Torn: SUNY, NECO & SCCO

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blysssful

blysssful

SUNY c/o 2013
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I've been accepted to SUNY & NECO, and have my SCCO interview 11/15. I've obviously been thinking about this for a long time, and I really, really could use some outside input.

SUNY:
(+) I'm from the DC area, so it's relatively close
(+) State school = cheaper tuition for last 3 years
(+) very, very good academic record
(-) I feel like I won't get my peace of mind in NYC

NECO:
(+) I got that intangible "you should be here" feeling during the interview day
(+) Boston appeals more to me than NYC
(+) I like their clinical approach better than SUNY's (lots of locations, not just one building with everything in it)
(-) Private school = high tuition

SCCO:
(+) Academically stronger than NECO
(+) TONS of family nearby, plus my boyfriend and best friend will be in the area
(+) Climate (which is actually really important to me)
(+) I'll already have somewhere to live
(-) Private school = high tuition (but not quite as high as NECO's)

Help! What were your pros and cons for these schools??
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Easy decision. Figure out which is going to be the cheapest and go there.
 
I think SCCO is the best choice for you. Family can be a strong support system. Already having a place to live takes away the stress of transitioning to a new city. Plus the weather in the northeast is terrible most of the year.
 
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Choose the cheapest place. You can use the extra cash to go on a trip with your friends and family during your breaks. During school you will want to focus on the school work.
 
I will see you at SUNY!

Talk to you then.

:thumbup:
 
Thanks for the feedback :)
 
I think your decision is really between 2 out of those 3. SUNY and SCCO. That's where it gets tricky.. SUNY tuition is cheap but remember housing is expensive (especially if you want to live in Manhattan). SCCO is more tuition but you have a place to live already. And you'll save plenty of $$$ and time flying out to visit your boyfriend in cali!

And just aside.. what do you mean by "won't get my peace of mind in NYC"?
 
EyeBaller said:
I think your decision is really between 2 out of those 3. SUNY and SCCO. That's where it gets tricky.. SUNY tuition is cheap but remember housing is expensive (especially if you want to live in Manhattan). SCCO is more tuition but you have a place to live already. And you'll save plenty of $$$ and time flying out to visit your boyfriend in cali!

And just aside.. what do you mean by "won't get my peace of mind in NYC"?
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Yeah, I've kind of come to that conclusion myself about it being between SCCO and SUNY. Would it be fair to say that people find their place at whatever school they end up at?

I keep thinking that this choice is going to be so hard, but the majority of the people who I've talked to in school say that they're happy (even with all the work). A friend of mine is in med school, and he had his choice of wherever he wanted to go (not exaggerating even a little... he chose Yale). I asked him how he made his choice, knowing that he had so many options, and he just said he thought of where he'd be the happiest, and where he could be the best prepared for the things he wanted to do after school. I've just been trying to keep that in mind.

The NYC comment is mostly because as much as I love living near a city, I don't know if I could handle being right in the middle of one at all times. BUT, at the same time, I need to get away from the middle of farmland, where I go to undergrad!

For the time being, I'm just worried about getting into SCCO, then I can really make a decision.
 
As an aside, hi to all those people I met at the SCCO interview!! (Even you "lurkers" ;))
 
 
blysssful said:
As an aside, hi to all those people I met at the SCCO interview!! (Even you "lurkers" ;))
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Hello blysssful...I remember meeting you. I'm no longer a lurker. I finally joined SDN :p.
 
blysssful said:
I've been accepted to SUNY & NECO, and have my SCCO interview 11/15. I've obviously been thinking about this for a long time, and I really, really could use some outside input.

SUNY:
(+) I'm from the DC area, so it's relatively close
(+) State school = cheaper tuition for last 3 years
(+) very, very good academic record
(-) I feel like I won't get my peace of mind in NYC

NECO:
(+) I got that intangible "you should be here" feeling during the interview day
(+) Boston appeals more to me than NYC
(+) I like their clinical approach better than SUNY's (lots of locations, not just one building with everything in it)
(-) Private school = high tuition

SCCO:
(+) Academically stronger than NECO
(+) TONS of family nearby, plus my boyfriend and best friend will be in the area
(+) Climate (which is actually really important to me)
(+) I'll already have somewhere to live
(-) Private school = high tuition (but not quite as high as NECO's)

Help! What were your pros and cons for these schools??
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So Blyssful did u end up deciding?
 
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qwopty99 said:
So Blyssful did u end up deciding?
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Not yet. To break it down, I think SUNY might be a better choice academically & financially, but I think I would be a happier person at SCCO. For me, happier = better student.

It kind of sucks because I don't want to practice in either of these areas; I want to ultimately practice in Northern Virginia. I suppose I can figure that part out when I get there though.

