Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 08:32     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Congrats to your DC! I'd go with the full ride unless DC otherwise has a very strong first choice.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 08:32     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:how are these people getting such good deals? Are they low income?


Not generally. The band between low income and donut hole will encapsulate most students and provide funding. It's very rare for students admitted to Vanderbilt, Yale, Harvard, and Duke to be unable to attend because of money.


It's crazy that these schools expect you to sell your hours and don't take cost of living costs. Wow. I guess we will need to find a way to look poor a year before.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 08:29     Subject: Re:Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wtf? My kid is paying $90k at Yale? What is your HHI to only be paying $14k?


There are some schools that will make it work for everyone they want. And Yale is one of them. We - middle class - gave our kids a list of these schools. And they both now attend T20 schools that cost less than State U.

To use an example, Harvard tuition is free for those under $200,000 annual income. You just need to get into these schools. But the aid is there for all students they want.


+1. The problem is most people on DCUM don’t have an HHI of under $200k.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 08:08     Subject: Re:Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wtf? My kid is paying $90k at Yale? What is your HHI to only be paying $14k?


There are some schools that will make it work for everyone they want. And Yale is one of them. We - middle class - gave our kids a list of these schools. And they both now attend T20 schools that cost less than State U.

To use an example, Harvard tuition is free for those under $200,000 annual income. You just need to get into these schools. But the aid is there for all students they want.



*** Who also have "typical assets" we are a full-pay family with $160k income


We’re full pay at Princeton with AGI of 150k.

Inheritance pushed us over. Not enough to be pay the tuition for two kids, but enough to push us out of “typical assets”.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 08:04     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is the vandy scholarship named? That may have more prestige on a law school application.

This is a great point actually. DD is on a full ride scholarship and puts it on her resume saying that only 8 were awarded it out of 50,000 applicants. She is getting interviews and internships at the most competitive companies.


+1

Ivy League schools attract employers because employers rely on Ivy League admissions officers to screen the student applicants; earning a named full-ride scholarship at Vanderbilt is arguably the highest level of applicant screening among all of the 4 named universities in this thread.

Regardless, the choice should be among Harvard, Yale, and the full-ride to Vanderbilt unless Duke will increase its offer to free tuition & fees in which case all 4 should remain in the running. Visit each school, then decide.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 07:51     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:harvard. this is a no brainer.


what? No. Vandy all the way!!
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 06:57     Subject: Re:Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wtf? My kid is paying $90k at Yale? What is your HHI to only be paying $14k?


There are some schools that will make it work for everyone they want. And Yale is one of them. We - middle class - gave our kids a list of these schools. And they both now attend T20 schools that cost less than State U.

To use an example, Harvard tuition is free for those under $200,000 annual income. You just need to get into these schools. But the aid is there for all students they want.



*** Who also have "typical assets" we are a full-pay family with $160k income
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 01:38     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:how are these people getting such good deals? Are they low income?


Not generally. The band between low income and donut hole will encapsulate most students and provide funding. It's very rare for students admitted to Vanderbilt, Yale, Harvard, and Duke to be unable to attend because of money.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 01:09     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
how are these people getting such good deals? Are they low income?
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 00:55     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:My kid was lucky enough to be admitted to all three of these colleges. We are debating between the three. He was dead-set on an HYP outcome and managed to get into two of them! He also got into Duke, which was very high on his wish list! However, he got into Vanderbilt and we were stunned when he won a full merit scholarship. We aren't rich, but applied for financial aid and got good funding for all of his favorite choices. Vanderbilt was never at the top of his list, but a full scholarship makes it very tempting. He might go to law school after college, and saving the money would be really helpful for him in the future. However, I am not sure if we are going to regret turning down the Harvard, Yale, or Duke brands.


Vanderbilt if he’s visited it and thinks he’d be happier there. Vanderbilt with a named scholarship is plenty prestigious.

Otherwise, Harvard if he wants to hang out in Boston, and Yale if he cares more about the quality of the education.

He should be able to pay most of the bills with guaranteed student loans, work-study and summer jobs, so the net cost isn’t high enough to be the deciding factor.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 00:50     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:Harvard of Yale without a doubt.

I would personally pick Yale.


Yup. Undergrad experience at Yale is much better than Harvard. Yale kids love their school and Harvard kids often do not.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 00:40     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What family income gets that much aid these days?

I grew up poor and took the prestige school discounted with financial aid and student loans instead of full ride at a safety school. I think it was a good move career-wise but I did feel under prepared at HYPS and sometimes wonder what it would have been like to be one of the smarter kids at the less prestigious school instead of feeling like just squeaking by. It was a little rough on the self esteem.


This.


Truly consider this with your child, Op.

As another poster said, with the vandy full ride, your child may soar through At top of class and be a highly sought-after candidate for law school or job interviews, etc.
Yale/Harvard are nice, but unless your DC is sure it’s a good fit AND they will excel, what will make him stand out when it comes time for a firm or a law school to admit or interview students? If he’ll be st the top of class then great! But just make sure going to H or Y is worth it!
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 00:32     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Anonymous wrote:H or Y. my kid picked Y after visits and bulldog days, but can't go wrong and it depends on what they want to study.


Rory…is that you??!
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 00:32     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
Richard and Emily vote YALE!
Lorelai votes Harvard!


Anonymous
Post 04/09/2025 00:19     Subject: Vanderbilt (Full Ride) vs Harvard ($18k/year) vs Yale ($14k/year) vs Duke ($19.5k/year)
How much can you afford?