I’m getting my parents to fill out the NPCs for my top colleges in this week, and we are talking to a family friend Columbia alumni to discuss their financial aid. My English teacher, who is helping out with my applications, told me that public universities provide very little financial aid, but my dad wants me to apply to UT Austin and NYU, hence why they are on my list. However, I was talking to some NYU Stern alumni that used to go to my school, and one told me that it was worth the high price tag because of the prestige and location. The other one told me otherwise because of the lack of financial aid, so I’m in a bit of a pickle.
I plan on going into consulting with my Poli Sci/Econ degree, which my counselor said was a good idea. I competed in some strategy case competitions, did well in one, and enjoyed the experience. But I do acknowledge that prestige matters for poli sci specifically.