Yale vs Top 10 University Free +

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>How is your son rationalizing his wanting to go to Yale? Does he have a reason other than that is has always been his dream school?</p>

<p>I would just spell out to him exactly what each decision means. It’s not just about his being able to do some cool stuff in the summer if he goes to Duke, and maybe having to work if he goes to Yale. From what you say, he has $200,000 to use for something, but there is not more beyond that $200,000, so he just has to choose what he wishes to spend the $200,000 on. </p>

<p>He can use the $200,000 to go to Yale, or he can use it for grad school, or (I assume) to travel after he graduates, or to buy himself time to wait and take a job he really wants over a job he can get, or to buy a house or a car - $200,000 goes a long way toward all those things.</p>

<p>Then it’s up to him to decide which way of spending the $200,000 will enrich his life the most. To some people, being able to fulfil their dream of going to Yale would be the most valuable thing they can think of and they would give up everything for that, other people wouldn’t. </p>

<p>But I think, if there is no more money after the $200,000, you need to be very clear with him about that. It is easy for some people to think that they aren’t going to lose anything because their parents love them and would never leave them not being able to go to grad school or whatever, that they can have the expensive school and grad school and everything else, it’s just a case of holding out. It is difficult sometimes for people to understand that money has to come from somewhere, and when it is gone, it is gone, there will be no second bite of the cherry.</p>

<p>For the record, I’m a student at Yale, and I’d choose Duke. I know we’re supposed to be encouraging y’all to come to us because we’re great, which we are, but I can’t honestly say that I think that Yale is worth $200K, and all that it can buy, more than Duke. But I am not much of a dreamer.</p>

<p>I hope your sons will be happy whatever school(s) they choose. I am sure with such good choices they will be.</p>

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<p>Great post tli83. Thanks and you have hit the nail on the head. They know their dad so they know there isn’t any more $ where that came from- they know what went in to saving that money in the first place. But 1 week ago everyone was fine (including dad) with going to Yale or Princeton and not having grad school money and now…well it’s a whole new ballgame.</p>

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<p>No financial aid at all from Yale? </p>

<p>My family makes close to 70,000 and my Financial aid offer was virtually a full ride. Maybe you could contact the financial aid office if you feel that the aid is too low. They respond very promptly to phone calls and e-mails.</p>

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<p>^I believe he said they already had about 3-years’ worth of college money stored up, and Yale would definitely take that into account when deciding how much financial aid to give out (in this case, nothing at all).</p>

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<p>Both schools are fantastic. To be really honest, the best and most worthwhile way of deciding would be to visit (sounds like you may have already done that). If he doesn’t feel a particular compulsion towards any school… eg. he really really loved the feeling and vibe of Yale… then I’d go for Duke (if there is no personal inclination otherwise).</p>

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<p>If you were going out to buy a car, would you pay full price for a Lexus, or would you rather have a really nice loaded Toyota for virtually nothing? It seems to me that if you’re rich enough, you might buy the Lexus. In your case, the two schools are probably even closer in quality than the Lexus and Toyota in the example. If money were no object, I would have to say that Yale is better. It all boils down to how much of an object the money is.</p>

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<p>What a great analogy Hunt- thank you. I just don’t know if an 18 year old is mature enough to understand that having a Lexus does not guarentee any more happiness than the loaded toyota!! Plus in this case the Toyota dealer is close by (home is 1.5 hours away) which would make it quite a trip to the Lexus dealer. </p>

<p>Unless you are an actor I think money is an issue. We lived lean to save for college and there won’t be any left for grad school. They’ll have to figure that out on their own if they choose the Lexus.</p>

<p>Thanks for the great post!</p>

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<p>I’m a Yale student, and if I had the choice to pay $200K for Yale and $0 for Duke, I would pick Duke (even though my parents are wealthy). I do love Yale to death, but Yale is not worth $200K more than any top 10 school.</p>

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<p>You know what? I was wrong. Duke seems like a better deal, after all. Its a “top 10” education for free. Save up the money because these arent good times. You’ll go to Duke for undergrad and since he got into Yale once, he can certainly do it again. Congrats on all the hard work and effort. your son is going to one of the best schools in the nation for free. how does that feel?:slight_smile: Duke Undergrad==>Yale Grad.</p>

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<p>Lobzz-</p>

<p>I am just not sure that’s the way he’lll go. Does anyone know if you are accepted to undergrad and don’t matriculate if they black ball you for grad school? Or do they not care? </p>

<p>I guess we’ll see after Princeton Review and Bulldog days if they can put those schools behind them and fall in love with Duke. One of them seems to have an easier time with that then the other. We’ll see…</p>

<p>Thanks again everyone.</p>

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<p>Thats not what I meant. I meant that, since he was able to overcome the odds (6% acceptance rate) and get into Yale once, he’ll be able to do it again. Getting into Yale is an accomplishment. Good luck with your visits.</p>

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<p>The money may seem like a lot now, but will become a much smaller burden over time. Go to the school where you will be happiest. If you feel you can really take advantage of the resources that only Yale provides (in terms of the ridiculously high quality of undergrad education), then go to Yale. If you feel like they won’t matter, then it doesn’t matter as much. </p>

<p>Yale may seem more expensive since it won’t be able to match Duke’s merit award on paper, but you should keep in mind that Yale provides incredible fellowship, travel grant, and scholarship opportunities to its students, which I won’t get into here since they would take up an entire book, that just may not be possible at Duke. As anecdotal evidence that illustrates this point, though, look at the number of Rhodes Scholars per capita from Yale versus from Duke. Some of the Yale alumni I know spent every summer in Paris or South Africa, on Yale’s dime, because of travel/study grants that Yale awards.</p>

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<p>“As anecdotal evidence that illustrates this point, though, look at the number of Rhodes Scholars per capita from Yale versus from Duke.”</p>

<p>Not much difference since the 1990s. Between 1999-2006 (random stat provided by Wiki) Yale averaged 1.9 per year, Duke 1.7. Both higher than any school but Harvard.</p>

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<p>What did he choose? I hope Duke. I’m assuming he got either the Robertson or the AB. Both are awesome scholarships. At a not-so-good school :)</p>

<p>I was in a sorta similar situation. Yale versus UNC with the Morehead-Cain. Except I received almost 100% financial aid from Yale (about $48,000 a year in grants). I chose UNC. But it wasn’t about money. I really don’t know what it was about. Just a vibe. I know I’ll be happier at UNC than I would be at Yale.</p>

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<p>Here’s a tidbit: the scant data suggests strongly that success in life depends on the person, not on the school. That seems obvious but few studies directly address this. Specifically, a student admitted to more prestigious school x but who goes to a less prestigious school makes the same as if he or she went to x. </p>

<p>There are some differences between earnings - averages of course and thus rough - between graduates of school a versus b, but after controlling for location* those are due to the overall student level at a and that - again obviously in a non-rigorous sense - does not apply to students of the same ability level at b. The difference between schools is thus more one of preference - do you like it? like the program? - than of lasting import for the outcomes in your life.**</p>

<p>*Location matters a lot. The highest earning school graduates are in the higher earning states. Sounds like, “Well, duh,” but think about it: better then to go to a school in a high earning state no matter what.</p>

<p>**This is for undergrad. Studies show that for academics, the reputation of the grad program in your field has about a 10 year life because you get a better first job and it then takes, on average, a decade to rise or fall on your own. This is somewhat true of law school, of course, but is much less true of medical school.</p>

<p>BTW, my friends who had the Morehead said it even paid for their beer. And you must include that special programs like that have their own network which lasts and has value in life.</p>