[ben72227]

I'm considering where to go for college. My main choices are the University of Arkansas (UARK) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). UARK is the main state university, has every major you could imagine, SEC sports teams, huge greek life, etc.

UALR is an urban university - lots of people that work in Little Rock go there for their graduate degrees and stuff after they've worked for a while. Also, a lot of C average students and people with less money go there too because they can live in Little Rock and commute to the university...

I live in Little Rock, so I could commute and not have to pay for room and board, BUT I'd really like to get away from home and enjoy the "college experience" at UARK.

BUT, I went to UALR today because they invited me to tour the Computer Science college. It was a real nice affair - they gave me a room at the hilton, catered food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and they ended the night with a movie at the IMAX...Plus, I got to see some of their really cool stuff they do for computers (e.g. they have a virtual reality room and they build robots too ). Also, they've just opened their new sports stadium, and they have division 1 sports teams (they're in the sunbelt conference).

While I was there they gave me a letter to open later. Well, I got home and opened it and they are offering me a $12,000 general scholarship and a dell laptop computer (on lease, they give me a new one every two years) if i go there. The scholarship includes a stipend (whatever I don't use for tuition, probably about $7,000 (tuition is $5k and my mom is a state employee so I can get a discount on tuition) and if I don't do room and board...).

I have a little less than 20k saved up for college tuition, its a general fund. So, if I go to UALR, that means i could get about $25 in stipend over 4 years, plus 20k, which is about 35k, which basically means i could buy a new Cadillac and not even have a job.

Its all good and great, BUT a lot of my friends are going to UofA and they have the best sports teams in the state and a better college atmosphere. I could definately get UARK to pay for my tuition(which is also about $5k there...), but I'm not sure about anything else (I'd probably have to pay room and board and fees).

So, should I go to UARK and use my college fund to pay for room and board, or go to UALR and use my college fund to buy a CTS?

 

[SilverCTS]

Sounds like you're in a win win situation. The future looks bright for you.

I know I'm going to sound like your dad, but regardless of where you go, you shouldn't blow your college education on an expensive car. Save for the future. You could someday use that money for a down payment on a home.

My guess is that a wife and children are also in your future. You will need a nice home for your family. Have you priced homes lately??? You can't raise a family in a CTS.

 

[SpeedyArizona]

If you can't figure this out, HOW CAN YOU GET INTO COLLEGE ?

Go to UALR, if they give you a scholarship, a NEW Dell laptop, and have everything you want, why not?

I agree with SilverCTS, if you DO choose UALR (which you should considering what you've posted), don't blow your money on a new Cadillac CTS! Firstly, you don't need a new car when you go to college, it'll get dirty and probably stained with beer ! Secondly, people with the best cars usually awake to their beauty keyed from jealous students. And thirdly, the insurance will be higher, so you will need a job if you want to pile up your stipend.

Heres what, in my opinion, you should do:

1) Go to UALR, use that scholarship
2) Keep your Eldorado, or buy a newer Cadillac (But I'd buy a 'Vette )
3) Get a part-time job to save up for the real world when you need to pay rent for an apartment
4) THE MOST IMPORTANT: Enjoy your college life, participate in clubs and don't let those precious years slip through your fingers

 

[ben72227]

Thanks for the advice guys. Anyone else have thoughts for me???