<p>Barring a last-minute miracle from a big-reach school, Son's choice will come down to U. of Wisconsin (Madison) and U. of Maryland (College Park), both of which have accepted him.</p>
<p>The young man in question is white, Jewish but not religious, from the NYC suburbs. Wants to study Business although that is not graven in stone. Applied to these two (and others) because he wants the big-school scene, without sacrificing academic quality.</p>
<p>He's leaning strongly toward Wisc. My question: To the extent he seeks my input, is it crazy to recommend Maryland despite Wisc's edge in reputation and ranking? (The out-of-state cost is virtually the same for both, btw.)</p>
<p>My reasons for leaning to M are as follows:</p>
<p>-M has accepted him into their business school; W will require an internal application for business school during the soph year and there is no guarantee he'll get in;</p>
<p>-more palatable weather;</p>
<p>-Amtrak travel makes life much easier than air travel;</p>
<p>-the reputation/ranking difference is much narrower when you focus on the business program;</p>
<p>-while W has plenty of New York-area kids, M has an absolute mob of them, thus making Son less of a fish out of water; and</p>
<p>-the excitement of D.C. just a subway ride away.</p>
<p>There's a really big difference between Madison, Wisconsin, and being 1/2 hr away from DC. If son really wants to escape the city frenzy, then WI will be a good choice. Otherwise, I'm with you for voting for UMD.</p>
<p>While the distance issues are not to be discounted, I don't think Maryland can hold a candle to Madison in terms of college town atmosphere. It is essentially zero at Maryland. From when my son was looking at Maryland, we got the distinct impression that while DC was only a subway ride away, the station was just far enough from campus to make the trek into DC just that - a trek ... one which not that many students actually did on a regular basis.</p>
<p>If your son has said he's strongly leaning to UW, I'd be careful about recommending UM. It could create a lot more stress for him. Has he said why he's leaning strongly to UW?</p>
<p>You said he's also leaning to business, but it's not set in stone. Maybe that's a reason to consider UW, since he'd presumably be starting in a broader curriculum compared to UM's business school. Kids do change their minds.</p>
<p>As to other factors, again, I'd be careful. Each one is like a screw that could be turned, making his decision change ... but you could anguish wondering whether it really changed because he was trying to make you happy, or he's been used to your history of having made great decisions for the family and acquiesced, or his decision was enveloped in your decision.</p>
<p>In discussing, be sure to lay out considerations. UW has pluses, too! Good luck!</p>
<p>Event though UMd is located in ahigher cost area than Wisconsin the avergae starting salary is marginally lower at UMd. Also UW has more of a national and international student body and the immediate area is much nicer than CP. Going to DC for fun can have many negative consequences as I doubt visisting the monuments is the main purpose of such trips.</p>
<p>I understand the parent logic, but listen to your son's reasons. They're even opening a kosher dining facility in Chadbourne, a residence hall at UW-Madison, this fall. Do not deny him his choice at this stage in the game without finding faulty logic behind it. It sounds like a weekend of discussing pros and cons with him to me... Good luck wherever he goes, and feel free to PM me about Wisconsin.</p>
<p>I think both schools are excellent options, UMd worthy of serious consideration for all of the reasons you mentioned. However, I urge you not to recommend one over the other to him. </p>
<p>I say this as the parent of a kid who found himself not so in love with his choice of school. During that period, I got down on my knees and gave thanks daily that it was his choice, not mine. And I examined my conscience heavily that it wasn't my urging that made it <em>his</em> choice. Can't say that I have a totally 100% sure-fire clean bill of health on that last one; but I'm pretty much in the clear ;). Makes for a lot better mental health for both me and for him that it was his choice. </p>
<p>So, think about what it might be like if he defers to your recommendation and it doesn't work out. Just a thought.</p>
<p>Been to College Park lately? The campus itself is OK, but Prince Georges County and the surrounding environs are one of the least attractive and most crime ridden areas in the DC area. Prince Georges schools are one of the worst in the country - meaning that middle class people who live there generally leave. It indeed has that look and feel. Further, College Park has zero ambiance, sitting astride as it does 95 and 495 - it is far from Georgetown or American - if indeed one is looking for schools in a decent urban setting. Yes, I understand that Maryland has an excellent business school (as well as other fine schools), but College Park is just in no way comparable to Madison in terms of a college environment. To each his own, but to me it wouldn't be a close call, Amtrak or no Amtrak.</p>
<p>I hear you about your son being a fish out of water, but couldn't that be seen as a positive, considering that Madison is a fabulous college town and UW a superb public university? And as far as I know, there is a strong Jewish community connected to the university. He won't be all that unusual.</p>
<p>Has he visited both schools?
