Talk me off a ledge

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC has a full tuition scholarship (academic) to East Stroudsburg (applied there for reasons not relevant but also cast a wide net and all that).

Got into FAR more rigorous colleges (think, Villanova, Colgate, Lehigh) but they gave ZERO aid. And we'd be looking at $200-300K for undergraduate studies. The "in between" ones are not appealing to DC for various reasons.

Would be a pre-health path of some type.

DC is thinking of taking the full tuition scholarship. And I'm absolutely freaking out about it. I cannot find anything about their pre-health outcomes on their website. (I left these decisions re: applications mostly to her and never thought this would be what it came down to). While I'm sure there are many successful outcomes for that school, I'm feeling very anxious over the entire thing. DC worked very hard in HS and I just feel like why?

I acknowledge the snobbery in my post (i went to a similar type of school and wanted better for DC). But, I'm also legit worried about grad school and job placement outside of the small area of PA (it's more a regional school). Please give me some perspective.

My cousin had a similar thing happen. She got a full ride at an ok school and took it even though she got into an Ivy! She did premed, worked in the local hospital and is now at a good medical school who is top in the niche field she wants to study. She figured it out and made sure she was the top at the so/so undergrad school. She has great friends from there and she knew her extracurricular and hard work would get her into a good medical school.

Another friend decided to take the expensive route. She struggled at the more-well known schools and had to take time off and then reapply for medical school. Got into a so/so medical school, but then got an excellent residency, fellowship, and is finally in her surgeon level job. She has high 6 figure debt, but she and her spouse still were able to buy a 7 figure home. She has mentioned to be several times how she thinks she would have got here if she took an almost full ride with medical school component she got into instead of the fancy, name brand undergrad school. Now she has to pay back all that debt instead of doing other things.

That is to say if your kid has the drive, they will do it. He should go to the full ride place and you put aside what you would have for medical or graduate school or a downpayment on a home.

OR he transfers junior year so you are only paying fill price for the two last years and hell end up with a degree from the later anyway.

[Anonymous]

OP wasn't concerned when she let her DD apply. Many of us trying to help would not have let a 35% 4 yr grad rate school get on the list. I'm guessing Op doesn't want help with other choices, she just wants/hopes for some validation that ESU is ok-enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP wasn't concerned when she let her DD apply. Many of us trying to help would not have let a 35% 4 yr grad rate school get on the list. I'm guessing Op doesn't want help with other choices, she just wants/hopes for some validation that ESU is ok-enough.

Do you feel better about yourself writing things like this? Your small "I am special" victory of the day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC has a full tuition scholarship (academic) to East Stroudsburg (applied there for reasons not relevant but also cast a wide net and all that).

Got into FAR more rigorous colleges (think, Villanova, Colgate, Lehigh) but they gave ZERO aid. And we'd be looking at $200-300K for undergraduate studies. The "in between" ones are not appealing to DC for various reasons.

Would be a pre-health path of some type.

DC is thinking of taking the full tuition scholarship. And I'm absolutely freaking out about it. I cannot find anything about their pre-health outcomes on their website. (I left these decisions re: applications mostly to her and never thought this would be what it came down to). While I'm sure there are many successful outcomes for that school, I'm feeling very anxious over the entire thing. DC worked very hard in HS and I just feel like why?

I acknowledge the snobbery in my post (i went to a similar type of school and wanted better for DC). But, I'm also legit worried about grad school and job placement outside of the small area of PA (it's more a regional school). Please give me some perspective.

My cousin had a similar thing happen. She got a full ride at an ok school and took it even though she got into an Ivy! She did premed, worked in the local hospital and is now at a good medical school who is top in the niche field she wants to study. She figured it out and made sure she was the top at the so/so undergrad school. She has great friends from there and she knew her extracurricular and hard work would get her into a good medical school.

Another friend decided to take the expensive route. She struggled at the more-well known schools and had to take time off and then reapply for medical school. Got into a so/so medical school, but then got an excellent residency, fellowship, and is finally in her surgeon level job. She has high 6 figure debt, but she and her spouse still were able to buy a 7 figure home. She has mentioned to be several times how she thinks she would have got here if she took an almost full ride with medical school component she got into instead of the fancy, name brand undergrad school. Now she has to pay back all that debt instead of doing other things.

That is to say if your kid has the drive, they will do it. He should go to the full ride place and you put aside what you would have for medical or graduate school or a downpayment on a home.

OR he transfers junior year so you are only paying fill price for the two last years and hell end up with a degree from the later anyway.

I will give you the flip side. Friend went to Princeton thinking she would be pre-med. Decided after Sophomore year it wasn't for her.

Ended up working for Bain Consulting after graduation.

Do you think OP's kid will have that optionality, or your cousin would have had that option?

[Anonymous]

I think that this OP is the same one asking similar questions on the Money forum. Not surprisingly, those folks say ESU all the way.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe it’s the spouse:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1186961.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that this OP is the same one asking similar questions on the Money forum. Not surprisingly, those folks say ESU all the way.

Except they don’t know it’s ESU…this is DCUM, so if you read the other post people are probably thinking it’s one of the VA state schools…where even the lowest ranked is considered better than ESU.

It matters when you provide the specific school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that this OP is the same one asking similar questions on the Money forum. Not surprisingly, those folks say ESU all the way.

Except they don’t know it’s ESU…this is DCUM, so if you read the other post people are probably thinking it’s one of the VA state schools…where even the lowest ranked is considered better than ESU.

It matters when you provide the specific school.

+1 its not really about the school brand but other things like the low graduation rate.

[Anonymous]

I agree…

[Anonymous]

I am questioning why OP didn't apply to good named state schools that would potentially have given her merit and other aid. So less prestige, but still great, and much cheaper.

