<p>(cross-posted on the W&M board)</p>
<p>I was admitted into both the University of Virginia and The College of William & Mary and I'm having an exceptionally difficult time deciding between them. I'm not sure what I will major in, but most likely something like English, Women's Studies, or Media Studies, though I've become increasingly interested in Pre-Med.</p>
<p>At W&M I was offered a scholarship - the price of tuition for 4 years (not including room/board or other fees) - and at UVA I was offered the distinction of an Echols Scholar, but no money (and as an international student I'm not eligible for any financial aid).</p>
<p>(If you're not familiar with it, Echols Scholars at UVA are "free from all distribution and area requirements within the College of Arts and Sciences". Also, Echols Scholars receive priority registration for courses, which means that they register before anyone in their class.)</p>
<p>I recently visited both schools. Admittedly, I'm more familiar with the UVA campus because I have family that attends the school, so I've visited it about 3 times and I'm very comfortable on-campus. I visited W&M only once, but stayed the weekend. My main gripe about the W&M campus is that it feels like a park with its out-of-the-way paths; it feels isolated, like I'd be walking to class and to my dorm alone or with very few people around.</p>
<p>I come from a low-income family, so if I go to either school I will have to take out a loan, but a significantly bigger one if I go to UVA. Despite not totally feeling the campus environment, is it better to go to W&M and graduate with $45,000 in debt or UVA, where I feel more comfortable but will graduate with closer to $80,000 in debt?</p>