Hey! I am looking for some advice and direction regarding the schools to which I have been admitted. I want to major in something between business, pre-law, economics, and political science. I likely want to do consulting, but I am highly considering attending law school. Also, post-graduation, I would prefer to be in the mid-Atlantic (i.e. Carolinas, Virginia, DC).
I am considering:
- UVA (full pay unless SFS awards merit, not guaranteed admission to McIntire for Commerce) ($340k)
- UNC ($250k, no honors or assured Business enrollment)
- William and Mary ($275k)
- SMU (free, admitted through the President’s Scholar Program)
- Furman (currently $120k, but potentially less depending on award)
I was also admitted to Dartmouth and WashU, but I am crossing them off right now unless I can find independent merit aid through alumni or something similar.
I would absolutely love some input on these options, as I am paying for a significant portion of the COA, if applicable. I would likely pay for 1/3 of the tuition, whereas my parents will pay for the remainder. I have saved up a large portion to do this and can do so right now for the first 2 years.
I have been waitlisted at Vanderbilt and would likely switch to that in May if the aid package makes sense.
Thank you in advance!
How will you pay for these costs yourself? You cannot take out this much money in loans (and it is not a good idea).
It doesn’t look like you received FA at UNC, UVA, Dartmouth etc…which makes me think you won’t get any at Vanderbilt.
It seems to me that your affordable option is SMU.
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Sorry, should have clarified! I am only paying for 1/3 of the COA, so at a UVA or Dartmouth for example, I’d be paying for $30k/year.
Ok…so your cost of attendance to these schools is $30,000 a year?
Yes, but my parents would be paying for $60k, which I feel like is steep and they’re very adamant about ROI, which is fair. I also feel bad asking for that much…
You, as a student, cannot take out $30,000 a year in loans. And, even if you could, it is a bad idea.
SMU is a very strong business school, and if the others are better (and I am not sure they are) they certainly aren’t hundreds of thousands of dollars better.
Plus Dallas is a fun city that happens to be booming economically with lots of job and internship opportunities.
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Fortunately, I would not be taking out loans for this. The most I would get loans for would be $10k per year, which has already been feasible for me.
Well…you cannot take out $40,000 either. I think you can do $27,000 total over 4 years.
It appears that you do not qualify for FA.
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SMU wins, if we are voting!
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I have the capacity to get the loans necessary with my current financials, as I have worked throughout high school to have the funds to do so. Currently, the loans will be minimal, if at all.
I am leaning towards SMU right now as free college is hard to say no to, and I just want to be sure I have considered other options before committing.
Would your parents be willing to help pay for law school if you go to SMU?
I agree that SMU wins, regardless.
Yes, they would foot the bill for law school if I went to SMU for free. However, I would highly prefer to go somewhere else for law school, as I don’t see going to SMU for 7-8 years as advantageous. There is not a considerable pipeline to T14s for law school, which can be a hindrance and a help, seemingly, so I’m not 1000% sure there.
Well now I am confused.
Is SMU for free contingent upon staying there for law school? Can you go to SMU and attend any law school?
The scholarship at SMU is only for undergraduate, so I can go anywhere for law school. Sorry for confusion!
I was more so referencing that there is not a huge pipeline of SMU grads going to T14 law schools.
SMU’s law school is quite good (ranked 45th with good job placement) but I do not really want to stay at same university for 7-8 years.
Go to SMU and use the savings to pay for law school or other graduate school or just moving to the southeast (VA & NC are not Mid-Atlantic – my family is multi-generations in both states).
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You do not have to stay there for 7 years.
Go to SMU, take advantage of the opportunities and make the most of your time there. You can work after graduation (this is common) and apply to law school.
The fact that your parents will pay for law school if you attend SMU is a huge deal.
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Yes, but there isn’t a huge pipeline to T14 law schools from any of the schools in your OP.
No one says you need to stay at SMU for law school.
Graduating from law school with no or minimal loans is a huge gift. (Understanding you may decide not to pursue law). One of my regrets is that I really couldn’t consider any jobs outside of big firms because I needed to make lots of money to pay back my loans.
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Another vote for SMU if you are in Cox and think it will be a good fit given strength of school/business program and some concern on finances. It ticks your areas of interest other than ‘mid-Atlantic’. You can save the money for law school if you end of going.
Would visit/re-visit to make sure. Are you in Cox BBA scholars?
Probably will revisit.
I’d be a President’s Scholar (25ish each year), BBA Scholar in Cox (100 each year), and Pre-Law Scholar (40 each year) at SMU.
I guess where I got the mid-Atlantic from was the BBA report, which is awesome, just a sparse number going to preferred areas to settle down. https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/cox/centersandinstitutes/cmc/smu-cox-bba-employment-report-2023.pdf
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