Am a really conflicted incoming international student for CS. Do you think $245k to attend UIUC is worth it?
Throwaway as many of my friends know my Reddit account. I'm losing a lot of sleep over this and I would really appreciate thoughts and advice.
I'm a girl from a middle class family in Hong Kong who was recently admitted to the Grainger College of Engineering for CS. My cost of attendance is $61k per year based on the online calculator, so my total cost is about $245k. I couldn't apply for aid last year as my family isn't considered poor enough and my mom used to make a decent income.
Two things happened recently which are preventing me from attending UIUC: 1) my mom got laid off (my dad's not involved in our lives) and 2) my twin siblings who took a gap year last year got into Oxford and Harvard respectively and their cost of attendance is, well, a lot. My mom is more keen on funding their education than mine as their universities are more reputable in her eyes. I don't fault her for that and I'm happy for them. But at the same time, I really wanted to study CS at UIUC.
I've also gotten full scholarships from two universities in Hong Kong if my UIUC dream doesn't work out. However, I'm not that keen to stay here as the political and covid situation is unpredictable to say the least.
My question is: do you think it's worth it to take out about $120k in loans so that I can attend UIUC? I've read that UIUC fresh CS grads earn $112k on average, so I'm just hoping that I can make enough money to pay them back during and after my undergrad. Or would you just stay behind if you were me? Any input would be appreciated.