<p>I have no idea which of the three schools to choose. I was offered a full ride to University of Maryland as a banneker key in the honors program and would also be in the honors programs at BU and GWU. I have about $27,000 at both Boston and George Washington through tuition exchange scholarships.</p>
<p>My biggest problem with taking the full ride at Maryland is that alot of people from my high school are going there and I don't want to end up just hanging out with them for four years...I really want to have new experiences. </p>
<p>For what its worth, I was waitlisted at both of my top schools, Brown and Columbia, but I'm not worrying too much about that since I have to have a decision made long before they would get back to me.</p>
<p>My interests are in political science/public policy/urban studies. I really want to have a fun college experience. Another one of my concerns is whether I'll be able to get into a really good grad school in four years. </p>
<p>Maryland is a big school. Are a lot of your HS friends going to be in your major, or in honors? My guess is that you'll find a lot of new friends to hang out with.</p>
<p>I have a couple of friends going in honors, one of whom wants to room with me if I choose to go there...which I'm kind of hesitant about in terms of the whole "branching out" thing. None in my major though. There are also some people I know going into honors there who are exactly the type of people I was hoping to get away from in college...which sucks</p>
<p>Frankly, I think Maryland is the best school of the bunch. If you combine the fact that you have a free ride there, it should be a no brainer: pick Maryland</p>
<p>One of the things thats pulling me toward GWU and BU is that I would really love to be in an urban environment. I hate suburbia and I really love cities, especially Boston, DC, and New York. Should that lead me away from Maryland?</p>
<p>I'm sure you're aware but Maryland does have fantastic Metro access to DC, so going into the city on weekends should be no problem. Granted your not in the heart of the government district like GW is in Foggy Bottom, but hey your only about a half hour away (and $3 fare) from foggy bottom anyways at UMDCP. if money isn't really that big of an issue for your family then u have a tough choice to make (Boston is also an amazing city), however if your looking at graduating with some debt, maryland is a very smart call.</p>
<p>I'd go to GW in your position. I think that it's a more stimulating environment than Maryland and that it has more student support programs than BU.</p>
<p>GW would have a lot going on in the fields that you are interested in, but it is not known as a fun school. Maryland would probably be more fun. With seven or eight thousand freshmen, I wouldn't worry about being stuck with the high school buds. Tell the friend who wants to room NO thanks. BU is in Boston, so that would be pretty exciting. But it is actually ranked lower than Maryland, and is big and impersonal, so no real bargain.</p>
<p>would all three offer pretty much the same path to grad school as each other, or would choosing one over the others make more/less likely that i would be accepted at say, Harvard's Kennedy School?</p>
<p>If you can afford the cost differential I would go to GW for the reasons you stated. It will expose you to a more diverse student body from every state and many different countries. Plus since you enjoy city life I think you will be happier in the GW environment. Yes, you can take the train into DC from Maryland, but Maryland students rarely take the time to do this. If you will take advantage of internships during the school year, GW is the place to do this as you can walk a few minutes from your class to many internships. If you are in an environment that suits your preferences, you will be able to achieve the best grades and get into the grad schools of your choice. That being said, if the additional cost will be a burden, Maryland is a fine alternative.</p>
<p>thank you sooo much to everyone who has helped! this decision is really extremely hard for me to make so its really nice to get input from others.</p>
<p>would anyone suggest boston university over the other two? and if you would/wouldn't could you give reasons why/why not?</p>
<p>I was seriously considering both boston u and GW at one time. I ended up not applying to Boston U because of a few reasons. One-it has practically no campus at all, while GW is in the city but still is noticeably a college campus. Boston U required subject tests too, and GW didn't. Plus, the internship opportunities are different, and even though Boston is a big city, its not as politically oriented. And the whole international thing about D.C. just made it more appealing to me. Also, D.C. is noticeably warmer than Boston. Finally, the Boston U sports teams' name is the terriers, lol</p>
<p>There is no way on earth that BC or GWU is worth 27K x 4 yrs (108K) more than a great place like Maryland. They are not worth a dime more. Who cares about your HS friends? Seriously that is not a factor. You won't even see them once you get to Maryland. Tons of kids from my HS went to my undergrad institution and I saw ONE of them the whole time I was there.</p>