OR I might just say F it all and move to Africa :)
 
Glad to see you will not be attending NOVA :D

Seriously, though, you should go to the cheapest school possible.
 
gochi said:
Glad to see you will not be attending NOVA :D

Seriously, though, you should go to the cheapest school possible.
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I think ultimately, the difference would be marginal. IMO, SUNY waaay underestimates cost of living, and I would need to live near the school (i.e. Manhattan) rather than the neighboring boroughs for personal reasons... SO, that is significantly more expensive. Not to mention SUNY's increase of tuition this year was substantial... who's to say that won't happen again? SCCO has specifically stated that they have a 3% tuition increase per year, keeping up with inflation. When the difference in cost is marginal, it makes me look at other factors more closely.
 
blysssful said:
I think ultimately, the difference would be marginal. IMO, SUNY waaay underestimates cost of living, and I would need to live near the school (i.e. Manhattan) rather than the neighboring boroughs for personal reasons... SO, that is significantly more expensive. Not to mention SUNY's increase of tuition this year was substantial... who's to say that won't happen again? SCCO has specifically stated that they have a 3% tuition increase per year, keeping up with inflation. When the difference in cost is marginal, it makes me look at other factors more closely.
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If tuition, as you say, is not a concern then why was it listed as one of the factors in your initial post? Nevertheless, I have changed my opinion. Even if the tuition at SUNY was higher, I undoubtedly think it would be best to go SCCO as you have many friends/family etc.
 
gochi said:
If tuition, as you say, is not a concern then why was it listed as one of the factors in your initial post? Nevertheless, I have changed my opinion. Even if the tuition at SUNY was higher, I undoubtedly think it would be best to go SCCO as you have many friends/family etc.
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I fail to see where she says tuition is not a concern.
 
gochi said:
If tuition, as you say, is not a concern then why was it listed as one of the factors in your initial post? Nevertheless, I have changed my opinion. Even if the tuition at SUNY was higher, I undoubtedly think it would be best to go SCCO as you have many friends/family etc.
Click to expand...

I mentioned the difference in tuition in the initial post because that was before SUNY mailed the notification that they would be raising their tuition. This raised a huge red flag to me because I felt like it was sneaky that they chose not to disclose this information before I paid my $500 deposit. During the financial talk at the interview, there was no mention of the possibility of a significant increase of tuition (~20% increase). Tuition is certainly not "not a concern" though.
 
Made a decision yet? Or leaning to one?
 
blysssful said:
I mentioned the difference in tuition in the initial post because that was before SUNY mailed the notification that they would be raising their tuition. This raised a huge red flag to me because I felt like it was sneaky that they chose not to disclose this information before I paid my $500 deposit. During the financial talk at the interview, there was no mention of the possibility of a significant increase of tuition (~20% increase). Tuition is certainly not "not a concern" though.
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Hey Blysssful,

It sucks that they didn't mention it but it is usually expected that tuition at most schools increase every academic year. How much did they raise it by if you don't mind me asking?
 
jymezg said:
Made a decision yet? Or leaning to one?
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No decision yet. For a while I was set on SCCO, but I am still considering SUNY. I have to make my final decision by April 1st if I expect any refund for my deposits.

thanotoriousfob said:
Hey Blysssful,

It sucks that they didn't mention it but it is usually expected that tuition at most schools increase every academic year. How much did they raise it by if you don't mind me asking?
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Of course it is normal for tuition to rise to keep up with inflation and rising costs (especially with the economy in the shape that it's in), however that "normal" increase is approximately 2-3% per year. This year, SUNY has increased their out of state tuition by over $5,000, and their in state tuition by about $3,000. This corresponds to an increase of about 20% for one year. This is significant.

If SUNY increased tuition each year by 3%, this is what it would look like:
First year out of state: $27,140
Second year in state: $14,661
Third year in state: $15,101
Fourth year in state: $15,554
Total tuition for 4 years: $72,456
This is approximately the figure that was discussed during my interview in November.

Now, based on the dramatic increase and also including approximately an 8% increase per year to keep up with inflation:
First year out of state: $31,720
Average of years 2-4 in state: $19,529
Total tuition for 4 years: $90,307

That is too significant a difference to be glossed over in my opinion, especially considering after interest that ~$18K difference would mean you're ultimately paying back ~$54K more than what was previously discussed.
 
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As far as I know, SUNY doesn't increase their tuition every year. I was told this was the first increase in 14 years (because the economy screwed up). Also, in-state is a 1930 increase, not 3k. [SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]
 
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blysssful said:
oops. I just realized what they're saying with the 19K part... that's the average for the 4 years... not the last 3. My bad. SO, around $78,000 total.
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Nevermind. Your other post answered my question.
 
SUNY, here I come :soexcited:

Thanks for everyone's input, it really helped a lot!
 
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congrats blysssful!!!!!!!!!!! i think you definitely made the right decision:)
 
OpticalBlackOut said:
How did you ultimately decide?!
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I made a huuuuge pros/cons list with every possible point I could think of for each school, and attached a point-value from 1-10 based on importance. Then I just added each side up... and SUNY crushed SCCO based on those preferences. I basically chose the nerdiest way possible to go about it :p

cunikki said:
congrats blysssful!!!!!!!!!!! i think you definitely made the right decision:)
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Thanks! I think so too.
 
blysssful said:
I made a huuuuge pros/cons list with every possible point I could think of for each school, and attached a point-value from 1-10 based on importance. Then I just added each side up... and SUNY crushed SCCO based on those preferences. I basically chose the nerdiest way possible to go about it :p



Thanks! I think so too.
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congrats... NY!!
 
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