A little confused- need to make the right decision. Please help
daughter applied and got a pretty good scholarship into Rutgers (Almost full)
UC’s - nothing - but her dream school(out of state)
Purdue - not bad $$ wise and Urbana - 50K
She also got accepted into Northeast, UMAss amherst (free ride) but does not want to go to the mass schools.
so - obviously rutgers seems to be the best - she is interested in Neuroscience + computer science
whats the best option here- should she :
a) take the obvious choice and get almost a free ride at rutgers with no loans or debts
b) go to the top school is UC’s - take loan , work her ass off and ( i can only afford 20-25K- i have two more kids to send to school)
c) to go purdue with not a whole lot of loan ( but still get a decent education) away from where i live.
what are the opportunities available in the field of neuroscience + data/computer sciences if she graduates from rutgers
yes @ucbalumnus we did think thru this… but the rationale was that she would land up in a job that will somehow pay her loans off… basically… if she gets in the top school that would give her ways to land a good job… again all speculation
There is no guarantee that a “top school” will land her any kind of job, let alone one that would make it possible to pay off something approaching the amount of debt you and your daughter would end up with.
She should pay a visit to the department at Rutgers, and get details about the jobs their graduates get, and the grad school programs that their grads have gone on to study at.
Why would you think that going to Rutgers or UMass prevent her from landing a good job?
Also, loans more than the federal direct loans ($5,500 first year, slightly higher later years) would require a cosigner, or would be parent loans. Generally, this is not a good idea.
My I suggest that you have the classic NJ bias against Rutgers? My DH and I are grads of RU and we also viewed it as NJ’s largest community college. We left the state after graduation and discovered that once we were out of NJ, that RU was viewed very differently by non-NJ folks. We were treated like Ivy grads. Now granted, this wasn’t all that recent, but people outside of NJ really do have a very different perception of RU.
Your daughter likely will wnat to go to grad school. Save your money for that.
Also, do the math. You mention that she’ll get some ‘great job’ that will help her pay her loans. Well, figure out what amount she’ll owe (surely you can estimate this) and then figure out what kind of monthly payment that will be. Show her just how this will put a crimp in her post-college lifestyle. That will make RU very attractive. Debt is rarely a good option.
Skip schools as others state. Skip Purdue- location, atmosphere- unless she really likes it there. Check out the major at Rutgers and if they offer the same as other schools it’s a no brainer. Likewise rethink the UMass one. Do NOT count on future earnings when better financial, acceptable educational choices exist. Your D may choose a major different from her current likes and the job market may not be there- possibility of oversaturation of the job market if many others plan the same strategy.
Jobs don’t pay off loans. Kids pay off loans. The old fashioned way. They get roommates once they start working, they take the bus or subway to work because they can’t afford insurance or parking even if they are lucky enough to get a car from a parent or grandparent; they take every raise and put it towards retiring their debt; they learn to cook so they can have friends over on the weekend without blowing half their paycheck on a restaurant meal.
If this sounds like your D- then it’s worth at least comparing loan pay off charts to see what the payments will be on her loans and how long it will take for her to pay them off.
If this doesn’t sound like your D- then don’t even bother. Take the money and don’t look back.
Did she get into Rutgers Honors program? I matriculated there a generation ago and it was a great experience. I’ve heard that it’s even better now. New Brunswick is also much nicer than it used to be and has pretty reasonable train access to Manhattan and Philadelphia if she wants an urban fix. I got into top grad schools with my Rutgers degree (JHU, Berkeley, Cornell, two of them with full fellowships)
Don’t know anything about the quality of her majors there. Will she have a chance to visit campus before making a decision?
U Mass probably has better on-campus food. Seriously, it also has a different vibe. Rutgers will be much more urban and public transportation is good. UMASS Amherst - more rural and a bit harder to get away, especially if she doesn’t have her own car. But better access to nature/outdoors. If she has a preference with respect to her larger surroundings, it might be worth considering.
Thank you all … very helpful comments, seems like rutgers is the most logical option;
yes you are right @bookreader , we do have the classic NJ bias- she is a motivated and enthusiastic kid… thought a top school will give her an edge… but again not worth the money… given i have two more to send to school;
we are still researching - we have signed up for an open house/overnight at rutgers… need to find out how the biological sciences with data science/computer programs are at rutgers and if they will help her land a decent job. @mamaedefamilia - wat did you major in and wow a full fellowship !!! thats great
My daughter also has gotten into the honors program at Rutgers New Brunswick. We went to the open house for the honors students and came away completely impressed. My daughter is interested in medicine and the pre-med track looks to be excellent, with especially good support for the honors students. She will most likely be accepting the offer next week (just waiting to hear from a last set of schools).
The opportunity at Rutgers is purely financial, but that enables countless other opportunities.
Go to Grad school, start a business, work for a low paying start-up, etc. The freedom that comes from little or no debt when you cross the stage to pick up your diploma might be priceless. It also appears that you’re NJ residents. The ability to get to and from home without airplanes or long car / bus / train rides has value.
If there was an obvious difference in the brand, I might consider alternatives (ie - would I pay $10k more per year for a degree from Princeton vs. Rutgers…or $20k, or $30k?), but with the list presented I would accept the RU opportunity for the freedom it provides.
Seriously, it also has a different vibe. Rutgers will be much more urban and public transportation is good. UMASS Amherst - more rural and a bit harder to get away, especially if she doesn’t have her own car. But better access to nature/outdoors. If she has a preference with respect to her larger surroundings, it might be worth considering.