<p>When I was applying to colleges I wasn’t really sure at all where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do, or even any parameters for these sorts of things. Long story short, I applied to something like 13 schools and now I’ve got to figure out where I want to go. So:</p>
<p>Berkeley, Washington University, Rice, Duke, Northwestern, Northeastern, Georgia Tech, Indiana (Bloomington), or Tulane.</p>
<p>The problem is that I didn’t get any money besides the last two, so no matter what it looks like it’s going to be awfully expensive, and I don’t have much to narrow down my choices. I’m not quite sure what I want to do; really, I’m just interested in learning whatever I find interesting and then moving on to get a PhD. One major’ll probably be math. </p>
<p>Anyway, any advice on which school to go to? Is it worth forking up the extra money to go to somewhere like Berkeley as opposed to Tulane?</p>
<p>What is the net cost after non-loan financial aid over four years at each of these schools?</p>
<p>I’m not really applicable for finaid so full cost except Tulane and Indiana which’d be about 15-20k a year.</p>
<p>It doesn’t make sense to plan for a Phd before you even start college. Especially if you don’t know what you are going to study or what you want to do. In some cases the PhD won’t be necessary or even desirable. PhD is something to decide on when you find not just a passion for the research, but a very specific interest within a field. </p>
<p>I take it you aren’t instate for Berkeley? If money is a consideration why’d you apply?</p>
<p>If money is a consideration, spend more time deciding if Indiana or Tulane is better for you. Or take a gap year and apply next to more places that would give you merit aid.</p>
<p>Well what I meant about the PhD thing is that I know that I’m going to want to go to grad school, and I’ll most likely want to get a PhD; I might not know in what yet, but knowing myself, I know it’s what I’ll want to do. </p>
<p>Money’s a consideration, as always, but it’s not absolutely restricting. My family and I can afford it if it’s worth it, but it’s definitely a strain. So the question I suppose, really, is is it worth it? What’s the difference between going to a school like Berkeley as opposed to Tulane? Will the experience/education be “worth” the extra money a year (subjective I know; I just want an idea of other people’s feelings to help form my own). And if it is worth it, what are people’s opinions of my options? And if it isn’t worth it, what’s the general opinion of Tulane vs. Indiana? I’m probably going to try and cram in a few visits between now and enrollment, so I’m also using this to try and decide which schools I’d like to visit.</p>