blogs_blog_1614

The further you're planning on going in school, the more important it is to save money when you can on the front end.
 
You have to make these decisions for yourself, obviously, but the "future factor" is a pretty big deal. Good luck!

Good luck. May you have wisdom in your decision making. 

 

At least you know you want a doctorate. Dr. Portal, eh?

I notice you never asked for advice, but I feel like giving some... but if you don't want to read it, then don't open the spoiler tags and just ignore me =D


When I was choosing colleges, Texas A&M was pretty much my top choice. In fact, I only applied to A&M because I knew I'd get in.
 
I also knew a few other things:
 
1. I wasn't likely to get many spectacular scholarships
2. No college I would want to go to would be in a town or city where I had family
3. I was certain I would be able to be happy and enjoy A&M
4. I knew for a fact that I would have two student organizations to join that would both add to my enjoyment and further my career plans.
 
I ended up deciding based on the fact that I wanted to go to A&M, that I knew I liked it, and that I would be happy there. If I had gone anywhere else, getting my Bio degree may have been unbearable because I wouldn't have been able to have the other experiences I've had here. And as I'm heading to Med School, I based my choice of TCOM purely on my personal preference and feelings about the schools, because it will cost me big time no matter where I go.
 
For you:
 
College A
-Preferred school, been top choice for some time
-Already like faculty, programs
-Half Tuition
-5 minutes from family, aka, potentially free housing
-Friend there (which may or may not really weigh in at the end of the four years...)
 
College B
-Safety net School, backup
-Undecided (?) on faculty, programs
-Full Tuition + some
-You didn't indicate family being near there, so probably need to find housing on/off campus, so that takes from your Full Tuition + some.
 
But you've probably gone over that a lot by now. Really, I think it comes down to weighing the financial benefits/costs against the personal benefits/costs. From a financial standpoint, College B is the clear winner. Housing, even off campus, is probably not going to measure up to paying half-tuition at a private school, if you play your cards right. So far, from a personal standpoint, it seems college A is a winner, and getting given a half-tuition scholarship at a private school is nothing to sneeze at (as you know). As you head off on your trip, I'd advise you to be looking at College B for the personal aspects more than anything else. If it is a good fit for you as a person: case closed. If you just hate the place or just aren't comfortable with it....you may want to consider taking the financial hit at College A. If you want to get a doctorate, you know you're in for the long haul, and being happy with where you do your undergrad will do a lot for your scholastics, your sanity, and your life in general.

A good as the campus looks, I would never have been as happy at (say) UT (freaking Longhorns) as I have been at A&M. I've been through some tough times, but A&M is where it's at for me and the groups I'm in and the people I've met have been worth every penny, and every scar (emotionally and physically).

 

 

 

Edit: Please use spoiler tags for storyline spoilers only.

-Wind-

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I'm certainly thinking through it all.

 

Sumiki: Yeah, the "future factor" is a really big deal to me in this context because of just the sheer amount of school I am expecting to do. It is pretty much the reason why I didn't just shrug and go with college A. It is definitely a huge factor in all of this.

 

fishers: Thank you! Yep, that is pretty much the plan! Dr. Portal does have a pretty nice ring to it, doesn't it?

 

Zox: Man, can I just say that this reply is literally the best? Because it is literally the best. You are correct that I did not ask for advice, but man am I glad to see this. It's just absolutely fantastic. Thank you very much.

 

I wanted to like go through and like, reply point for point, but the only real thing I can say is that your advice for this visit to College B is really, really good advice. I will certainly look at the more personal side at this college, and try to not compare it apples to apples to College A, but as it's own thing. I just have to keep my mind open.

 

My visit is on Friday, so I guess we'll see!

 

(Also, yes. Freaking Longhorns. haha)

My visit is on Friday, so I guess we'll see!

Good luck!

 

(Also, yes. Freaking Longhorns. haha)

Based on this, I'm now very interested as to the colleges you're looking at. I have a feeling as to what College A could be, but I could be guessing totally wrongly about where you're from.

Booo A&M forever. I love the Longhorns. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The only school from the old Big12 I dislike more than A&M (and OU, obviously) is Baylor.

 

Here's a bit of advice from somebody who messed their collegiate career up spectacularly: your degree exists to get you a job. You're planning on going up the school ladder and getting higher-level degrees. Your undergraduate degree matters only as much as your GPA and your references for your Masters, and any state school will easily get you into a Masters program. And your Masters degree will get you into any other program you need because you got the Masters. Schools very rarely turn away revenue, which is why the degree level has proliferated so far and tanked the educational economy in America.

 

Speaking financially, my school debt is the biggest stumbling block to anything and everything I want to do with my life. It's this giant number hanging over my head at all times, all because I was offered a full ride right out of high school at any number of state schools, waited because I wanted to go to a specific private college instead, wasn't offered the package I needed to afford it remotely, and then discovered my full-rides were negated because I took too long to decide to go to the local state school. Unless you're looking at an Ivy League school, the school that gives you your undergrad degree matters almost not at all for the purpose of employment and moving forward with your education. Don't get hung up on one school over another because of names or anything like that. Your financial future is immensely important, especially because a good degree doesn't necessarily mean a good job anymore either.

 

Basically, if you have a free option from a "lesser school" take it and run with it. Your future career path won't care where your undergrad is from, only that you have it. Your financial future will thank you.