SGU vs LSU

[alyssa13]

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Hey guys! So i havent been accepted to LSU (OOS) however I know when they pull you from the waitlist you only really have 24-48 hours to choose so Im thinking in preparation in case I get pulled off the waitlist lol. Im between SGU - which I recently put a deposit down for- and LSU if i get pulled off the waitlist. While I would love to stay in the US (honestly thats lowkey a lie with our political climate right now lol) I was comparing costs and LSU seems quite a bit more expensive than SGU but I believe I would be happier at LSU being in the states and nearby a city and my best friend lives in Dallas so closeish to her for breaks lol. Plus I would have an easier time living in Louisiana full time especially for breaks which would be easier for my cat who will come with me as I would either find her a pet sitter or bring her back and forth which would just stress her out and add up

Tuition:
According to SGU's website, tuition alone is ~10k cheaper per year (24,619 per term so ~50k a year) versus LSU tuition alone being ~60.4k.
Housing
I have been taking a look at housing and 1 bedroom apartment prices for the most part seem similar (as cheap as like 800, mainly around 1000)
Transportation
SGU of course I would have to fly there and back which could be expensive but I would also have to fly home for LSU so probably around the same price since I would likely fly in and out of BTR which is small and expensive (I flew into it back in October for the Eras Tour so I somewhat know prices although they may have been increased for Taylor lol.) However, if I do get into LSU i would make the initial drive down there before moving in the first time (~20 hour drive but I would like my car there), and if I get into SGU I would either have to rent a car longterm, buy one then sell it in 3 years (expensive) or just depend on buses (any advice anyone who went to SGU? would you recommend the added expense of a car?)
Extras/fun stuff
To be honest LSU would probably have me spending more money since it is near NOLA and i know sales tax there is high and I love concerts so I would probs end up trying to go to concerts either in NOLA or close(ish) cities when time permits(unlikely to be often during the terms) which would help my mental health lol #crazyfangirl
Deposit
I paid my $400 SGU deposit nonrefundable, and i dont think LSU has a deposit? I could be wrong?

Anyway.. any and all input is appreciated and sorry if I dont get into LSU and wasted your time reading and responding I would just prefer to have a good idea and hear from others before they start pulling from the waitlist in case I have a small amount of time to make such a big decision <3

 

[pp9]

Hey guys! So i havent been accepted to LSU (OOS) however I know when they pull you from the waitlist you only really have 24-48 hours to choose so Im thinking in preparation in case I get pulled off the waitlist lol. Im between SGU - which I recently put a deposit down for- and LSU if i get pulled off the waitlist. While I would love to stay in the US (honestly thats lowkey a lie with our political climate right now lol) I was comparing costs and LSU seems quite a bit more expensive than SGU but I believe I would be happier at LSU being in the states and nearby a city and my best friend lives in Dallas so closeish to her for breaks lol. Plus I would have an easier time living in Louisiana full time especially for breaks which would be easier for my cat who will come with me as I would either find her a pet sitter or bring her back and forth which would just stress her out and add up

Tuition:
According to SGU's website, tuition alone is ~10k cheaper per year (24,619 per term so ~50k a year) versus LSU tuition alone being ~60.4k.
Housing
I have been taking a look at housing and 1 bedroom apartment prices for the most part seem similar (as cheap as like 800, mainly around 1000)
Transportation
SGU of course I would have to fly there and back which could be expensive but I would also have to fly home for LSU so probably around the same price since I would likely fly in and out of BTR which is small and expensive (I flew into it back in October for the Eras Tour so I somewhat know prices although they may have been increased for Taylor lol.) However, if I do get into LSU i would make the initial drive down there before moving in the first time (~20 hour drive but I would like my car there), and if I get into SGU I would either have to rent a car longterm, buy one then sell it in 3 years (expensive) or just depend on buses (any advice anyone who went to SGU? would you recommend the added expense of a car?)
Extras/fun stuff
To be honest LSU would probably have me spending more money since it is near NOLA and i know sales tax there is high and I love concerts so I would probs end up trying to go to concerts either in NOLA or close(ish) cities when time permits(unlikely to be often during the terms) which would help my mental health lol #crazyfangirl
Deposit
I paid my $400 SGU deposit nonrefundable, and i dont think LSU has a deposit? I could be wrong?

Anyway.. any and all input is appreciated and sorry if I dont get into LSU and wasted your time reading and responding I would just prefer to have a good idea and hear from others before they start pulling from the waitlist in case I have a small amount of time to make such a big decision <3

Just some thoughts from someone who is not particularly familiar with either school:

1. Don't forget to include other expenses when you try to determine your cheapest option. Last time I was on an island with a vet school (Grand Cayman, so idk how different it is at the other islands), groceries were somewhere around 3-5x the cost of what they would be stateside, and that was in 2015. Most vet students aren't living it up and spending tons on groceries, but it can matter in the grand scheme of things. Utilities might be significantly different. And like you mentioned, flights add up. If SGU really is cheaper than LSU after all things considered, then so be it. Island schools are definitely comparable to many OOS tuition costs.

2. Just don't go to concerts if you're worried about spending that money? That's a very silly thing to bring up in the conversation of which school is going to be cheaper for you, because it has nothing to do with the school and everything to do with your ability (or inability) to budget and set financial boundaries for yourself. I understand that you like them, but some things need to be sacrificed while you live in the red.

