Caltech [$90k+] vs Columbia [$90k+] vs UCSD [full ride] CS/AI

Catcherinthetoast
Sat, 05 Apr 2025 20:41:05 +0000

OP just to confirm a few things, please correct me if I am wrong.

1- Your parents know you well.
2- Your parents love you and have your best interest in mind.
3- Your parents were smart and capable such that they set aside $400kish for your education fund.
4- Your parents are encouraging you to attend Caltech one of the premier academic institutions in the world.

Catcherinthetoast:

Talk to your parents. They are uniquely qualified to discuss finances with you

I stand on this comment from up thread. Seemingly your parents are now being vilified by the implication you are being forced to attend some hell hole.

Not sure how any of us collective strangers could assume we know you well enough to give fully informed advice but we certainly don’t know enough to question your parents actions or motivations.

I am sure you know this but they sound amazing. Some parents limit their kids by setting budgets which takes the decision away from the student. In your case your parents are giving you more options to consider independent of cost.