<p>I have been accepted at yale but our family was ineligible for financial aid. My dad said that I have to pay half if I want to go there. This means graduating with something like $100,000 in student debt. I’d be crazy to consider it, right? </p>
<p>I also received the Boettcher Scholarship, which gives full tuition, room and board, book allowance, and money for study abroad for any school in Colorado for four years. This means I’d have absolutely no financial worries and good take advantage of a lot of internship, study abroad opportunities, etc. because i wouldn’t have to worry about working. If I accept it I will go to either Colorado College (private LAC, block plan) or University of Colorado Boulder (big public university). </p>
<p>This is an extremely difficult situation for me, although with the stark financial differences it seems like it would be easy. I just feel like the educational opportunity Yale would give me far surpasses that at Colorado College or CU Boulder. I am also considering the University of Chicago (I also love this school), where I have a scholarship for $10,000 a year. </p>
<p>I would greatly appreciate any advice anyone could give me. Am I mad for even considering this kind of debt? I don’t plan on going into a high paying career. Right now I’m leaning toward journalism. eeek!</p>
<p>Although attending Yale would be an unbelievable opportunity, I don’t think any kid should take on that kind of debt ($20-30K would be one thing, but not $100K). You are obviously a bright and talented young person, so as long as you make the most of your undergraduate experience, you will be successful. You can always think about Yale (or anywhere else) for graduate school. </p>
<p>If you graduate with that much debt, all of your subsequent choices will be governed by your need for money. </p>
<p>Good luck to you and I hope you make the best decision.</p>
<p>You can be a successful professional going to EITHER school. It’s no the school that matters is what you do at the school and how you take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you during your undergrad years.
Sure, being able to say “I graduated from Yale” might sound a lot more impressive than “I graduated from U. Colorado” But I can guarantee you that by the time you are 35-years-old that “I graduated from Yale” chant is not going to matter much.
Look around you, and think of successful adults you know…how many of those graduated from Ivy schools?
On the other hand I know plenty of people who in their 30’s are still paying off (and hating) their student loans.</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of prestige or boasting about my school. In fact, i think in Colorado it might be more prestigious to say “I’m a Boettcher” than “I go to Yale.” </p>
<p>It’s a matter of the quality of students I’ll be surrounded by and the academic environment. A challenging, world class education is a top priority for me. I value education more than almost anything and I LOVE studying and learning. I want to be in the environment that will best cultivate that. </p>
<p>However, I realize that it’s probably not worth it to be burdened by debt and to have my options severely limited by it. My dad thinks I could handle the student debt, but I’m not so sure.</p>
<p>By the way, congratulations on the Boettcher. I grew up in Colorado, and know the laurels that go along with this award! </p>
<p>If you can visit CU and sit in on an Honors College class and meet some students, you might understand that choice better. Have you sat in on some CC classes? Do you like the block schedule format? I know their admissions is somewhat selective. What do you think of students you know who have matriculated there?</p>
<p>Are you coming to Bulldog Days? </p>
<p>My daughter is also a senior, and found that being in classes was the best way to figure out the commitment of the students to education, and the general expectations of professors for student classroom participation and preparedness.</p>
<p>I definitely need to visit Yale before making this kind of decision. Bulldog Days is too late for that, as I have to decide to accept/decline the Boettcher on the 17th. I plan on visiting Yale and sitting in a couple of classes, maybe one English and one biology, maybe a political science class. I want to get a feel for all sides of the academics. </p>
<p>I took a class at Colorado College and loved it and I like the block plan, but I’m worried that I’d feel limited at the school. They also don’t have a very good student newspaper, which, for someone planning to pursue journalism, seems important. </p>
<p>I haven’t sat in on any classes at CU. I will do this before deciding between CC and CU if I choose to accept the Boettcher. </p>
<p>So no one thinks this might be worth giving up for Yale?</p>
<p>You might have the opportunity to make a big difference at the Colorado newspaper. $100,000 of debt on a journalist’s salary sounds unbearable to me.</p>
<p>You are not going to find a similiar intellectually stimulating environment at Boulder or Colorado College as you would at Yale. If your family did not qualify for any financial aid, then you can afford Yale. The real issue is what do you want from your collegiate experience? If you were my son, you would already be on your way to New Haven, Connecticutt with a one way ticket. This is, most likely, the most academically & socially influential period of your young life which can not be repeated. If Boulder or Colorado College were for you–and either could be better for a Yale admittee with or without the scholarship–you wouldn’t be here asking for opinions. You already know the answer, but it takes maturity and courage to do the right thing in your situation. Make your decision and don’t look back. Difficult choices are a part of life.</p>
<p>Would $50,000 be a reasonable amount of debt? I might talk to my dad and see if he would let me drop my portion to $50,000 (he’s already said no to this, but maybe with enough begging…)</p>
