nu_reed (original) (raw)

ok im not sure if this is exactly the correct place to ask these questions but if you know anything about it i would be very appreciative ....

i am 19 years old and have been out of highschool for two years working full time. i have applied for undergraduate freshman admission at several school for this fall.
Reed, Antioch, Bennington, Hampshire.

i was accepted to Bennington and Antioch and waitlisted at Reed and Hampshire.
unfortunately Reed and Hampshire were my top choices. Reed specifically. i believe that i can get accepted to Reed with a certain amount of effort for this fall, however their policy is to give no Institutional Aid to wait-listed students. since i am bascially paying for college on my own and reed costs 39,000$ pr year i have a dillema. even if i do get accepted the only way to pay for freshman year is to take out massive amounts of loans. i do not want to defer and even if i go somewhere that i can get more financial aid i will still have loans.

assuming that most of you have been through this undergrad loan hell i would very much appreciate some relayed experiences/advice. i desperately want to go to Reed but dont plan on getting a high-paying job right after school. doesn anyone know of the best loans avaliable, if loans are even a good idea, whether or not it is better to simply suck it up and go somewhere more affordable or if it is reasonable to put myself in that much debt so early in my college experience. also if i want to attend grad school after a few years out of undergrad will my presumed still existing undergrad debt affect my grad experience, etc, etc.

basically im trying to decide if its worth it to be in a lot of debt to go to a school that im really passionate about. i know that being in debt will affect my freedom for probably all of my twenties.

please please let me know what you think. i very much appreciate your time and advice.

to break it down. is going to Reed next fall worth 30,000$ in debt as a freshman...

sincerely,

~fresh out of the frying pan and into the fire