Should I go to the University of my choice, or settle for a state school just because the money isn't available right now?

It seems you have no choice unless 1) U in Scotland will let you defer or 2) you find the money asap.

What about going to the State U for two years, taking advanced courses and then transferring. Surely you can test out of the courses where you have already mastered the material?

go for your dreams. you don’t want to look back at this in say 20 years wishing you had gone where you really wanted.

no way…this will be an amazing experience

Try everything you can to make it work first- before you decide to give anything up. If you don’t give it your all, the regrets will be that much more potent.

Good luck!

Is there any way for you to get the money? If not, explain the situation and ask them to let you defer.

If there is ANY way to swing going to the Scottish university, I believe you should do it. Definitely see if you can defer entry if you can’t come up with something by the end of the week, and tell them your problem. Maybe someone there can think of a way to raise more money. I’m sure they encounter promising students with financial needs all the time, so they probably know more options than you do.

Even if you end up having to borrow a lot (provided you can borrow—things are so tight these days!), it will be well worth it, and you will likely be able to pay it off sooner because you’ll have a better degree, which should open doors for better jobs.

I really feel for you. I know that financing an education is tougher these days than it has been in many decades. Just hang in there as best you can—and congratulations on your acceptance to the college of your dreams.

Can’t you get a student loan for 12,000? (I’m assuming the aid you received is aid you don’t have to pay back?) 12,000 isn’t that large of an amount to owe, considering how much some people need to pay back. I’d go for the Scotland U.

I would do what you can to get to the Scottish U. I suspect you are smart enough to figure out a way to do this.

Settling is a good idea if disappointment is the goal.

Maybe you should go live in Scotland for a year so you can get lower tuition. And then you’ll have a job to help you save up some funds. If they’ve accepted you once they will likely be open to accepting you again. Find the middle ground and enjoy life in the meantime :)

Go to the state school, become a teacher and share your vast stores of knowledge, I can guarantee you that as a teacher, you will never lack challenges.

No money, No school. you answered your question.

Try to go to Scotland, but remember in tthe end, it’s what you do wherever you are that matters.

As someone who gave up her dream school and ended up in state college (for very different reasons) I suggest that you do everything you can to raise the money to go to Scotland. In the grand scheme of things, $12,000 isn’t that much money. It’s a lot, but it is nothing compared to a lifetime of “what if?”