Now that I've decided on where I'm going to be enrolling, my biggest concern is figuring out how to pay for it. I know that I'm going to have to get some major loans to pay for my two years at Stanford, but the thought of coming out owing $120K is terrifying. I've been doing searches for scholarship opportunities on Google, but I seem to be finding a bunch of school-specific ones. Of the ones that aren't directly linked to a given schools, I'm finding very few that I qualify for because of a number of reasons, such as my future career goals, and undergraduate GPA. I have found a few that i plan on applying for though, so all hope is not lost. Also, I'm hoping that Stanford comes through for me with a phat financial aid package when they give me the news next month. Someone on the MBADiversity.com board posted a list of about 50 fellowships that Stanford offers its students so i hope I get hooked up with one or more of them. I'd better enjoy my 2 years in school because I'll be paying for the experience for a loooooooong time.
It just hit me that I hadn't put up an entry in a while, so I thought I'd come through and give you guys an update.
I've had a lot to think about in the past week or two and, after considering my school choices, I've decided that I will definitely be attending Stanford in the Fall. For most people, this would have been a foregone conclusion after getting the call from Derrick Bolton and it basically was for me too, but I had to give it some extra thought because Fuqua and Darden are both dope schools. Fuqua did me very well on the financial aid and i was thinking that I had a great shot at a Consortium fellowship from Darden. Plus, I had a great time at each of those schools' diversity weekends. I know that I would have come out of either of them with a fantastic business education and a top-notch MBA that would make all potential employers have to respect my gangsta...
...but, in the end, I had to sit back and look at the fact that Stanford was my #1 choice from the beginning and it is the perfect school for my future career goals. Also, as one of the only 8% of people that Stanford lets in every year, I'd be stupid to turn my back on that chance. I think the thing that really did it for me was the fact that I haven't stopped smiling about getting that "big call" almost 3 weeks ago. I have no clue how much I'll get in financial aid from Stanford because I just submitted my financial aid forms last Friday, but I'm sure they'll do right by me. I honestly wouldn't mind taking out a bunch of loans to go there because I am sure that I'll have a ball out there and should be able to pay that money back pretty easily after school is over. Now, I just have to wait for the next 6-7 months to fl by so I can get ready for that long 3000+ mile drive out West.
I hope I can go out there and represent to make all y'all proud ;-)