Name and Size vs money

latetoschool
Sat, 21 Apr 2007 21:02:36 +0000

Unfortunately, I do not know anything about the programs at either school, how they compare, etc., but I do think $100,000 is far too much debt. Taxguy wrote a very comprehensive post about how the numbers work out, including the amount of payments, which will begin after graduation - I will try to find it for you and link it back here.

I do know that in general, UT Austin has an excellent reputation, and is very highly regarded. If you like the school and the professors, and if you are comfortable that you can achieve a fully funded position in graduate school from UT, then, I’d urge you to strongly consider it and avoid the overwhelming $100,000 debt.

The only other way I can think of that might make a difference - does CMU have any programs where you might get additional financial aid - such as departmental scholarships - once you’re already in the school? Some departments do have this, and typically you become eligible in your sophomore year, and the awards are achievement-based (high gpas etc.). You might want to drill deeply into CMU’s website to see if there might be some options…

Edited to add: here’s Taxguy’s post - scroll down to see how he breaks out the math: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=326598