OT: College Search: UCONN vs. Out of State

[Guapo]

Just out of curiosity why are you so opposed to the Cuse? Other than the fact that in sports we hate them. Is that your reasoning? I sent my daughter to UCONN where she loved it. I was working a lot of OT so I was able to pay as she went on Campus. She even spent a semester at UNC Wilmington on a student exchange program. She got 5 A's and was a little annoyed when she found out that UCONN gave only a pass/fail grade for off campus grades. She said she could have partied a bit more. She got her Masters at Assumption in Worcester and now is stepping out into her own private practice as a Family Therapist specializing in working with people who have ADHD issues. She worked for a non profit for 9 years and had to make the break to be on her own. She felt she needed to help people by thinking outside of the box.

It's extreamly expensive and the quality of education is at or below that of UConn's.

Wilmington is an awesome city, my wife and I spend Presidents' Day weekend there.

 

[Drew]

I love Wilmington. NC coast is spectacular. Had a chance to spend a week on Figure Eight Island last year- talk about a treat. Amazing seafood in Calabash too

 

[AreBee1969]

Just out of curiosity why are you so opposed to the Cuse? Other than the fact that in sports we hate them. Is that your reasoning?

That's my reasoning! that, plus $60k+.

My daughter got her UM aid package yesterday and it was a goose egg, and we tried to prepare her for that.

She is devastated. Devastated that she can't afford a school she has never even seen. I believe she's enamored with IDEA of going to UM. It doesn't help that one of her best friends is a third generation UM legacy. There is a crazy obsession with the B1G schools in our town. Kids going to Indiana, OSU, Maryland, Penn State and Wisconsin as well as UM.

 

[Drew]

That's my reasoning! that, plus $60k+.

My daughter got her UM aid package yesterday and it was a goose egg, and we tried to prepare her for that.

She is devastated. Devastated that she can't afford a school she has never even seen. I believe she's enamored with IDEA of going to UM. It doesn't help that one of her best friends is a third generation UM legacy. There is a crazy obsession with the B1G schools in our town. Kids going to Indiana, OSU, Maryland, Penn State and Wisconsin as well as UM.

hell if she wants to go to a B1G school have her apply to Nebraska. Still accepting admission applications and they are fantastic with financial aid. My brother goes there now, 3.8 in HS and decent SAT ~1300. Pays around $9k a year out of state after the financial aid given to him and is in the honors college. B school is recruited by some big names including Koch.

You're doing the right thing though in letting her realize for herself just how pricey this stuff is. The hardest part as a parent I feel like is making her live with the consequences if she were to still choose Michigan and the 60k+ in debt. UConn should be the play here it seems like and it sounds like she may even be realizing that for herself.

 

[Redding Husky]

My son is at a junior college and will be deciding where to complete his last two years soon. There's lots of good advice here. To hell with the "experts"; I'll come here for free advice in a few months.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Agreed, the schools she has chosen also have a speech pathology major as well, which is her back-up plan if she finds that doesn't like nursing.

Northeastern has dropped their speech pathology major. They still have it as a minor and a graduate program. It may not have much impact because the graduate degree is required for licensing and a B.S. in the field isn’t required for graduate admission (i.e.. she’d end up in the same place with a minor and a master’s as she would with the bachelor’s and masters) but she should be aware it wouldn’t be available as a backup undergraduate degree option.

 

[UConnFranklin]

I went instate to UConn, moved to Philly and Boston and then got my masters at Northeastern. I chose UConn over Bentley and Bryant for financial reasons and it was one of the best life choices I've made. I'd rather have my kids go to a great, affordable local public school for 4 years and then head to a big city and get their masters there. I have a few UConn friends in nursing and they're doing very well in Hawaii, CT and NC. Nursing is a profession that you can easily pick up a travel job and see much of the country, which of course is easier to do with less loans. Boston is a cool place but she can easily move up here when she graduates (plenty of her friends will). The best thing my parents did was lay out the per-school financials over 4 years and explained to me how much I'd owe based on my choice.

Very smart thinking!!

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's my reasoning! that, plus $60k+.

My daughter got her UM aid package yesterday and it was a goose egg, and we tried to prepare her for that.

She is devastated. Devastated that she can't afford a school she has never even seen. I believe she's enamored with IDEA of going to UM. It doesn't help that one of her best friends is a third generation UM legacy. There is a crazy obsession with the B1G schools in our town. Kids going to Indiana, OSU, Maryland, Penn State and Wisconsin as well as UM.

I find this odd, but a friend of ours from Westport has a daughter who is a freshman at Indiana. I was surprised to hear it, but maybe that is the new thing.

I can recommend Lawrence, KS as a very nice place to spend 4 years. Warmer than Ann Arbor. They like out of state kids from the Northeast. I have neighbors who's son did very well at Purdue.

