Is going out of state worth it?

MYOS1634
Wed, 19 Jul 2017 21:36:20 +0000

^ Originally OP said “middle class” (not high income) and many students who don’t have much information believe, erroneously, that sticker price = net cost; moreover, the definition of “middle class” fluctuates anywhere from 45K to 250K on this website… since I’d asked she run the NPC on meet need colleges listed on this thread, when OP said she thought she’d get “full tuition” I assumed she meant “at meet need colleges”.
Turns out that’s not the case, and she meant “with merit aid”. But that’s an honest mistake.

So, “meet need”/no merit colleges are out.

Is it worth it to apply OOS?
In my opinion, yes it does.
I am a firm believer that college is the best time to leave one’s state to discover another part of the country: the age makes it easier when possible (unencumbered by family obligations mature enough yet not too set in their ways, developmentally speaking the right time for independence and meeting new ways of life/thinking) as long as it’s affordable. Whenever it’s possible is key - and this student has a great safety in UNL Honors so there’s no risk in trying to find affordable colleges OOS.

@epalm18: what are your ACT/SAT/Subject tests scores again?

Of course, since OP meant “with merit”, not “from need based aid”, the list needs to be different: Depending on test scores, it’d cover UTD AES if she’s interested in STEM/Business, OleMiss Sally Barksdale Honors, ASU Barrett, UMN Twin Cities, UMaine, Temple Honors, UAH (Engineering), plus private universities that have merit aid and holistic admissions. KU and KState (KU has an excellent Honors College, KState much less so). RPI, WPI offer excellent merit scholarships to STEM-inclined girls, as does Smith.
TAMU and UT are out, but Texas Tech is a definite possibility.