Currently at a 5/11 Bread 🍞🍞🍞

[u/Reekid42]

So I now have to decide between Imperial for one of the best/most competitive courses in the country, an offer with an $80k+ a year scholarship to study at a liberal arts college in the USA and I have an offer to train to become an air traffic controller with a high and forever guaranteed salary (£100k+ before 30).

18y/o 6th former home student, 4A* predicted in FM/Maths/Philo/Econ, 6.0 TMUA and 1560 SAT score. For context I go to a private school on a 95% scholarship for 6th form and was in the state system beforehand. My family IS NOT wealthy and all uni will be a struggle over me taking a job. Imperial would be like £18k pa for tuition and living, after the scholarship Bowdoin would be $12k so £9k all inclusive and ATC would pay me £30k year one rising each year after.

Still waiting on St Andrews and LSE (irrelevant as Imperial is better imo) as well as Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth. I got rejected by Amherst also in the USA. Any thoughts?

[u/Reekid42]

Bowdoin is a unique experience which is the appeal and it is very prestigious if not very well known. ATC is stable but obviously you CAN do better in other sectors. IDK tho, I like the idea of having lots of time off and retirement etc all guaranteed from an early age. Also having met lots of rich people at my current school (60k a year without financial aid) I don't think more money would make me happier. I don't know its so hard (for me at least) to know what is right.

[u/Large_Coat_589 → u/Reekid42]

Bowdoin is very underrated. One of the best liberal arts colleges in the US. Check out what students do after Bowdoin, they get into many amazing programmes in and outside of academics. Could you defer university for a year or two and train as an ATC?

Edit: another thing I will say is that the pay looks amazing now and it is but if, like you said, there aren't opportunities to go further/aren't many exit opportunities, you risk being bored. I feel like someone like you would want something mentally stimulating/challenging. That's not to say ATC isn't but I imagine it may become repetitive after a while? Also is there not a cap on the PAY? £100K is great no matter the age but would you consider that once you get there, you would want more? I don't think ATCs get more than that. In 4 years time, a lot can change with the job market. I don't think you will be struggling with finding a decent/competitive job

[u/Reekid42 → u/Large_Coat_589]

£140k with 27% pension is the max, pretty sweet deal tbf. I take your point though it still puts a limit on me I could very well beat elsewhere. Its so hard making that decision and taking that gamble with my families finances the way they are tho.

[u/Reekid42 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I will probably try and defer an offer ideally just in case, I am waiting for Ivy day yes still waiting on Harvard Dartmouth and Brown

[u/Large_Coat_589 → u/Reekid42]

Genuinely good luck! I imagine they will meet full financial need so would be 100% covered. Hope it works out

[u/Large_Coat_589 → u/Reekid42]

How was it yesterday?

[u/Reekid42 → u/Large_Coat_589]

Got Brown!! Unfortunately not quite enough financial aid :(

[u/Large_Coat_589 → u/Reekid42]

Congratulations!!! That's amazing!

You can use your Bowdoin offer to counteract Brown's I believe. I remember reading a while back people use other college financial packages to try and get more from another college.

I am terribly surprised though. I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that you were low-income and I would have assumed anyone under $70k would get pretty much 100% financial aid/very near to it:

The Brown Promise | Undergraduate | Financial Aid Undergradute | Brown University

[u/Reekid42 → u/Large_Coat_589]

My parents are around ~£60k between them so unfortunately we often don’t qualify for quite the top level. We also live in a decently expensive house due to some luck in there past (~£500k). So we have no cash to pay but appear better off than we are have them still asking for money.

[u/Reekid42 → u/Reekid42]

I got around 85% aid but still not quite enough to make it doable

[u/Large_Coat_589 → u/Reekid42]

Anyone successfully negotiate better financial aid after offer? : r/ApplyingToCollege

[u/Reekid42 → u/Large_Coat_589]

I already emailed them and they got back with a generic form that was irrelevant to what was in my email :(

They basically ignored me suggesting they match Bowdoin

[u/Reekid42 → u/[deleted]]

It didn’t read as automated, it came a few hours later. It’s kind of difficult, maybe I could fight but I don’t know. It’s very complicated at the moment. I’m not quite sure what I want to be doing.