Is it is a bad choice to choose a more expensive college over a much cheaper?

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1

Hello, my name is Kris. I got into The University of Maryland, and Penn State University for Aerospace Engineering. I am a Pennsylvania resident so I receive the in-state benefits to my cost of attendance at Penn State, and it is a lot cheaper than attending UMD. However, the look and feel of UMD is more appealing to me, and I just want to go somewhere new and experience life differently in college. Also, I know Maryland is a great area for aero engineers.

What I was wondering was if it is a bad choice to choose a more expensive college over a much cheaper one?

I am waiting to hear back from Penn state about scholarships; so saying I get the one from Penn State which reduces the cost of tuition even more, would it then be a bad choice to attend Maryland?

Thanks in advance for all that reply!

2

Not a bad choice unless you can’t afford UMD.

3

@Krizzykriz - they are both great schools, so academically you cannot make a mistake. What can your family afford?

4

Wait, you like the area around UMD better than State College, PA?

5

If you can pay for it, then it’s not a bad choice. If you go to your state school, will you by only be able to afford it but have some breathing room financially? If you go OOS, will you be checking all of your pockets in a random Saturday night, hoping you have enough change to order the cheapest thing on the local take out menu so you can be part of your group of friends who are all ordering out? Will you be able to go to a concert with them or to the movies? Will you be able to afford to go on spring break? Study abroad? When you graduate, will you have more significant debt with one vs the other? If you will have to make sacrifices, make sure they are ones you think you will be ok with. Make sure those sacrificed seem worth it compared to what you will gain from the choice. One may not be better or worse than the other, just different.

6

It depends what the difference is between the more expensive and less expensive school>

How badly do you want each?

7

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml

Run the numbers when you have them, and think carefully about what the difference means for you and your family.

8

yea, I prefer the area at Maryland better. Ill run the numbers like you guys say and I will try my best to make my decision,

9

You’ll be paid the same as an engineer no matter which you attend. Can your family afford Maryland, or will it make you take on lots of debt?

10

If your parents can afford UMD with no hardship (ex. no loans, no giving up new cars, vacations etc.) and are willing to pay then sure, go for it.