Deciding Between Colleges

The Times’s Choice blog is answering a few questions this morning about choosing between colleges after students have been accepted into a handful of them, and it’s bringing back those memories from way back when (dream schools, safety schools, financial aid packages!). For me, I remembering it coming down between choosing between an expensive private school across the country that offered some aid and the much more affordable state school with a partial scholarship. The student debt crisis wasn’t a thing yet, but since I was paying my own way, I ran the numbers and quickly decided on the state school (UCI).

One of my favorite questions from the list is by “Water polo mom”:

This is both a philosophical and a practical question. My son is deciding between two out-of-state schools, both known for the major he wants to pursue, engineering. One is less expensive and is offering him a scholarship. The other isn’t offering him a penny, and that means he’ll come out with twice the debt. Of course, he likes that one more, despite us airing our concerns. As parents to an almost 18-year-old, do you say no or do you let him go where he wants and shoulder that financial burden for years to come?

I’d have the kid read our student debt series and have him think about it more, but would also be a little bit relieved that he’s pursuing engineering. The college admission officers provide the parent with a solid answer.

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