It looks like,
Wofford= 28.5K
U of SC= 34K
Georgia= 42K
S wants a little bit bigger school, does anyone have experience as capstone? It is cheesy, but it looks like a little smaller initial cohort with a big school vibe?
Thank you for any impressions on cost and quality, he believes he would like to do biology, psychology, or perhaps an allied health field.
At one point you said that Wofford was the only one that hit budget. Will loans be needed for U. of SC or UGA? That could swing things toward Wofford, even with its smaller size as it may not be advisable to go into debt with his career interests, if there are other options.
Being in a smaller cohort on a large campus sounds infinitely better to me than being just a random person on a big campus. I’d vote for South Carolina over Georgia and save the difference.
Yes @AustenNut, you are correct on the money- Wofford hits the EFC perfectly and the others not. I would not have the S take out loans, but I would have to be inventive to make the others work. U of SC a little closer than UGA of course.
Which allied health fields is your son looking to go into? Would it be a field that’s a bachelors? Or a field where he would need to complete the prereqs in college but then go to grad school? If it’s the former, Wofford doesn’t look as though it can meet your son’s academic needs for that. If the latter, it will.
How inventive? Is this a tightening the belt with fewer meals out or trips camping instead of gallivanting about? Or is this taking parent loans? If the former, then I’d try it out for the next few weeks (i.e. how much would you need to cut down)? Also, figure out what those items were that you’d need to eliminate from your budget (i.e. eliminate premium channels and only have regular cable, or no cable and only having broadcast channels, etc). See how doable that feels for four years.
Also, unless Wofford is like some of the Ohio publics that guarantees tuition to remain stable for your kid for 4 years, prices will be going up. What creative means will you need to do to handle that?
If you’re taking out loans, what is the timeline for repaying them? How would it interfere with your retirement? How secure is your job? How likely would it be you could find another one if your employer downsized?
Personally, I’d want to make 100% sure that I could afford 4-years of college costs. Your kid may prefer U. of SC or UGA, but how would he feel if he would need to transfer two years in because it’s no longer affordable? If they’d be affordable with whatever level of scrimping is necessary, then I think it’s wherever your family thinks it’s the best fit.
I like u of sc as you describe but I don’t like you needing to be inventive.
If this doesn’t need to stress your family, then don’t.
Wofford is fantastic. If this is a sacrifice that has to be made - sorry son.
Or you’re a great dad. But I don’t believe this should put a family in stress. You’ll likely learn it’s going to cost more than you think anyway.
Best of luck.
Good points all around- I’d say we don’t have to be too inventive, and nothing regarding jobs is ever 100%.
I guess we are just trying to determine the real value of these different colleges degrees- maybe it really isn’t that important b/c they are essentially all good schools.
Thank you for all the comments and from you too tsbna44
Yep! Sometimes it’s hardest to make a decision when there are no bad choices!
And a correction. When I wrote:
That should be Wofford/U of SC/UGA, not just Wofford. I expect all of them will be having COA increases over the next four years.
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