Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You buy what you can afford, simple.

DD is a rising junior at a local private. She will be going to a state school because that's what we can afford. She's an athlete, but not of recruitable calibre, an A- student but hard worker. Now some of her classmates r looking at HYP, top schools, etc. They have no hook and parents don't have the income to support it. Am I missing something here, or r the heading down the path of a ton of loans? Also the parents seems to be the ones encouraging it....

I think you may be missing that many of the other private school parents probably DO have the income to support private university tuitions. They are already sending their kids to private school, which is $20K to $30K/year. For the $45K/year balance, they may have been able to save for college (agree that not all private school families can save for college, but many families won't do private unless they can save for college), or they may be getting parental help. You just don't know.

Some maybe, but I know for a fact quite a few don't. Especially with other kids behind in MS. I'm talking HI of maybe 200k - that's not a lot of money to fit the bill for four years. They fall into the category of rich-poor. I talk to them, I hear their struggles, but it seems like they don't want to come to the realism that it may be unaffordable. Anyways we've been busy researching state schools, and schools with decent merit aid.

You are lucky to have UW Madison as your state school. Why pass that up? It has excellent academic and social opportunities at a great price. Many of the schools other people are listing don't even come close to UW. Most high school students who have a great university in their own backyard can't appreciate it until they get there. People come from all over the country and world to go to UW. She has plenty of time when she is 22 and graduates to see the world. Don't put yourself in debt for an undergraduate degree.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You buy what you can afford, simple.

DD is a rising junior at a local private. She will be going to a state school because that's what we can afford. She's an athlete, but not of recruitable calibre, an A- student but hard worker. Now some of her classmates r looking at HYP, top schools, etc. They have no hook and parents don't have the income to support it. Am I missing something here, or r the heading down the path of a ton of loans? Also the parents seems to be the ones encouraging it....

I think you may be missing that many of the other private school parents probably DO have the income to support private university tuitions. They are already sending their kids to private school, which is $20K to $30K/year. For the $45K/year balance, they may have been able to save for college (agree that not all private school families can save for college, but many families won't do private unless they can save for college), or they may be getting parental help. You just don't know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of South Carolina has an awesome honors program, is located in the state capital and gives great merit $$. You just need to keep looking.

Second this. My son got instate tuition with a 4.0 weighted (3.3 unweighted) 9 AP and 31 ACT
Number one ranked international business school in the country

LOL. very funny

Yep, ranked #1 by USNWR. 17 years in a row.

Irrelevant ranking.

better ranking: Which undergrad business colleges send the most kids to the best business jobs out of UG: MBB strategy, S&T/IB, or buyside finance.

Please note the international in "international business school." That doesn't mean it's the best business school, it means it's the best school for getting an international business degree. It's actually a great program and I know people who went there and got amazing jobs out of the program. But saying it's "located in the state capital" is misleading. It's not what I would call urban. Columbia has tumbleweeds it's so empty.

Anonymous wrote:You buy what you can afford, simple.

DD is a rising junior at a local private. She will be going to a state school because that's what we can afford. She's an athlete, but not of recruitable calibre, an A- student but hard worker. Now some of her classmates r looking at HYP, top schools, etc. They have no hook and parents don't have the income to support it. Am I missing something here, or r the heading down the path of a ton of loans? Also the parents seems to be the ones encouraging it....

Maybe consider Miami of Ohio?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about UW-Madison? Obviously not Jesuit, but it's sorta urban, has name-brand recognition, and is a fun school overall. And if you're in WI, in-state tuition makes it a great deal...

As a Catholic, I like the Jesuits too but in all honesty, there's opportunities for service at every single college in the US. I wouldn't limit the search to just Jesuit/Catholic because she wants to give back to the community.

+1 if you live in Wisconsin, Madison is the obvious choice.

I vote for UW Madison also. It is a great school at a great price. She can move anywhere in the country when she graduates. If she has her heart set on schools like Georgetown and BC they are very over the top expensive. She can also get summer internships in other cities.

Anonymous wrote:Check out some of the Quaker colleges whose ideals might resonate with your DC?

Also, I agree with taking a look at College Confidential. I would avoid the 'Chance Me' questions. They are way off base and the people answering are NOT the decision makers.

OK, I went to a Quaker College, I can't think of a single one that is in a big city, has at least 3000 students and is diverse.

Anonymous wrote:Folks advising OP not to let her child take out a dime might be off base. OP, read this. I think financing a college education through loans is a sound investment. Especially at a school like Northeastern! Don't nearly all grads get jobs upon graduation, given the school's experiential/internship model?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/upshot/what-we-mean-when-we-say-student-debt-is-bad.html?hpw&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well

That article is talking about taking out loans vs. not going to college at all. Not even remotely applicable to OP's situation.

Folks advising OP not to let her child take out a dime might be off base. OP, read this. I think financing a college education through loans is a sound investment. Especially at a school like Northeastern! Don't nearly all grads get jobs upon graduation, given the school's experiential/internship model?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/upshot/what-we-mean-when-we-say-student-debt-is-bad.html?hpw&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of South Carolina has an awesome honors program, is located in the state capital and gives great merit $$. You just need to keep looking.

Second this. My son got instate tuition with a 4.0 weighted (3.3 unweighted) 9 AP and 31 ACT
Number one ranked international business school in the country

LOL. very funny

Yep, ranked #1 by USNWR. 17 years in a row.

What a joke!

You buy what you can afford, simple.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of South Carolina has an awesome honors program, is located in the state capital and gives great merit $$. You just need to keep looking.

Second this. My son got instate tuition with a 4.0 weighted (3.3 unweighted) 9 AP and 31 ACT
Number one ranked international business school in the country

LOL. very funny

Yep, ranked #1 by USNWR. 17 years in a row.

Irrelevant ranking.

better ranking: Which undergrad business colleges send the most kids to the best business jobs out of UG: MBB strategy, S&T/IB, or buyside finance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of South Carolina has an awesome honors program, is located in the state capital and gives great merit $$. You just need to keep looking.

Second this. My son got instate tuition with a 4.0 weighted (3.3 unweighted) 9 AP and 31 ACT
Number one ranked international business school in the country

LOL. very funny

Yep, ranked #1 by USNWR. 17 years in a row.

You can't buy your dreams - and excessive debt is a nightmare. I agree with the other posters - focus on the positive and it will work out.