GW v American v Ohio State

Applying to College
1

So with all college responses in, I have a tough decision to make, I ultimately applied to 6 schools. I was rejected from UVA and the University of Dayton appears to be deciding based on my interest (which admittedly isn’t high). I was accepted to Butler University and it certainly intrigued me, but I recieved essentially nothing significant in aid, so BU is off the table.

Quick Info about Me
Small Town Ohio Resident
Dual American & Czech Citizen
Top 10% of Class
3.8 GPA
29 ACT
Income Bracket: $75-90,000
Expected Family Contribution: $7,000
Looking for in College: Political Focus, but balanced with Journalism and Religious Studies (Primary Interest in Middle East)

That’s left me with three options…

George Washington University
Intended Major: Political Communications (accepted to GW’s SMPA) and Religious Studies
Financial Breakdown…
Total Cost: Roughly $68,000
Covered In Scholarships and Work-Study: $37,000
Covered by Loans: $7,000
Remaining Cost: $23,700
My Views: I’d be lying if I said my heart isn’t with GW. Generally, I feel as though GW is my dream school and I got into my dream program. That isn’t to say I don’t have reservations, most notably the high cost and distance from home (8 hrs drive, Unable to afford flying home). I also worry slightly that I’ll have issues competing at a school like GW (I’m told the competition between students is fierce). But again, GW just feels right to me. I love the idea of going to school in the heart of a city and I can’t understate my love for politics. The crux of my views on GW are, my heart is already a Colonial, but my brain says not so fast.

American University
Intended Major: Political Science, Journalism, Religious Studies (Mixed around as Majors and Minors in some way)
Financial Breakdown…
Total Cost: $59,000
Covered in Scholarships and Work Study: Roughly $35,000
Covered by Loans: $5,500
Remaining Cost: $18,500
My Views: I have no doubt that AU is a great school and it seems to be the favorite of my parents (especially of the two DC schools), but I was less impacted by my visit to American. I’ve read numerous things about issues with the administration and financial aid office (My Scholarships come in the Form of Tuition Exchange, If I lose it when I reapply for Soph., Junior, Senior year, I worry about affording AU). It will be slightly harder to balance my three programs of interest (GW offers Poli Comm, but AU doesn’t). I see both benefits and drawbacks to the traditional campus and more suburban location.

Ohio State University
Intended Major: Political Science and Religious Studies
Financial Breakdown…
Total Cost: $22-23,000
Covered in Scholarships: $2,850
Covered by Loans: $5,500
Remaining Cost: Roughly $13,000
My Views: During the long gap between my OSU acceptance (early Dec.) and the rest (late Mar.) I have to admit OSU was growing on me. Campus is only an hour or so drive on a good day from my home and I’m familiar with Columbus. The cost is the lowest of the three as will travel costs. It doesn’t have the pedigree of being in DC, but the Poli. Sci. program is quite well ranked among major Public Schools. I have concerns with class sizes and I do worry that I won’t be able to fit a Journalism portion into my Major/Minor curriculum and honestly, during my Admitted Visit, the Journalism program was underwhelming. Ultimately, I can’t deny that I like OSU, the campus is big and nice, the dorms are decent and the Library is fantastic. I’m just not sure it’s the place for me to leave with the best possible education and degree.

It’s a very difficult decision at this point, though, again, GW feels like the right place for me. My main concerns overall are…
Which School provides the best internship opportunities for me? (Likely between AU and GW)
Is the cost of GW worth it in the end, will it give me a good shot at a good career in the field I love?
Essentially, when I graduate, which college will leave me with the best set of tools and credentials?

2

You said your FAFSA EFC is $7000. How much can your parents actually afford to chip in each year? Where would the $10k difference between GWU and Ohio State come from?

3

Columbus is the capital of Ohio, so if you attend OSU you will still have plenty of opportunities to get involved in politics there – at the state level – and you can plan to do summer internships in DC. During the school year you could intern with the Ohio state legislature, with state senators or representatives, and with local lobbying groups or government and nonprofit organizations.

As for for journalism, the key to preparing for that field is not dependent on a degree or classes in journalism. It is on building a portfolio of your writings, which you can do regardless of your major. Look for writing opportunities on campus and online, and create an online portfolio of your work. There are special websites where writers can create portfolios very easily. If you really want journalism courses and cannot take them at your university, then you can find some online courses for free or at affordable prices.

If you can afford GWU, that certainly does sound like the ideal place for you to be immersed in DC, which is filled with kindred spirits – people with international backgrounds and political interests. But financial realities are what they are. You can certainly make the best of it at OSU and plan to attend graduate school or get a job in DC later.

4

My family and I may have miscalculated OSU’s cost, we came up with 13,000, but in recalculating I got 20,000. So not 100% sure if I’m missing a factor. As for the EFC, $7,000 is my parents own estimate. That may include or be added on to by about a thousand to two thousand that I have earned in my own job.

5

I’d recommend looking carefully at your COA for AU. Does the $59,000 include books, personal expenses and travel? When we looked at the COA for AU we had a higher price than $59,000. Also, you need to calculate for tuition increases. GW freezes tuition for 4 years.

OSU Tuition, room &aboard is about $22,000 for instate students. Please clarify your comment about miscalculating your net COA for OSU.

What was your parents’ EFC according to FAFSA?

Can your parents pay $7,000 per year? Loans in excess of student loans will require that parents co-sign and qualify for the debt.

6

So net prices are:

$30,700 GW
$24,000 American
$20,000 tOSU

How much will your parents pay?

If $7,000, then tOSU is an extreme stretch at best, and the other two are probably not realistic for you to self fund on federal loans and work earnings.

Would it be more affordable to start at a community college and later transfer to tOSU?

7

@czhardin - my daughter is a sophomore at AU . Was waitlisted at GW which was her first choice but now supremely happy at AU and loves having a campus and quad yet goes into the city (and Tenleytown ) constantly without problem. We also were lucky enough to get TE for her and there is no issue at all with keeping it all 4 years - it is very separate from financial aid (which I agree can be an issue at AU). Admin has been no problem for us with TE either - pretty seamless. The important things are: your parent must of course continue to work at their sending school all four years, and AU has an unusually high GPA requirement for TE scholarships - higher than the other schools we looked out (though didn’t check GW since she declined the WL there). You have to keep 3.2 GPA (average, not every semester). DD was concerned at first but hasn’t had an issue staying above it and it actually has served as a motivator for her to keep on her toes.

Definitely pick the school that works for you on many levels, which may end up being any one of those three schools, which are all great, but TE will probably be the easiest thing you and your family will deal with at college once you start, happy to say…