<p>I’m going to make this as honest as possible. I know no answer will be life changing, but I’m running out of options. I’m a 17 year old high school senior. I’m currently faced with deciding between two colleges: Berry College and Indiana University. I’m at a standstill and don’t know how to choose. Indiana University was the first school I was accepted to, but also the one I was excited about. I applied to Berry College on a whim after my best friend received a scholarship there. With my own academic scholarship, a small loan, and HOPE (I live in Georgia), my cost at Berry is $14,000. This is pretty good considering it’s a private college and the normal price is $46,000. This weekend, I went up to Bloomington to visit Indiana University again with my father and fell in love with the university all over again. I was under the impression that I could get instate tuition at Indiana ($23,000), so I decided I wanted to go there. On further speculation, we found out that I would have to pay out of state, which is $46,000. This was heartbreaking and I’ve been crying ever since. Money isn’t an issue with my family, but my dad doesn’t want me to waste it. He gave a perfect example, saying I didn’t want to apply to private schools around home because of the price, but if I go to Indiana, I’d be paying for a public degree for a private school price. I’m completely torn. Berry and Indiana are complete opposites. I feel like there aren’t many options of exploring at Berry compared to Indiana. IU also has one of the top Journalism schools in the country, and this may be where I want to focus on. Berry only has a handful of majors. But do I want to spend $160,000 on a bachelor’s degree? I didn’t qualify for any scholarships at IU this year because I applied after Nov. 1st, but I may be able to get some once I’m in school. I was thinking of asking my father to pay out of state for one year, and if I didn’t have acceptable grades and find a way to cut the price in half, I would have to pay for the rest of my college on my own. I’m sorry, but I’ve been a wreck. I haven’t stopped crying over this. I feel like if I make the wrong choice, my life won’t be as fulfilled.</p>
<p>Do you have any other acceptances with lower prices? Is Berry no longer suitable in terms of major offerings for you?</p>
<p>Is deferring college and applying to other colleges for a following term an option? Is attending a community college and then transferring to an in-state public four year college an option?</p>
<p>I didn’t receive acceptance from anywhere besides the two places I’m contemplating. I applied to four colleges in total. I never felt Berry had enough majors for me to explore. And by deferring do you mean waiting out a year? I wouldn’t really prefer that. I also have no desire to attend a community college.</p>
<p>Bump up :)</p>
<p>Since you like Indiana, you might also like U Iowa. </p>
<p>Indiana
Total Direct Costs = $41,186 </p>
<p>U Iowa
Total Direct Costs = $36,500
You would also probably receive a $4,500 scholarship to U Iowa, I think. If interesetd, talk to admissions about it.
Net = $32,000</p>
<p>$9,000 savings per year for a similar school. Might be worth a look. Iowa willl give you an admissions decision within 48 hours of applying. Quick and easy.</p>
<p>~ you have not given yourself enough choices. See if there are publics universities in Georgia still accepting applications. Open your mind to all possibilities. I would get on the phone and call, and I would talk to your HS guidance counselor right away too. Try to drum-up more options. You are right Indiana is very, very nice, but if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. This is the harsh reality of being an adult - you will have to put-your-big-girl-pants-on, as they say.</p>
<p>It’s not necessarily that I can’t afford it, I’m just trying to determine if spending that much money for a bachelor’s degree is worth it. But I do understand what you’re saying. Being an adult includes deciding what’s best and not necessarily what you want.</p>
<p>Snugapug she said money wasn’t an issue. Personally, I think you should go to IU and use the money as a motivation to scrap up more money to pay for it in the following years; get a job, apply for more scholarships. Everyone here says it’s all about going to the college of your dreams but are complete sticklers about the money aspect. I get that part, of course, but nobody stops to think about ways to fix it. It’s always “Oh, too much money, go to community college!” Or “Oh, too much money, move onto the next school!” This is my personal opinion but I think IU is the one for you by the way you talk about it. Good luck.</p>
<p>Experiencing new things and putting yourself out there is always a risk. Look at what they have for you and try to imagine yourself in the future; will you be happy and content with a degree from IU or crying and regretting the expensive degree?</p>