Also not sure if you would anticipate using your own savings or student loans to pay for concerts (or whatever else). Using your savings for fun is one conversation, using your loans is another. Most vet students aren't going to use their loans to fund many 'fun' things such as concerts or travel. People definitely do it, imo it's often not worth the interest you'd be paying on that event/trip/etc, but that's a very individual decision. As a very general rule of thumb: If you would think twice about going into credit card debt for something, you should also be thinking twice before using your loan money for it.

3. I'm pretty sure every vet school requires a deposit. I've never heard of one as low as $400 though, so that's interesting

 

[abrew13]

I would likely fly in and out of BTR which is small and expensive

I was at LSU for 6 years (undergrad and grad school) and the vast majority of students fly in and out of NOLA. It’s only about an hour drive, flights are pretty cheap since it’s a bigger airport, and there are way more options for flights. Also, around the holidays they typically have shuttles running from campus to the NOLA airport, and there are a lot of parents in the LSU parents and students pages that offer to drive students back and forth if you don’t want to leave a car at the airport. Just wanted to add the perspective that flights can be very manageable if you’re willing to drive a little further.

 

[alyssa13]

Just some thoughts from someone who is not particularly familiar with either school:

1. Don't forget to include other expenses when you try to determine your cheapest option. Last time I was on an island with a vet school (Grand Cayman, so idk how different it is at the other islands), groceries were somewhere around 3-5x the cost of what they would be stateside, and that was in 2015. Most vet students aren't living it up and spending tons on groceries, but it can matter in the grand scheme of things. Utilities might be significantly different. And like you mentioned, flights add up. If SGU really is cheaper than LSU after all things considered, then so be it. Island schools are definitely comparable to many OOS tuition costs.

2. Just don't go to concerts if you're worried about spending that money? That's a very silly thing to bring up in the conversation of which school is going to be cheaper for you, because it has nothing to do with the school and everything to do with your ability (or inability) to budget and set financial boundaries for yourself. I understand that you like them, but some things need to be sacrificed while you live in the red.

Also not sure if you would anticipate using your own savings or student loans to pay for concerts (or whatever else). Using your savings for fun is one conversation, using your loans is another. Most vet students aren't going to use their loans to fund many 'fun' things such as concerts or travel. People definitely do it, imo it's often not worth the interest you'd be paying on that event/trip/etc, but that's a very individual decision. As a very general rule of thumb: If you would think twice about going into credit card debt for something, you should also be thinking twice before using your loan money for it.

3. I'm pretty sure every vet school requires a deposit. I've never heard of one as low as $400 though, so that's interesting

1000% will not do as much fun stuff - i wrote this and didnt even double check it while i was absentmindedly listening to my fav album and planning out a hotel for an upcoming music festival so that skewed my thoughts 😭 i know i’ll 100% be lucky to even go to 1-2 per year depending on cost! I think what I was thinking is just the general availability and my current way of coping with stress by live music - however I do know when school starts again and i’m not bringing in any/a very small income if i do manage to work a small pt time job- i will have to cut down on a lot of things i enjoy and find new, cheaper, things to replace it sorry if i sounded like a broken record or like it was a bigger deal i just word vomited onto the thread and posted lol 🙂

 

[alyssa13]

Just some thoughts from someone who is not particularly familiar with either school:

1. Don't forget to include other expenses when you try to determine your cheapest option. Last time I was on an island with a vet school (Grand Cayman, so idk how different it is at the other islands), groceries were somewhere around 3-5x the cost of what they would be stateside, and that was in 2015. Most vet students aren't living it up and spending tons on groceries, but it can matter in the grand scheme of things. Utilities might be significantly different. And like you mentioned, flights add up. If SGU really is cheaper than LSU after all things considered, then so be it. Island schools are definitely comparable to many OOS tuition costs.

2. Just don't go to concerts if you're worried about spending that money? That's a very silly thing to bring up in the conversation of which school is going to be cheaper for you, because it has nothing to do with the school and everything to do with your ability (or inability) to budget and set financial boundaries for yourself. I understand that you like them, but some things need to be sacrificed while you live in the red.

Also not sure if you would anticipate using your own savings or student loans to pay for concerts (or whatever else). Using your savings for fun is one conversation, using your loans is another. Most vet students aren't going to use their loans to fund many 'fun' things such as concerts or travel. People definitely do it, imo it's often not worth the interest you'd be paying on that event/trip/etc, but that's a very individual decision. As a very general rule of thumb: If you would think twice about going into credit card debt for something, you should also be thinking twice before using your loan money for it.

3. I'm pretty sure every vet school requires a deposit. I've never heard of one as low as $400 though, so that's interesting

I was looking into the LSU thread and saw there was like a survery to put down and someone said no deposit however that couldve 100% been misleading or too early where the school didnt send out info about deposits yet! & yep sgu was $400 surprisingly lower than most which helps rn and in the future lol🙂

 

[ShaWalla]

I was looking into the LSU thread and saw there was like a survery to put down and someone said no deposit however that couldve 100% been misleading or too early where the school didnt send out info about deposits yet! & yep sgu was $400 surprisingly lower than most which helps rn and in the future lol🙂

I know for sure neither UF or VMCVM required deposits so it's very possible LSU doesn't either.

 

[pp9]

I know for sure neither UF or VMCVM required deposits so it's very possible LSU doesn't either.

Word. Probably a good thing, not everyone has that much money in their account