 

[Drumguy]

I find this odd, but a friend of ours from Westport has a daughter who is a freshman at Indiana. I was surprised to hear it, but maybe that is the new thing.

I can recommend Lawrence, KS as a very nice place to spend 4 years. Warmer than Ann Arbor. They like out of state kids from the Northeast. I have neighbors who's son did very well at Purdue.

I work and live in Westport. For whatever reason the Big 10 has become a destination for a lot of our kids. UM was always a popular school but a lot of the other Big school (not Rutgers nor Maryland) are now popular.

 

[Guapo]

I work and live in Westport. For whatever reason the Big 10 has become a destination for a lot of our kids. UM was always a popular school but a lot of the other Big school (not Rutgers nor Maryland) are now popular.

They're good schools and they like out of state kids from the Northeast.

 

[Redding Husky]

I went instate to UConn, moved to Philly and Boston and then got my masters at Northeastern. I chose UConn over Bentley and Bryant for financial reasons and it was one of the best life choices I've made. I'd rather have my kids go to a great, affordable local public school for 4 years and then head to a big city and get their masters there. I have a few UConn friends in nursing and they're doing very well in Hawaii, CT and NC. Nursing is a profession that you can easily pick up a travel job and see much of the country, which of course is easier to do with less loans. Boston is a cool place but she can easily move up here when she graduates (plenty of her friends will). The best thing my parents did was lay out the per-school financials over 4 years and explained to me how much I'd owe based on my choice.

I basically did the same thing. Undergrad at Storrs, then part time for 5 years at SMU for a master's. It was just tuition (one class at a time) and no room and board, so the private school graduate degree wasn't crazy expensive.

 

[AreBee1969]

Well, my daughter is down two to UCONN and 'Cuse. 'Cuse came in with what sounds like a great merit package, but in reality, the final cost is still nearly twice as much as UCONN.

Her plan is to call 'Cuse to see if they might give her some more merit aid, and if not she'll be headed to Storrs. A couple of her close friends both faced the same financial situation and abandoned their out of state schools in favor of UCONN. That's taken some of the sting out of not being able to afford her "dream school". It was also enough to bump WVU off the list. I am really looking forward to the Open House for Admitted Students next Saturday. I hope it's a beautiful day and they KILL IT!

 

[Guapo]

Well, my daughter is down two to UCONN and 'Cuse. 'Cuse came in with what sounds like a great merit package, but in reality, the final cost is still nearly twice as much as UCONN.

Her plan is to call 'Cuse to see if they might give her some more merit aid, and if not she'll be headed to Storrs. A couple of her close friends both faced the same financial situation and abandoned their out of state schools in favor of UCONN. That's taken some of the sting out of not being able to afford her "dream school". It was also enough to bump WVU off the list. I am really looking forward to the Open House for Admitted Students next Saturday. I hope it's a beautiful day and they KILL IT!

 

[AreBee1969]

Thanks for bringing that back. I just threw up a little in my mouth!

 

[UCFBfan]

Well, my daughter is down two to UCONN and 'Cuse. 'Cuse came in with what sounds like a great merit package, but in reality, the final cost is still nearly twice as much as UCONN.

Her plan is to call 'Cuse to see if they might give her some more merit aid, and if not she'll be headed to Storrs. A couple of her close friends both faced the same financial situation and abandoned their out of state schools in favor of UCONN. That's taken some of the sting out of not being able to afford her "dream school". It was also enough to bump WVU off the list. I am really looking forward to the Open House for Admitted Students next Saturday. I hope it's a beautiful day and they KILL IT!

She's making a smart long term choice of she ends up at UConn with little to no debt. College is an awesome experience, period. I'm sure that after a few months she won't even remember how much she wanted to go to UM. UConn is a great school, which we all know, and the experience is top notch with all they've built up there. Living on campus will feel like you've gone out of state because it's such a bubble, at least it felt that way when I went in early 2000s.

My other choice was PSU, which is where my parents went and grandmother lived. They offered nothing while UConn offered 7k. Chose UConn and never regretted it. Everytime I visited my grandma in State College I never once regetted my choice (This was during a time where there were three plazas at UConn to go to vs downtown State College).

Hope it works out well for your daughter. Being a nursing major won't limit her ability to work anywhere in the country which is a bonus of going to school in state yet wanting to get out.

 

[JMick]

Hope it works out well for your daughter. Being a nursing major won't limit her ability to work anywhere in the country which is a bonus of going to school in state yet wanting to get out.