Why ESU and then these expensive privates?

[Anonymous]

Stroudsburg is an absolutely backwards hole
In the wall- full of fat people and racists. I would never ever send my child there it’s like traveling back in time. And not in a nostalgic folksy way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many of you urging OP’s DD to go to ESU would send your own kid there, turning down Lehigh?
My concern would be that your DD may not be able transfer, coming from ESU, regardless of her grades.

[crickets]

I would. I went to ESU!

THANK YOU. Can you please tell us more about your experience and what it was like? Major of study? Etc.? Would be great to have a firsthand account of someone who actually WENT there vs. the speculation and biases on this thread.

It was 25 years ago, but I studied physics. Classes were small, and the professors were 100% accessible — my favorite, Dr. Buckley, is still there (I just looked him up; he taught quantum physics and was AWESOME). I did not live on campus, but I saw plenty of young students, and East Stroudsburg seemed lively at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC has a full tuition scholarship (academic) to East Stroudsburg (applied there for reasons not relevant but also cast a wide net and all that).

Got into FAR more rigorous colleges (think, Villanova, Colgate, Lehigh) but they gave ZERO aid. And we'd be looking at $200-300K for undergraduate studies. The "in between" ones are not appealing to DC for various reasons.

Would be a pre-health path of some type.

DC is thinking of taking the full tuition scholarship. And I'm absolutely freaking out about it. I cannot find anything about their pre-health outcomes on their website. (I left these decisions re: applications mostly to her and never thought this would be what it came down to). While I'm sure there are many successful outcomes for that school, I'm feeling very anxious over the entire thing. DC worked very hard in HS and I just feel like why?

I acknowledge the snobbery in my post (i went to a similar type of school and wanted better for DC). But, I'm also legit worried about grad school and job placement outside of the small area of PA (it's more a regional school). Please give me some perspective.

My cousin had a similar thing happen. She got a full ride at an ok school and took it even though she got into an Ivy! She did premed, worked in the local hospital and is now at a good medical school who is top in the niche field she wants to study. She figured it out and made sure she was the top at the so/so undergrad school. She has great friends from there and she knew her extracurricular and hard work would get her into a good medical school.

Another friend decided to take the expensive route. She struggled at the more-well known schools and had to take time off and then reapply for medical school. Got into a so/so medical school, but then got an excellent residency, fellowship, and is finally in her surgeon level job. She has high 6 figure debt, but she and her spouse still were able to buy a 7 figure home. She has mentioned to be several times how she thinks she would have got here if she took an almost full ride with medical school component she got into instead of the fancy, name brand undergrad school. Now she has to pay back all that debt instead of doing other things.

That is to say if your kid has the drive, they will do it. He should go to the full ride place and you put aside what you would have for medical or graduate school or a downpayment on a home.

OR he transfers junior year so you are only paying fill price for the two last years and hell end up with a degree from the later anyway.

I will give you the flip side. Friend went to Princeton thinking she would be pre-med. Decided after Sophomore year it wasn't for her.

Ended up working for Bain Consulting after graduation.

Do you think OP's kid will have that optionality, or your cousin would have had that option?

DP. Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC has a full tuition scholarship (academic) to East Stroudsburg (applied there for reasons not relevant but also cast a wide net and all that).

Got into FAR more rigorous colleges (think, Villanova, Colgate, Lehigh) but they gave ZERO aid. And we'd be looking at $200-300K for undergraduate studies. The "in between" ones are not appealing to DC for various reasons.

Would be a pre-health path of some type.

DC is thinking of taking the full tuition scholarship. And I'm absolutely freaking out about it. I cannot find anything about their pre-health outcomes on their website. (I left these decisions re: applications mostly to her and never thought this would be what it came down to). While I'm sure there are many successful outcomes for that school, I'm feeling very anxious over the entire thing. DC worked very hard in HS and I just feel like why?

I acknowledge the snobbery in my post (i went to a similar type of school and wanted better for DC). But, I'm also legit worried about grad school and job placement outside of the small area of PA (it's more a regional school). Please give me some perspective.

My cousin had a similar thing happen. She got a full ride at an ok school and took it even though she got into an Ivy! She did premed, worked in the local hospital and is now at a good medical school who is top in the niche field she wants to study. She figured it out and made sure she was the top at the so/so undergrad school. She has great friends from there and she knew her extracurricular and hard work would get her into a good medical school.

Another friend decided to take the expensive route. She struggled at the more-well known schools and had to take time off and then reapply for medical school. Got into a so/so medical school, but then got an excellent residency, fellowship, and is finally in her surgeon level job. She has high 6 figure debt, but she and her spouse still were able to buy a 7 figure home. She has mentioned to be several times how she thinks she would have got here if she took an almost full ride with medical school component she got into instead of the fancy, name brand undergrad school. Now she has to pay back all that debt instead of doing other things.

That is to say if your kid has the drive, they will do it. He should go to the full ride place and you put aside what you would have for medical or graduate school or a downpayment on a home.

OR he transfers junior year so you are only paying fill price for the two last years and hell end up with a degree from the later anyway.

I will give you the flip side. Friend went to Princeton thinking she would be pre-med. Decided after Sophomore year it wasn't for her.

Ended up working for Bain Consulting after graduation.

Do you think OP's kid will have that optionality, or your cousin would have had that option?

DP. Yes.

Sure…so many ESU grads populating the ranks of top management consulting firms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stroudsburg is an absolutely backwards hole
In the wall- full of fat people and racists. I would never ever send my child there it’s like traveling back in time. And not in a nostalgic folksy way

I thought EAST Stroudsburg was a little more urban that Stroudsburg.