<p>It’s just really disappointing because he FORCED me to apply and now he won’t back it up with enough money to send me there. I understand that he has strong values about work ethic and making your own way, but I feel like I’ve already shown this. My parents were not involved in my college application process at all and I’m happy to be a very independent person, but this would be a great time for them to come through for me… </p>
<p>We’ll see what happens. I’m leaning toward taking the Boettcher though. I don’t see how I could make $1,000 loan payments right out of college, despite how much I want to attend Yale.</p>
<p>I’m putting on my Mom hat here. If you are trying to convince your parents to pick up more of the bill, you should work to show them ways in which Yale is superior to CC and CU. For you, that probably becomes summer internship opportunities, “right out of college” job opportunities, and grad school acceptance rates, if that is something you’re considering. </p>
<p>Yale wants you. Try to connect with a Yale journalism prof while you’re visiting. Set this up ahead of time. Ask lots of questions about opportunities Yale journalism students have during their time at Yale, both in class, and during summer internships and “first jobs”. </p>
<p>Are your parents going with you on your Yale visit? I was blown away when I realized what Yale was all about, and really wanted it for my daughter. If they aren’t going on your visit, I’d try to set up a meeting or phone conversation for them with a Yale admissions officer. David Reiman is from the Denver area, and is the Yale admissions officer right now for our state, but I don’t know about Colorado. If you could get David and your parents together, they just might fall in love with Yale, and be more willing to make this happen for you. You can reach David through the admitted students website. He will be invaluable to you, as he knows all about Colorado, too.</p>
<p>At the same time, give CU and CC really good chances to impress you. Talk with journalism profs there, and ask the same questions: where do your students end up going to work in the summers and following graduation?</p>
<p>You are in such a fantastic position right now. Lucky you!</p>
<p>At least one of my parents will be visiting with me, probably my mom. I really want my dad to go but it’s a really busy time of year (he’s a farmer) and he’s afraid of flying. </p>
<p>Thanks for the idea about talking with a journalism professor. I will do this for sure!</p>
<p>If it were me, I would try talking with the Financial Aid office at Yale to see if there is any way they can help. It couldn’t hurt. While $100K in debt is overwhelming, wouldn’t you be making at least some money during the school year and summers to knock that down? Obviously, for some people the opportunity to start a career debt-free would be a priority, for others the opportunity to attend Yale, not for the prestige but for the education and the experience, would be worth paying off the loan long term. Only you know which is best for you.</p>
<p>As previous posters have pointed out, there are successful people from all colleges and universities. It’s not that you need to go to Yale to be successful, but I would bet that at least initially there would be an increase in doors open to you in the journalism world as a Yale grad. Either way, you are lucky to have such great options ahead of you. Good luck!</p>
<p>Would it be possible for you to take the loans for your tuition from your parents? You could pay them back after you graduate once you get a job, without the pressure of high interest rates. I don’t know if this would work out for your family, but this is probably what I will be doing (paying half back to my parents). We don’t qualify for financial aid either, so my parents can technically afford to pay for Yale, but they would also like for me to bear some of the responsibility of paying for my education.</p>
<p>I think you should definitely try your best to fight to be able to go to Yale, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet amazing people and gain a world-class education. From a practical standpoint, you will have far more “prestigious” job opportunities coming out of Yale than coming out of an in-state school not only because of the name but also because of the great alumni network. As the above post mentions, Yale isn’t the only way to success, but it does open more doors.</p>
<p>See, people always say “You can go ____” for grad school, but I really don’t think it’s the same thing. at all. The undergraduate experience shapes you for life, pushes you in a certain direction, sets you up for grad school. I think grad school is more about preparing for a profession than preparing you as a person. </p>
<p>Maybe I’m way off, who knows. That’s just the imperssion I’m under.</p>
<p>I am in a very similiar situation. I have to choose Yale or a full ride to Duke. I love Yale and I think it is the right place for me, but it seems foolish to turn down a full ride to Duke along with all of the other ass-ons that go with this particular scholarship program.</p>
<p>As a college professor I’m sure you know much of going to college is what happens outside of the classroom as well as IN the classroom. Yale would be a completely different experience from the colleges you can attend in Colorado. I think the connections, experiences and network you’ll get at Yale (if you take advantage of them) will be invaluable. I also think you may be able to get additional financial aid if you talk with the financial aid office, or if you seek aid elsewhere (this may be after you get to Yale). 30 years ago I turned down an opportunity to do a post-doc at Cornell with a guaranteed appointment versus to going to one at Harvard without such a guarantee. I decided to accept Harvard becasue I knew the networks and the connections would be invaluable. And, indeed they have. I can’t tell you what it was like to apply for jobs using that letterhead and also having so many people who are already plugged into everything that could refer me to their friends, former students and colleagues. This wasn’t a $100,000 decision and it may not be worth it to you in the end. But, I do think the college experience is very important.</p>