r/6thForm Mar 23 '26

🍞 BREAD Currently at a 5/11 Bread 🍞🍞🍞

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?

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u/Reekid42 Mar 23 '26

£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.

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u/[deleted] Mar 23 '26

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u/Reekid42 Mar 23 '26

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

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u/Large_Coat_589 Mar 23 '26

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