College Suggestions for my financial situation

Your serious approach to applying for college is admirable. Good luck!

But a year from now, once you're enrolled somewhere and over the first month of classes, slow down a bit. College can be an amazing time. You can explore whatever you want. Be whatever you want. Throw caution to the wind and become an accountant, or declare a theater arts teaching major, or whatever else seems like it's your best option. Join a club. Try some new sports. Make new friends. Go to concerts. Browse through a museum.

Don't go tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt just for some bit of prestige, but if you spend your whole 4 years trying to save tuition money, you'll miss out on some really important things.

That is exactly what my dad says!

He graduated from an OK state commuter university in his state where everyone commuted. They have some dorms, but not many. So did all his brothers and sisters. They are all in different major cities around the US - Chicago, NYC and Phoenix. They all like to sit around at Christmas and say how they have the best return on investment on their $3,000 degrees and that they have employees reporting to them from Ivy League and major universities that are still trying to pay off their loans.

Needless to say, my dad doesn't see the value in spending more than he needs to for college. I must hear him tell me at least once weekly that working hard will be worth more than the name on my degree once I am working. I sure hope so.

The price of your in state schools shouldn’t be any mystery. Just look at the cost of attendance. If there are merit scholarships that aren’t automatic then you might have to apply and wait. But the worst case price is on the website. Same goes for out of state schools. If you tell folks what state you’re in you might get other ideas. There’s WUE in the west that expands options but other regions have similar cooperative agreements.

Yes, I have done that already.

Flagship school is over $35K with room/board.

They are not known for Merit Aid, so I am not planning on any.

It will get me close to what my parents will pay. So, I am applying and hoping I get in. I would not be able to run for them. I can do club, though.

My state does not have an agreement with any other states. We already checked that out, too. Every other state around us does, pretty much, except us.

I would be careful with this perspective. There is serious survivorship bias in this kind of stuff. While there is a stronger correlation between major and lifetime earnings there is ABSOLUTELY a correlation between the actual tier of the school as well.

If your goal is to be a senior executive at a fortune 50 company, work in high finance or work for a leading tech company pedigree and connections 100% matter. If your career aspirations are more entrepreneurial or "normal" then it is going to matter a lot less.

You are mistaken. The most expensive public university is only $34k. Most are around $24-28k.

CollegePossible wrote:

I would like to study engineering in college, if possible. I would also like to run, if possible.

Fixed it for you.

Seriously man, get your priorities straight. Running is an avocation, education is for the rest of your life. Not to mention a very expensive proposition even at the cheapest of universities. Juco is a lot less $, but still a commitment of time and lost wages.

Not saying you shouldn’t run, but studies and finances should be the motivating factor in the choice of college and not running.

You have very good GPA and test scores. You certainly write better than the average LRC poster. If only on that basis I think you should pursue post HS education.

I wouldn’t rule out juco for 2 years and finish up at a name university. I know many kids who have taken that route and they’ve done just fine.

Good luck

PS. I ran in college and lost interest in junior and senior year. College opens up your horizons to so many more things.

I think your numbers are off. 35K in state? What state is that?

College Possible wrote:

Yes, I have done that already.

Flagship school is over $35K with room/board.

They are not known for Merit Aid, so I am not planning on any.

It will get me close to what my parents will pay. So, I am applying and hoping I get in. I would not be able to run for them. I can do club, though.

My state does not have an agreement with any other states. We already checked that out, too. Every other state around us does, pretty much, except us.

You do not know enough. While your state may not have agreements with other states, other states may have agreements with your state. For example, Eastern Michigan University is known for giving in-state cost to every state in the US.

What state are you in? I will be able to find states or specific colleges that will give you in-state tuition.

Two years Community College and knock out your gen Ed’s.

Then try to go to any college you desire for your final two.

Why would 30k from a top division 3 school not work? The top D3 schools in the country will more than return this if you can get in and play your cards right. As another poster said... look at Williams, Amherst, Carnegie M, Haverford etc.

These are great schools and can set you up to walk into a high paying job out of school... a community college... not so much.

Go to LBSU.

Amazing running opportunities, glorious weather and city, and skinny, hot Asian girls who will ride your small cok.

I don't think I've ever met a HS kid with a 3.99 unweighted GPA that was "just average." You are selling yourself short. There is an awful lot of merit money awarded to essentially discount tuition which has gotten to ridiculous levels. What I suggest you do is Google the Common Dataset for some schools you have some interest in to understand who many students are awarded merit money and how much. Another avenue you could pursue would be to attend a service academy like West Point or the Naval Academy. I'm a West Point graduate that does volunteer admissions work for the Academy. You receive a top notch 4 year education in exchange for 5 years of service and Cadets earn a monthly paycheck while in school. Depending on what is going on in the world in terms of conflict and deployments a little less than half leave the service after their 5 year obligation and Big Companies like to hire junior military officers because they know how to follow orders and get stuff done

You seem to be getting some very sound advice. Here's my 2 cents. Your academics are very similar to my daughter's. She is in a position to take advantage of full academic rides at state schools as long as she meets the minimum requirements while in school. Keep looking, they are out there.

JUCO is an AWESOME way to go. Save a ton of money while attending and have (make sure) all your credits transfer to your 4 yr. school.

Both of these options would allow you to run club or varsity. I have a school in mind that would love to have you. Let me know and I'll connect you with the Coach/Athletic Director.

highhoppingworm wrote:

Look at cream of the crop division 3 schools and look at financial aid. Even if you have to take out some loans 50k in student loan debt is not the end of the world in exchange for a degree from Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon etc. You will, however, face a smaller list if you are focused on engineering.

Fortunately, that "smaller list" includes many of the best engineering institutions in the country, including M.I.T., Caltech, and Harvey Mudd, none of which seem to have been mentioned on this thread. (SAT scores would need to be significantly higher for those schools, however.)

I'd like to hear how all of this plays out.

Avocado's Number wrote:

highhoppingworm wrote:

Look at cream of the crop division 3 schools and look at financial aid. Even if you have to take out some loans 50k in student loan debt is not the end of the world in exchange for a degree from Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon etc. You will, however, face a smaller list if you are focused on engineering.

Fortunately, that "smaller list" includes many of the best engineering institutions in the country, including M.I.T., Caltech, and Harvey Mudd, none of which seem to have been mentioned on this thread. (SAT scores would need to be significantly higher for those schools, however.)

I'd like to hear how all of this plays out.

There are other D3 schools with engineering programs, like Rose-Hulman. And there are also quite a few D3 schools that offer 3-2 engineering programs in partnership with other schools. Two of my college teammates did this.

What state are you from? Neighboring states might have schools with reciprocity that can make college more affordable.

highhoppingworm wrote:

If your goal is to be a senior executive at a fortune 50 company, work in high finance or work for a leading tech company pedigree and connections 100% matter.

This is kind of like saying if you goal is to make it into the NBA, you should skip all your classes in high school and focus only basketball.....

How many people graduate from the so-called top tier colleges each year vs. how many people are executives at fortune 50 companies?