<p>Hey guys- April's more than halfway over and I have yet to make a college decision. I'm a senior from Long Island, NY who is looking to major in Political Science or Psychology and I want to be in a nice suburby area close to a city. Ideally, I'd like to go to a school with a 5000-7000 college class. Cost is pretty important to me because I want to go to law school after college and I also have to pay for undergraduate on my own to begin with. But reputation is a huge factor for me too because I want to go to a prestigious school and get a quality education.</p>
<p>That being said:</p>
<p>-Brandeis University is giving me 30K [I'd have to pay 22]
-Boston College is giving me 40K [I'd have to pay 15]
-Binghamton/Geneseo are giving me basically nothing b/c it's cheap instate, so it'd cost 15K for either.
-UMichigan is giving me 20K but I made honors there [I'd have to pay 27]
-American University is giving me 38K and I made the University College Program there [like honors] [I'd have to pay 15]
-Wake Forest University is giving me 20K [I'd have to pay 32]</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>I'm really in a rut right now and ANY advice or criticism would be much-appreciated guys...!!</p>
<p>If you don’t want to base prestige only on U.S. News, I sometimes look at the Fiske Guide’s academic ratings (1 to 5 scale). Boston College and American both get 3.5 while Michigan gets a 5 and Brandeis and Wake Forest get 4’s. Since BC and American aren’t offering a lot more money I would probably go with a 4 or 5. Michigan is huge, so Brandeis is closer to the size you want. Have you visited? I’m sure that Michigan and Wake Forest are more sportsy, so you would have to try to assess which student body would be most comfortable for you.</p>
<p>American may have the best Poly Sci program and is one of the least expensive.</p>
<p>Umich’s Honor program is probably the best college experience you can ever get</p>
<p>–American University pay 15
–Boston College pay 15
–NY State university: Binghamton/Geneseo 15K for either</p>
<p>–Brandeis University pay 22
–UMichigan pay 27
–Wake Forest University pay 32</p>
<p>I strongly urge you to decide among these first three schools. They all have advantages and disadvantages, but since going to college is on your dime, not your parents, the importance of having the lowest debt after you graduate should be a priority. I think BC fits your preferences best.</p>
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<p>This is so false…</p>
<p>But still, Michigan :D</p>