Is HYPS really worth it...

DunninLA
Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:24:01 +0000

First off, you won’t pay $20k at UT Austin, UNC, UVA. If you are out of state, you will pay between $30,000 and $40,000 (or $45,000 at Berkeley or UCLA).

Second, you fall in a really tough income category for parents. They make enough money to seem well off, but a $160,000 - $200,000 four year hit on that after-tax income could take them over 10 years to replace… a tough spot to be as a parent.

Lastly, I attended both a HYPS and a highly ranked public. There are significant differences. It is impossible to say in which environment you will perform at your optimal ability… that’s really a fit/psychological/social question with lots of variables.

You should go where you will be inspired to do your best work and also be ranked in the top 20% of the class. The gpa is a very important data point for graduate schools. They generally do NOT adjust a 3.1 at Cornell to a 3.5 at UNC. The gpa is generally taken at face value, and many graduate schools have informal cutoffs at 3.4 or 3.5 that require some significant other achievements to overlook.