Roberto

My answer: 1 Harvard Chicago MIT 4 Berkley Princeton 6 Stanford 7 Yale 8 Northwestern 9 U Penn 10 Columbia ... 20ish NYU

Hi all, I am having a hard time deciding over these schools in the title. I got full funding from UVA and NYU, but no funding for the first two years from Cornell and Northwestern. Since the latter two schools are obviously better the the former two, can't can't make a decision with ease. I don't have a specific interest so far. And I need to pay 120k for the unfunded offers while I pretty much don't need to pay anything for the funded ones. Any suggestions regarding where I should go? :hmm:

Thanks for your input... Finally, I made you guys understand my question...

So you even got funded for undergrad? Is this possible? I am not asking how much you owe, I meant how much you paid on your own. :(

I really don't know what is wrong with my question. I know the answer to my question may very greatly according to various backgrounds. This is also why I am asking. Also if you get full funding for grad school, your answer should be 0 for grad. That's it!

Just want to get to know the reality. I am just expecting ( ) for under and ( ) for grad. Fill in the blank please

:(it seems really hard for you guys to answer my question directly. I mean how much you need to pay other than only funding from school. I am not talking opportunity cost or stuff like that, just in a normal sense answer my question pleaase:(

I don't thin you have answered my question, Dude. My question has already taken taken into account of funding offers. I was asking other than funding, how much would you have to pay on your own way.

Hi all, Just wondering how much you will pay or expect to pay out of your own pocket for undergrad and grad school in total respectively (tuition+living expense+other)? My answer is 120k for under and 100k for grad.:(

You guys are really helpful! I really appreciate it! I come from south America. What I am most concerned with is the factor that whether I can benefit from the top school's education and earn the money back. All the other factors should be taken into consideration, but are not that important for me.

Thanks a lot for you guys's input. I just want to tell you guys that I would not ask for a loan anywhere but borrow money from my relatives. Would the strategy change because of this?

I feel neuroeconomics is working in me right now. My decision should be largely related to money.:DSo my question is simple, how long would it take to get my money back from the net gain from attending the top school instead of the lower ranked.

What if I want to go to the industry?:hmm:

Assume that I have been admitted to a top 10 and a top 40 at the same time. But I have to pay out of my own pocket for the first a couple of years of the top 10 program, which roughly amounts to 120000.Do you think it's really worth it?

WOW, this thread is much more popular than I expected. By the way, do you guys think a top graduate school will often boost your income? Let's say, would a Harvard PhD earn more generally than some lower ranked school PhD?