Agreed. I know about 20 people who were in UConn's nursing program. They're currently all over the country and had work lined up right before or right after graduation. Some of them move almost every year to see the country and have no problems finding work.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I sent my daughter to UCONN where she loved it. She even spent a semester at UNC Wilmington on a student exchange program. She got 5 A's and was a little annoyed when she found out that UCONN gave only a pass/fail grade for off campus grades. She said she could have partied a bit more.

UNC Wilmington, AKA UNC by the Sea. With a few exceptions, possibly marine biology, UNCW reportedly has much less rigorous academic standards than UConn. On the other hand, great sailin', surfin', wind surfin', beachin', partyin', etc. 5 As? Shame she missed out on UConn's typical transfer grades don't transfer policy, but the should have more fun story may not entirely wash. Party school on 'roids!

 

[JMick]

UNC Wilmington, AKA UNC by the Sea. With a few exceptions, possibly marine biology, UNCW reportedly has much less rigorous academic standards than UConn. On the other hand, great sailin', surfin', wind surfin', beachin', partyin', etc. 5 As? Shame she missed out on UConn's typical transfer grades don't transfer policy, but the should have more fun story may not entirely wash. Party school on 'roids!

yeah I know two people who went to UNC Wilmington and they said i was easier than high school...

 

[AreBee1969]

We have ourselves a Husky!

There were a lot of tears over the last few weeks, but she came to a fiscally responsible decision. She's not over the moon about her decision yet, but she realizes there's no reason she can't experience everything she expects from a college at UCONN. My wife and I are happy for her and what this means for her future (not starting out $160K in debt), and we're just a little bit proud she's headed to our alma mater. Also grateful I'll get to see her on football Saturdays!

We are headed to Storrs for admitted students day Saturday and I can't wait to raid the Co-op! She's looking forward to her photo op with Jonathan in front of Gampel.

I appreciate all the advice and support over the last few months!

Bleed blue!

 

[Guapo]

We have ourselves a Husky!

There were a lot of tears over the last few weeks, but she came to a fiscally responsible decision. She's not over the moon about her decision yet, but she realizes there's no reason she can't experience everything she expects from a college at UCONN. My wife and I are happy for her and what this means for her future (not starting out $160K in debt), and we're just a little bit proud she's headed to our alma mater. Also grateful I'll get to see her on football Saturdays!

We are headed to Storrs for admitted students day Saturday and I can't wait to raid the Co-op! She's looking forward to her photo op with Jonathan in front of Gampel.

I appreciate all the advice and support over the last few months!

Bleed blue!

Congrats! I'm so happy for you and your daughter.

It's always great to be a Connecticut Husky!

 

[Excalibur]

The list of schools that are worth twice the cost of any state flagship is very short. Syracuse isn't on it.

 

[Vuce]

Good for you AreBee. My son was accepted for the fall and we are doing the Husky for a Day next week rather than admitted students day on Saturday. He is 90% sure he will be going to UConn. We are out of state but he was accepted into New England Regional program

 

[J187Money]

We have ourselves a Husky!

There were a lot of tears over the last few weeks, but she came to a fiscally responsible decision. She's not over the moon about her decision yet, but she realizes there's no reason she can't experience everything she expects from a college at UCONN. My wife and I are happy for her and what this means for her future (not starting out $160K in debt), and we're just a little bit proud she's headed to our alma mater. Also grateful I'll get to see her on football Saturdays!

We are headed to Storrs for admitted students day Saturday and I can't wait to raid the Co-op! She's looking forward to her photo op with Jonathan in front of Gampel.

I appreciate all the advice and support over the last few months!

Bleed blue!

I didn't want to go to UCONN either. I basically went under duress, but worked out great!

 

[BRG 1]

Went to PC 20 years ago. Lots of new buildings, ranked high for regional US News Rankings last 25 years. Small class sizes, caring professors. $30k in debt.
Sister now 38, went to Endicott College to be a teacher, graduated with crushing debt.
Other sister 28, went Southern CT State to be a teacher. Worked her way through school, got great education, didn't care about sports / campus life. NO DEBT.
Nursing/ teaching majors can go anywhere. Bet my sister would have rather gone to Central CT than Endicott and have little to no debt.
OP - Congratulations on daughter going to UCONN

 

[AreBee1969]

I didn't want to go to UCONN either. I basically went under duress, but worked out great!

I accepted without ever setting foot on campus. My Dad was pushing me towards a Navy ROTC scholarship and I applied to schools that had it. He drive me so crazy with it that I withdrew my app and overnighted my UCONN app on the second to last day. It felt like I was under duress and it worked out great as well.

Thanks all for the congrats. It feels great, not only because she’s a Husky but because she’s set up for a better future without a mound of debt. We have busted our asses to save what amounts to about two years for her. We explained she would have a tough time doing that for her kids if she had all that debt. I think that really hit home for her. Really looking forward to tomorrow!