Aside from getting a better idea of how he feels about each one "in person," it would also give you both an idea of how distance and travel to/from school might be a factor (or not).</p>
<p>I am a parent and live about 20 minutes down the street from Maryland. Son also went there for his Katrina semester. College Park is a hole. Maryland Campus is nice but the surrounding area is a dump. Business School is pretty good and academically Maryland has a lot of strong departments but if it were me I would go with Wisconsin. </p>
<p>My wife went to grad school in Madison and I lived there way back when and it is a great college town. The campus on the lake is really a delight. Academics are pretty good and of course the atheletics and all are outstanding.</p>
<p>DC may be a subwat ride away - well really a bus ride and then a subway ride away but it is far enough and inconvenient enough that I doubt DC adds much to the UMd experience. Foryour family the only big plus is it is a lot more convenient to get back and forth to NY from Maryland.</p>
<p>In no way would a NYC suburban kid feel like a fish out of water at UW. There are dorms at UW that are nearly all NY-ers (not that I would recommend these dorms to a NY kid ... if it were my kid I'd encourage him to live elsewhere and meet kids from other areas of the country). UW is a very popular choice in the the NY suburbs these days -maybe in part due to its former football star Matt Bernstein (a Westchester kid).</p>
<p>I would not push UM over Wisconsin. None of the reasons cited are sufficient grounds and most of them are trivial. For a Government major, proximity to D.C. might be a valid plus. But otherwise the list is bupkis.</p>
<p>I'm the parent of a Maryland student who is very happy at Maryland (even though the surrounding area is indeed a dump and he has had bicycles stolen three times).</p>
<p>But I wouldn't push it over Wisconsin.</p>
<p>They are both good universities. Your son can't make a bad decision. I see no reason to push your son one way or the other.</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn't say that the weather at Maryland is "better." Most of the dorms aren't air conditioned, and school starts in August. It's fairly awful for the first three to four weeks each year.</p>
<p>And even though Maryland is very, very Jewish, that doesn't mean that other places would not be hospitable to Jewish students. Both my dentist and one of my neighbors have kids who have gone to Wisconsin and loved it. Both families are Jewish.</p>
<p>I don't know about the pre-admission to the biz program being bupkis. If that is a student's true area of interest, to me that is a huge plus. Some of the top undergrad programs that are only 2-year programs, such as Wisconsin, are not real easy to gain admission to as a soph., and have min. gpa requirements. That said, Wisc. doesn't look too bad (see stats below, from Business Week rankings), and I would much rather spend 4 years in Madison than CP! </p>
<p>925 freshmen (admitted and denied) sought full-time admission to the business program for the 2006-2007 academic year.
71% of these applicants were admitted to the program and 98% of admitted students enrolled.</p>
<p>If you're a strong student, you don't fear competition for admission to the business program down the road. And those odds aren't terribly daunting. It's not like the Business Economics program at UCLA.</p>
<p>Just a note re: travel. There is a bus line that has a stop at the student union in Madison that takes about 3 hours and $30 to get a kid to either of the Chicago airports. Mine has traveled from Pitt to Madison for about $60 and 5 or 6 hours one way. Southwest, our current airline of choice, flies into Chicago-Midway.</p>