will be able to do whatever you want. Yale will expose you to a larger world and possibilities.
As Yale has the ABET accreditation, that is the key for employers. People can go to no name schools and do well with the ABET stamp of approval so they can certainly do well from Yale. Yale doesn’t do anything crappy. What they do do, they will do well. Over the last 10 years they have decided it is a key initiative to elevate SEAS profile and they have invested a lot of funds to do that, funds for research and equipment and also creating new facilities and the CEID. They will be looking for students like you and support you to get involved in projects, there will be funds for projects.
http://ceid.yale.edu/
http://ceid.yale.edu/member-resources/student-groups/
There is also the opportunity to do other things, one of my family who did EE at an Ivy and did intern as an engineer went into management, go his top tier MBA paid for and helps runs satellite company.and is 20 years younger than his peers.
@Planner USC’s surrounding area is not dangerous. I can tell you come from a very sheltered and coddled home life
Hi, it’s been quite a few years! I hope you somehow see this message, as I am in nearly the exact same situation that you were in. I was searching up “Yale or USC” and your message came up, and it just so happens that I am also looking to study some kind of engineering or physics. What school did you end up choosing? And how was your experience there? Are you doing your masters now, and do you believe you made the right decision about where you completed your undergrad?
I am a high school senior right now, already accepted to both Yale and USC, and they are both giving me affordable financial aid deals. I visited the USC campus and absolutely loved everything about it, but I have not had the chance to visit Yale (and I probably won’t be able to visit before I have to make my decision because of COVID).
There are many factors that do not make this decision as easy as it may seem. There are so many great things to do in LA, and California in general (beaches, mountains, national parks, etc.) and my sister is currently a freshman at USC. However, Yale is recognized worldwide as being a great school, and I would be near some of my high school friends that are also going to college in the northeast.
Anyway, this message turned out way longer than I originally intended. For whichever school you chose, could you tell me some pros and cons? Also, to anyone else reading this message, could you add some insight if you know more about Yale?
Thanks,
Montserrat
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