Repost: Should I stay in state and be debt free, or leave and have thousands in debt?
Hi, I already posted this before but didn’t understand how this worked and wanted to repost to be able to get a variety of opinions
I am an 11th grade student in Florida, and for some context, I don’t like it here. I personally do not like the environment, neither climate wise nor politically(which is especially relevant given its impact on academics here as well as for me personally) nor socially and have always dreamt of leaving for college. However, in state tuition is some of the best in the country at ~$6,000 generally speaking, not to mention I have both Florida Bright Futures automatically as well as Florida Pre-paid, with these even being applicable to private schools to a certain extent making college essentially free. But I want to leave, I have always wanted to live in an urban, northeast city with some of my favorite universities being BU, Emerson, NYU, and UW on the west coast, but these universities are more than 10X the price and I am likely not getting financial aid as an upper middle class citizen though I am still planning to apply to scholarships . My parents have said if I go out of state they will not pay for it outside of what they have already contributed which means I will likely have to take out thousands in student loans. I understand the gravity of the financial debt, but I also can’t imagine staying here with everyone I’ve asked about it urging me to suck it up, so I came here to hopefully get an unbiased opinion. I’m sorry for the long post, and if you’ve stayed long enough I cannot thank you enough so please leave your thoughts and opinions! Also, I plan on going into Marketing,PR, or Publishing.
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1 answer
I suppose it all comes down to what sacrifice you're most willing/able to make: attending a school in the north for thousands more, or an in-state school where you can save up? Generally speaking, you might also want to consider how profitable your future professions may be, and how you plan to pay for college should you go north.
If I were in your shoes, I would go with the least pricy option. If you can get aid or scholarships, this doesn't have to be your in-state school. But: You can start by looking at how your in-state school runs the program you're interested in. If it's not supportive to your needs, then that closes off the door to any future regrets.
Also, if you truly are interested in pricy schools in the north, you can still apply--you just have to focus on getting more scholarships and financial aid. The elite rarely give out merit aid, so focus on targets and safeties. If your application is competitive, a lot of smaller privates will be happy to take you. You can get campus jobs to make up for the difference. If possible, avoid loans.
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If you plan to go into Marketing/PR/Publishing, I'd look to where you can go for a low net cost of attendance and with strong internship programs. Especially in marketing, things are changing with AI. Landing an entry-level marketing job after graduation I suspect is going to get more difficult, so having an internship will give you a leg up. And having low debt when you graduate will give you flexibility.