Maryland or Chicago?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So time is running out, and I've narrowed it down to the University of Maryland at College Park and The University of Chicago. I plan on studying amth, so both schools have strong departments. However, I can go to Maryland for free and with a $3000 per year stipend, but Chicago will cost my parents ~$80000 over four years, and myself ~$30000, which includes about $20000 in student loans. I'll list the pro's and con's of each based on my experiences.</p>

<p>Maryland: </p>

<p>Pro's: Free, close to home, good math department, friends go there, no burden on Mom and Dad, offers a BA/MS program for math.</p>

<p>Con's: Not quite the atmosphere I'm really looking for, very big, large classes, somewhat impersonal, questionable grad school placement.</p>

<p>Chicago:</p>

<p>Pro's: Prestigious, exactly what I'm looking for atmosphere-wise, great math program, I can play my Varsity sport here, probably a more well-rounded academic experience.</p>

<p>Con's: Expensive (as I said), burden on parents, far away.</p>

<p>I visited both campuses, and I like Chicago's better. If anyone can give some input, commentary, provide anecdotal evidence in support of one or another, I would be extremely grateful. I'm having difficulty deciding; I feel like I don't know enough. Thank you for anyone who can give me some information or help.</p>

2

<p>The choice is clear. Although the University of Chicago will cost you a lot, it is well worth the investment over your lifetime. I would strongly urge you to choose the University of Chicago, it will definitely pay off.</p>

3

<p>If you can attend Chicago and graduate with $20,000-$30,000 debt, go for it. Chicago is awesome.</p>

4

<p>the difference between chicago and maryland is well worth the 30k in debt. if your parents are willing to pay for it, I would definately recommend going there.</p>

5

<p>The difference is not 30K, it is 110K. That is a lot of money. I would save the money for grad school.</p>

6

<p>If the only reason stopping you is money, do it. You can make more money, going back in time is harder.</p>

<p>However if you are going to grad, you could go to your super school then rather than now. Another thing to keep in mind though - if you are successful at UChicago you can probably go to a LOT of very very good grad school for free or nearly free.</p>

<p>I have a cousin who got into UChicago and MSU and had a similar decision, he choose MSU honors and did love it, and went to grad school for free at Cornell. So you can be successful that way.</p>

7

<p>If your parents had problem to pay the big portion of that - $80k, I'd say, go to Maryland. Although I love UChicago, but I think you can save the money for graduate school. </p>

<p>If your parents are happy to pay that $80k, I'll say, UChicago is a better choice.</p>

8

<p>I went through this exact same problem a few weeks ago and I had to choose between Indiana University Bloomington (pros, cons like Maryland) and the University of Chicago. Chicago is my dream school but in the end, I had to go to IU to save money for med school (I'd like to go to Chicago's Pritzker for med). Maryland is a great school but if you're planning to go to grad school, it might be better to go to Maryland, save money for studying abroad and all that, and attend a prestigious grad school. However, you're going to make alot of money in the future, then go to Chicago.</p>

9

<p>I see. Any other opinions?</p>

10

<p>datadriven,</p>

<p>i meant 30k as in..."if you're parents are willing to spend the 80,000 they are 'supposed' to be able to pay, and you only have to take out 30k in loans, then its worth it." if his parents aren't willing to pay then i wouldn't bother. he's asking about loan money, not total cost...</p>

11

<p>First of all, I know how you feel. I was supposed to be Chicago bound, too, but to Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. I wanted to double major in history, and I know not only is Medill the #1 journalism school in the nation, but their history program beats Maryland's by MILES. Now, in your case, the decision to turn down UChic might actually be easier than mine to turn down Northwestern: the math departments at both schools are EXCELLENT, and I only got 5,000 a year to CP - you got a free ride and then some!</p>

<p>Let me clear up the misconception you have that Maryland has "questionable grad school placement". This is not true at all; if you do well at Maryland (and it may be easier to do well at Maryland!), you will have the same grad school opportunities as you would if you did well at UChic. In fact, I would argue you would have /more/ opportunities, because you won't be financially limited. Both my parents know several people who graduated with minimal debt, but still could not afford law school. I'm not saying this would happen to you: you will probably be able to afford grad school wherever you go, but maybe you won't be able to afford the school of your dreams out of UChic.</p>

<p>Another major benefit to the cost of UMD - and an important part of my decision - is the freedom to do unpaid internships. I could even sacrifice money over each summer to be able to take the best and most prestigious offers that came my way. Not to mention, you certainly won't have to worry about work-study, so you could devote more time to academics and extracurriculars. You might pad your resume for grad school in your free time, or just have fun :P.</p>

<p>Also - and only your parents and to some extent you can decide this - I concluded that the academic edge at Northwestern was not worth straining my parents financially. They have to send my brother to college, and are building an expensive retirement home. For all of the things they've given me, I don't believe I could in my right conscious choose to give them money problems. They've worked hard and supported me for a long time - now I think it is time for me to start giving back to them. I don't need to be spoon fed: I could educate myself as good as any Northwestern graduate if I lived in a box on the street, and UMD is certainly no box on the street! Then again, the extra money could be chump change to your parents, and a math degree will certainly be more lucrative than a history+journalism one.</p>

<p>Now, I don't know if your parents would do this, but mine were willing to give me money in cash for a better laptop, a car, and even help me out with my first apartment. Since it's my dream to live in San Francisco, the Prius and the financial help was tantalizing ;). </p>

<p>Good luck with your decision; obviously in your shoes I would choose UMD, but your parent's financial situation has a lot of weight. And I'm not gonna lie and say the cold Chicago weather didn't scare me a bit!</p>

12

<p>Thank you for all the awesome and thoughtful responses! Anyone else care to chime in?</p>

13

<p>As a current Chicago student, I guess I'll try to chime in with a defense of Chicago. Maybe an anecdote will help:</p>

<p>I have a friend who was hit by a car after her a week or two at UChicago. The accident required extensive rehab and she immediately went on medical leave for the quarter and had her tuition refunded. Her leave, while unfortunate, put her into an interesting position: she had experienced a week or two of the school without paying a single penny.</p>

<p>During her time in rehab, she thought a lot of about what the school was worth to her. She had done some calculations regarding her debt, and the numbers weren't pretty. Most of her friends were at state schools or schools where they got major scholarships, and she was paying a lot for a school that she didn't know she wanted all that badly.</p>

<p>To make a long story short, she decided to come back, and she has told me time and time again how happy she is to be here. For her, the decision had less to do with grad school-- certainly, the case has been made that you can end up in a good grad school with either a Maryland or a Chicago degree, but that the students you meet along the way will be without compare more engaged and more intellectual. I know students who are fluent in five or six languages, students who think organic chemistry is fun, students who, even though they are political science majors, are in Honors Analysis.</p>

<p>I have no doubt that you'll be able to find great profs, great resources, and a handful of superbright students at Maryland, but I doubt it would be quite the same as Chicago. Chicago's math department in particular is superb, and I know students who have turned down MIT to study math at Chicago. In particular, our math and physics majors form a particularly close community, and so many times I've gone to breakfast to see students sharing answers to a problem set, or discussing the ways they fashioned a proof on a test.</p>

<p>Also, look into taking courses over the summer and graduating early. It's not as impossible as you think, especially if you know what you want to study and think ahead. I know students who have finished requirements in 3 years, 3 1/3 or 3 2/3 years is much more reasonable. (With AP credits and the like, I am 1 class short of being able to graduate in 3 years).</p>