<p>UMD. Save your money for the Kennedy School. UMD has fabulous connections with the political life downtown. BU and GWU don't offer enough extra bang for the buck.</p>
<p>Re: the friend who wants to room with you --
Lesson #1 about roommates: Speak your mind, or you'll be walked all over. Now is the time to say to your HS pal, "I really want to branch out and have new friends and experiences, and part of that involves rooming with someone who I don't already know." Failure to stand up for yourself can lead to roomies who bring home guys in the wee hours during finals, their excessive drunkenness, and having to remove said roommate's contact lenses because she's passed out. (Been there, done that.) :(</p>
<p>If you're definitely going to be majoring in Political Science and money really isn't an issue, then I would go to GW. The internships you could get there and the professors you would have for political science really are unparalleled. However, if money is a factor for you at all, I would go to UMD. You will get a great education there and still have money for grad school.</p>
<p>As trite as it sounds, one of my worries is about GWU's place in Georgetown's shadow. In all honesty, I am pretty confident that I would have been accepted at Gtown if I applied - I didn't bother applying because I knew that I automatically had 27K/year at GW and Gtown doesn't offer merit aid. In retrospect I'm not sure this was smart of me. Should that be a concern? I don't want students at Georgetown that I'm on par with to have huge advantages over me both during undergrad and when it comes time to apply to grad / professional schools.</p>
<p>I had that concern, too. I honestly didn't think I would like GW, but I visited and I really did. Many students are really proud of GW and don't feel that they are any "worse" than the kids at Gtown. Increasingly more and more students are choosing to apply to GW and not Gtown, even if they think they can get into Gtown. IMO GW has the better location, better internships/D.C. connections, a more involved/politically active campus, and a faster, more upbeat feel. Gtown is also Jesuit whereas GW isn't which makes a difference to some people. From the stories we heard from the students and faculty, GW seems to be pretty well-established and well respected within D.C. They have some pretty interesting "GW exclusive" internship opportunities with top employers within the city and have been specifically approached by the Smithsonians, State Dept., etc. for interns. I would visit, if you're close.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help so far. Guh, one day to decide and I still don't know. Without a doubt, I prefer the atmospheres at both BU and GWU, and would be happier at either of the schools. I love the idea of living in a city, and I'm sure that in the course of four years I would get bored with Maryland. What I'm trying to figure out is whether the difference is worth a whopping $100,000. Any more advice?!! bump!</p>
<p>Emma-More advice will just confuse you at this point. Only you can make this decision. Go into a quiet room, make a list of what is important to you (no on else) in a college. Then compare your list to the colleges you're considering.</p>
<p>A lot depends on how much the $100K means to you and your family. If it would mean HUGE loans, I would take Maryland. If it means large loans, it depends- large loans will delay your first house purchase and reduce its quality. They may well delay your marriage. They may well delay the date when you start your family. They will reduce your vacations. They will influence what car you buy. They will cause you to live with worse furniture and appliances. So, it just depends on how much you value the college experience. The diploma will probably be worth the same no matter which of the three you select. They are all good schools.</p>
<p>Logic won at the eleventh hour...Maryland it is. Granted, if I get off the waitlist into my dream school (Brown) then I'll likely go, but at the end of the day I decided that the difference in the experience just wasn't worth the extra $100,000 for schools with such similar acadmic reputations. I'll work hard and save up the money for grad or law school and experience city living then!!</p>
<p>Emma, it's nice to see someone making a good decision here on CC. I know that it is very hard to turn down those private schools with the wonderfully designed buildings and slick marketing brochures;however, I promise that you will love your decision that you made.</p>
<p>taxguy-Your logic is so inconsistent. When it comes to comparing University of Florida to University of Miami, you always sing Miami's praises, even though it is an expensive private school. However, when it comes to comparing other private schools to publics, you try to make the private schools seem excessive and unnecessary. (This is not a comment on the op's choice, which was right for her.)</p>
<p>WHOA: This is a very different situation. She got a FREE RIDE to a good state school vs. a LOT MORE MONEY TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS> I would have said the same if Miami were one of the choices..</p>
<p>Also: I generally like Miami for a lot of reasons. However, if someone were in-state for Florida vs. Miami, I might very well advocate Florida unless MIami had a program that wasn't offered in Florida or Miami gave a lot of scholarships or money wasn't an issue. Most of the questions that I previously dealth with were usually comparing Miami to other private schools such as BU, Syracuse, Boston College, et. al!</p>