NGPF Activity
Paying for College
Spanish version
Teacher Tip Video
INTERACTIVE: Payback
30 min
Interactive: Payback
READ EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU START! Your total cost of going to college can vary greatly
depending on what type of school you choose and the decisions you make while you’re in school!
Play this fun interactive game, PAYBACK, to experience some of these decisions.
Part I: Start the Game
Your Goal: Graduate college with a reasonable amount of debt and try to avoid burnout -
focus on your grades, make sure you get enough social interaction, and keep your
happiness levels sustainable (3 bars at the bottom of your screen as you play the game).
1. After opening the game, click on the “Get Your Payback” button to get started.
2. “Apply for college”: Choose options that apply to you and note them below.
a. GPA:
4.0-4.0+
b. EXTRACURRICULARS:
HIGH
c. HOME STATE:
New Jersey
3. What impact do you think GPA and Extracurriculars might have on the college options
available to you and how much you will have to pay?
GPA and Extracurriculars are crucial in the available college options because many
colleges are selective and will not accept students with a subpar applicant profile.
Although the amount of financial aid received from each college would not vary
due to GPA and extracurriculars, the amount of money received from merit-based
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scholarships would. Ultimately, this affects the net price of your education.
4. Compare your offer letters using the 3 factors: prestige, cost, and aid.
a. Which school did you choose?
The Pharaohs (Private School)
b. How much debt are you starting off with? (Hint: look at the bottom right-hand
corner of your screen after clicking on your school)
I am starting off with $6,480 of debt.
c. How do you think your school choice might impact your overall success in the game?
As displayed on the bottom of the screen, each school has the following
subcategories: focus, connections, and happiness. The level of these 3 categories, in
accordance with your choices, is how I believe the overall school choice will impact
success in the game. My school in particular, the Pharohs, has an excellent
“connections” rating, leading me to believe I will have an easier time finding jobs
after graduation.
5. Continue the game, but pause before you start Freshman Year to answer the next set of
questions.
Part II: Before Freshman Year
6. What was your strategy when making the pre-college decisions about taking jobs, buying
laptops, selecting dorm supplies, etc?
Knowing I had no immediate tasks that required my time, I took the job, hoping to
make any extra money that I could. When selecting a laptop, I opted for the middle
option as I knew my anticipated major, economics and mathematics, would not
require the high-end computers that an engineering major would. However, I also
wanted my laptop to be a quality product that would last me throughout my
education and not cost me much in repairs or upgrades; this led me to stray away
from the cheapest option that was at a price that seemed too good to be true. I
chose a roommate because it was the cheapest option, and I knew it would raise
my connections status. I picked the standard meal plan as it would keep me
satiated while not contributing to my debt. When buying items for my dorm, I
picked the cheapest options for essentials and skipped out on expensive wants
such as a large TV and video game system. However, I did invest in a microwave,
mini fridge, and coffee maker as they would allow me to save money on food by
allowing me to store and reheat my meal plan food. One thing I did not skimp out
on however, was 800 thread count sheets and down pillows; sleep is very
important for an overworked college student.
7. Take a look at your meters for Focus, Connections, and Happiness and at your debt level.
How confident are you that you’ll beat the game in the end?
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1 2 3 4 5
Not looking X Definitely
good going to win!
8. Now, continue playing the four rounds, one for each year of college.
Part III: After You’re Done Playing
9. Did you get through the whole game? Why or why not?
Yes, I got through the whole game. I attribute this success to making financially
responsible decisions. Oftentimes, I had to miss out on many of the things my
friends were partaking in, but in the end, it was worth it. However, I made
compromises to maintain my happiness; for example, when my friends began a
dinner club, going out every week to eat, I decided I would join them, but only once
a month.
10. What’s one wise choice you made during the game? What’s one choice you made that you
regret?
Wise Choice Choice I Regret
During my senior year, when I had Going home for break by catching a ride. I
interviews coming up, I had the choice of wasted $40 and lowered my happiness and
not buying professional clothes, buying focus scores. I realized that sometimes it is
cheaper/used ones, or buying expensive worth spending money or going slightly
ones for $500. I chose the $100 option, into debt for things that make us
cheaper/used clothes, and this was worth it substantially happy. If I could go back, I
as it gave me the same opportunities as the would have chosen a flight to go back
expensive clothes while saving me money. I home.
believe if I were to have chosen the free
option, I would have appeared childish and
unprepared in my interviews, decreasing
both my connections and focus score. If I
had chosen the $500 option, I would have
gotten the same benefits as the $100
option despite spending significantly more
money.
11. If you could choose just one, which set of decisions do you think is MOST important to your
success in paying for college:
❏ What university you choose to attend
❏ Your purchases to prep for freshman year
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❏ The decisions you make during your 4 years of college
❏ The major and career path you follow
Explain your answer.
Based on the general rule that there is a positive ROI if your predicted first-year
salary is less than your student loan debt, some colleges would make this nearly
impossible. The easiest way to put yourself into debt is by choosing a college you
cannot afford and is not willing to give you much aid. Luckily, due to my applicant
profile, I was able to attend a private school that provided a very good amount of
financial aid. A real-life example of this would be an expensive liberal arts school
such as NYU. Some students take out loans to pay $100,000 a year in tuition when
they are majoring in something that has a very low expected starting salary.
12. Identify at least two lessons you learned by playing this game that you could apply to your
real life.
The first lesson I learned is that the cheapest option is not always the best option as
it may lead to greater costs down the line. I can apply this to the decisions I make
as I approach my first year of college and decide what supplies to buy. The most
important lesson I learned was that the college you pick has an extremely heavy
weight on your roi. This was useful and applicable to my life as, in under a month
from today, I will be deciding which college to attend. I was initially conflicted as I
have received a full-ride Presidential Scholarship from Rutgers, covering tuition,
room, and board. However, I have not received my decisions from other colleges
yet and was more than open to attending these colleges, despite having to pay
very high tuition and potentially having to take out student loans. However, after
this past personal finance unit and the activity, I am now gravitating toward
Rutger’s, when before I was viewing it as almost a backup, something that would
always be there if all else failed.
=== END OF ASSIGNMENT ===
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