Choosing between 2 schools - Where does price come in?

[RyanZdentistry]

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So i've been accepted to Midwestern Arizona and University of Tennessee, as well as waitlisted for several others. I loved university of Tennessee, but Arizona really felt like home to me. I loved Midwestern Arizona's campus and program more than any school I've ever visited.

The only major thing stopping me from choosing Arizona is the significant price difference I will be paying to attend there. I am trying to lock down a HPSP spot as a military dentist, in which case tuition wont matter. But it is very competitive and I won't know if I got the scholarship for a few months, until after I choose where I am attending.

I guess my question is how much should price be a factor when picking a school? Is it worth taking the extra debt to go somewhere you liked much more? Wish I had a crystal ball telling me if I would get a spot in the military or not.

 

[Meowmixers]

I think this is where the current system of paying a deposit actually shines: you *can* lock down two spots until you get more information (until mid-April) -- if you are willing to pay the deposit fees.

Is the deposit for Midwestern Arizona worth the chance at attending, if you were to get the HPSP? Will you definitely attend Midwestern Arizona over Tennessee if you got the HPSP, and do you think you got a good chance at the scholarship? If yes, then I would this is one of the few times I would suggest putting down multiple deposits. You don't need a crystal ball, you need time, and in this instance you can literally buy time.

 

[RyanZdentistry]

Yes but wont there be more deposits for me to make?
Or will those $1,000 deposit"s be good until April, May time?

 

[Weakfart]

What? There's only one deposit. Schools can't see them till April.

 

[DentalDoge]

No.

The lower the debt, the better.

 

[BrazilianRider]

I thought about this a lot for myself, and my brain somehow made up some ranges for tuition differences over all four years:

$0-25,000: Negligible in my mind, go wherever you like

$25,000-50,000: Sizeable difference, but I'd rather go where I'm happy.

$50,000-$80,000: Getting veeeery difficult...

$80,000+: Looks like I will go to a school I hate.