@JBSeattle I don’t envy your D this decision. It is so hard for them. My D has a close friend in the same boat - asked my D for her opinion and she said go to the far away, more expensive LAC so that your life can be totally different a year from now. Her parents said if you can’t decide, stay in state and go farther later when you know what you want. I am thinking that this generational divide means the decision is too emotional. If your D thinks of it as a business decision it might be easier. Are there really no comparable internship possibilities at Western? If she feels she has worked so hard for it, wouldn’t that make her a stand-out there?
@Acersaccharum
It would be easier to make the argument if she got in the honors program at Western which she didn’t. There are internship opportunities but Manhattan really pushes these internships and it is NYC. Western not so much and Bellingham is not NYC. The ROI at Manhattan is also higher albeit location and majors account for part of it.
My wife seems to just make her go to Western. I think I might put some condition on her applying for these other scholarships (corporate, non college specific) if she goes to Manhattan. I have sent her a million e mails and she hasn’t applied to any of them.
My daughter knows she gets a nice chunk of change if she graduates from Western. She understands otherwise it would have been slam dunk Manhattan.
@JBSeattle where does your D want to end up after college? Does she have any desire to stay in NYC or on the east coast when she graduates? If not, I’d have a hard time spending the extra money on a degree that might not make much difference for someone who plans to return to WA afterwards. I will say that being in NYC will give her some great opportunities in marketing/business, both during college and afterward. I went to Fordham (grew up in MD) so I’m a little biased about going to college in NYC in terms of the opportunities my friends and I had for internships and jobs after college. But that said, spending a huge chunk of money to go to one school over the other is a really hard pill to swallow so I understand the conundrum. I wish I had advice to make it an easier decision but rooting for your D to be happy wherever she ends up!
@Britmom5 Thank you so much! It’s been quite a long slog after the Hampshire fiasco which I know you can truly appreciate. Has your S2 made a final decision?
@JBSeattle Maybe it’s too simplistic an approach but maybe worth considering since she seems to be really struggling - she could do 2 years at Western WA with a plan to transfer and split the difference - $20K in the bank when she graduates? Would she still have access to the internships at Manhattan?
Thanks @4kids4us
She is not positive about anything but wants to go away to college and loves NYC. I have asked her about that but need to do it again tomorrow morning when we talk again.
@rfm512
My wife suggested she try Ohio Wesleyan for a year then transfer if she didn’t like it. She really should go there as it is best if both worlds but she hates Delaware, Ohio.
@rfm512
Her scholarship to Manhattan would not be there if she transferred ($25k per year).
@JBSeattle Ahhh. Makes perfect sense. Didn’t think of that. I’m sorry she is struggling. I’m sure that is a difficult choice for her to make, but probably good preparation for significant decisions she’ll have to make in the future. It’s never too early to learn that there are compromises/trade-offs to consider in almost every major decision in our lives.
I also think it is very difficult for kids of this age (for my own kids at least) to fully comprehend the true value of money and what you are offering. Starting out in your early 20’s with 40K invested! Compound interest can be a magical thing…
@JBSeattle I understand that internship opportunities in NYC will be different and possibly better, but don’t understand the “worked too hard to go to Western”. Western WA, Manhattan, and Ohio Wesleyan have virtually identical 25-75% SAT/ACT scores, so the student bodies should be roughly equivalent in academic ability. I’m afraid I’m with your wife on this one. As was mentioned months ago, don’t forget that the cost of doing anything in NYC (eating out, cultural events, etc.) will be much higher than in Bellingham or Delaware, OH, so more money will need to be budgeted for “personal expenses”.
@JBSeattle Maybe a few nights to sleep on it will help. I hope she has some time to relax over the weekend. They are all so stressed right now with finals and graduation coming up. Have you tried the coin flip method?
It’s so obvious that the students are in “dream” mode and parents are in “practical” mode. It’s hard to reconcile and your D should be proud of herself and appreciate that she has good choices. That alone should tell her a good deal about her future success no matter her decision. Good luck and keep us posted.
@JBSeattle Is a gap year a possibility at all? I mean, would Manhattan allow her to defer her first year and retain her scholarship? Then she could work and save money to help offset the higher cost.
@JBSeattle: Feeling your pain, still no decision on our end either! My wife gave a similar suggestion about starting in one college and potentially tranfering if you don’t love it. I don’t really like the idea, wherever she goes I want her to be really committed from the start not with one foot out the door, not to mention the additional difficulty integrating into a new school with kids who have already spent a year together. Good Luck with her decision!
Thanks all. @kidzncatz you make a great point. She just sees kids from her school who are 2.0ish type of students getting into Western and it angers her. I guess she sees the scholarships as a reward even though it still is an expensive proposition.
@momzilla2D
The thing is that I can afford it with some difficulty and her doing work study. $60k just seems like a big difference plus air flights, cost of NY etc.
@JBSeattle I don’t think that many 2.0 students are getting into Western, although I guess it depends on the type/quality of the high school. Over half of incoming freshmen have a 3.5 or higher and only 13% have below 3.0 (per College Board statistics). Probably pretty similar to Manhattan and Ohio Wesleyan. Actually, Manhattan has 23% below 3.0. But I know how hard it is to change teens’ perceptions. Actual facts mean little to them.
@kidzncatz
Yes, it is just perceived as a safety type school at her high school. I had another talk with her this morning talking about the price difference and how the students would be pretty similar from an academic standpoint.
My wife just wants to make her go to Western. I want to convince her that Western is a better decision than Manhattan.
I don’t know any 2.0 ish kids getting into western.
We do know ones denied or waitlisted in the High 2’s, low 3’s.
Honors college is like an UW 3.8 so “most” do not get in.
We know a lot of 3.3-4.0 kids there. Kids who turned down higher ranked schools to be there.
I know, I am talking about her perception.
The honors was also more rigorous this year, she knows that just would have made it easier to sell to her.
I know two Colorado kids who had Western Washington as first choice. One was tops in her class at a very competitive high school - many kids to Ivies and Stanford - and she is attending, using WUE and other scholarships. The other, also a top student, had to ‘settle’ for CU Boulder 
I guess the grass is always greener.
It is not only the $40k in billed costs at Manhattan but all the incidentals - travel, cost of living in NYC, summer storage or paying summer rent, much higher cost of living for everything from a Starbucks to banking to Ubers. Concert tickets and sports tickets cost more. Movies cost more. Sales tax is higher.