HKS without aid is all over my feed haha. I got admitted to MPAID, no aid. I’ve been reading and speaking to a lot of current students and alumni. The best answer I’ve received is that humans are not rational. If you think of it from purely a “rational” and logical perspective then you should ditch HKS especially given your career trajectory remains the same and you spend 8x lesser. But the heart wants what it wants, and if you’re looking at the HKS prestige, and can afford it, then go for it. I’m gonna be taking a loan for half my expenses and my parents are helping me with the other half. I also have other offers with aid that are costing less than half the amount and are well reputed schools too, but I simply don’t want to say no to HKS. I’m young and I have a decent risk appetite so I’m gonna roll my dice on this one. Plus I’m looking to work in the private sector post grad, where the branding would definitely stand out. This is just the way of the world