All of my friends are going to Ivy league colleges and private ones?

Question

I can't afford to go to those and so my mom said I should apply to the state college. She said if I really wanted to go to an ivy league or a private school like NYU then I need to take a few years off after high school, work full time and then apply to college so that I wont be in so much debt. I'm so jealous cause all my friends are going to these expensive schools and their parents are paying for everything even getting them their own apartment in the cities they're moving to! I hate my mom so much right now. What should I do in your opinion

it's not that my mom doesnt want to pay for tuition, it's that she doesnt have money. i told her to get a 2nd job but she refuses to

Answer 1

Your mom is being wise. Listen to her.

Answer 2

If you are qualified to get into an Ivy League school -- apply to one or two anyway. Most students at those schools get aid. Aid is need based -- so you may qualifiy. The average student at Harvard pays about the same amount as the average student at many state schools. Do some research on financial aid packages at these schools. You can also take out student loans.

That being said -- there are a lot of good state universities. Apply to the best one that you can get into.

Don't hate your mother for not having the money to send you to an Ivy League school. Let her know that you would like to apply to a couple of private schools, but will only go if you can get enough financial aid. Be mature about this -- like a college student should be.

Answer 3

There is nothing wrong with a state school. Some of them are actually pretty good, and on-par with schools like NYU.

You shouldn't hate your mother for this; if she can't afford it, then it's not her fault. Don't force her to take a second job.

I would suggest you apply to the ivy league schools anyway. For all you know, you could get a good amount of financial aid. Fill out the CSS Profile and the FAFSA to determine this. Go to www.fastweb.com and create account and search for scholarships. The more you apply to, the better it is for you.

If you're planning on attending graduate school to pursue a master's of a PhD, I would suggest going to a good in-state public university, as it'll save you a lot of money in the long run. Also, it's better to attend a prestigious grad school than a prestigious undergrad school.

Answer 4

Scholarships! Or just go to a cheap community college and then transfer to a top school. That's how people save money during college. Check with the schools for the need-based financial aid and scholarships. They'll be happy to help.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

Perhaps you are not ready to go to college. The tirade against your mother, just because she is not going to pay big bucks for your college tuition, shows that your are not mature to join your friends. Take her advise, get a job and save money for expenses at school. Then you will be independent and have experience in the real world before entering school.
Spartawo...

Answer 6

Go to the state school. I go to a private school and its not that great. In fact, I wish I'd gone to a public school--bigger campus, better facilities and things like that. Plus, the people in those ivy and private schools are jerks who think too highly of themselves. I wouldn't recommend taking time off. Most people who do don't go back to school and don't save up money anyway.

Answer 7

Ivies don't necessarily give you a better education. Their eduaction is certainly not twice the cost of a state U. imho, they serve primarily to reinforce social status and economic ties. **Don't** mortgage your life for this.

I don't know what your field is in, but can tell you that you can "move up" from your undergrad degree if you work hard and do well.

I went to Rutgers, a state school, worked hard, and from that went on to MIT, being paid to work on a reseach project so that I got my Ph.D. for free.

My son went to Rutgers and got his B.S. in computer sci. His hard work got him an IT job on wall street, where after two years he was making more than me. He saved his money so he could go law school. He got into Duke Law, worked really hard, and now has a prestigious position clerking for a federal judge.

It's not just me or my kids. I see this repeated time and time again. And I also see kids to go to Ivies, get C's and flop in life.

Bottom line, it's not where you go, it's how hard you work. If you work hard, you can move up and up and up.

Now go give your mom a hug.