Mizzou vs UGA vs UMN Twin Cities

College Search & Selection
1

I have finally narrowed it down to three schools but I am having trouble picking just one to commit to. Cost is a factor but not super important (my family can afford all of them with no loans). I have visited all of the schools recently and loved them all, which only seems to make this decision harder. Major is journalism but I’m not completely sure I will stick with that. I am also hoping to become a team manager for the sport I play and have contacted all of the coaches.

Mizzou - COA 25k, admitted to the J-school, in Honors and a Walter Williams scholar (a great offer but I am worried that I might be stuck in journalism because I would lose scholarship money and the benefits if I switched majors), hard for me to get to and I’m not a huge fan of Missouri as a whole, I have interviewed with the coach and it seems likely that I could work with the team, but I have heard some bad things about program culture

UGA - COA 47k, admitted to Franklin College as intended journalism, in Honors, best weather, also hard to get to but I prefer the location to the others, I sent the coach my resume and the interview process occurs over the summer (seems more competitive, so there’s a chance I wouldn’t get the job)

UMN - COA 34k, admitted to College of Liberal Arts, in Honors, very bad weather (I don’t like winter), very easy to get to and a pretty good location (a little worried about unrest/safety), based on facebook groups the best fit culturally, I have an interview with the coach set up soon, also worried that if I do stick with journalism the program isn’t as good as Mizzou or UGA

2

That you are not committed to journalism means maybe not consider Mizzou. The coach today, depending on the sport, may not be the coach tomorrow. Mizzou is a strong journalism school. It’s an easy major. You can double to keep your scholarship.

Otherwise it seems you like UGA but all three are solid although UGA is ranked highest. But they are three solid flagships.

Money should factor. Your parents may be able to afford it but why spend more if they don’t need to …

Go where you felt best but Mizzou with a double major could work.

3

What sport? Basketball and Football are supposed to be in great hands right now with coaches that care about their athletes as men as much as a means to competing. Women’s hoops are also in good hands as is softball. I’m surprised you heard that about Mizzou’s current staff and culture, but you may have a source that’s more on the inside.

4

I would pass on Mizzou and choose between UMN and UGA. MN is very cold although you can acclimate to it after a year. With Honors at UGA, that would be my recommendation. Top notch honors program. And Athens is great with much milder weather. Grady, if you get accepted (likely) is also stronger than UMN.

5

I’d recommend UGA Honors. Great Honors college and more flexible for your interests.

6

I don’t disagree with UGA Honors - it’s nuts to get in.

But I think we all have to remember, Mizzou is 25K, UMN is $34K and UGA is $47K.

The major is unknown but maybe Journalism - which is a low paying and difficult to break into field.

While money is a “factor” but his family can cover regardless - is UGA worth $88K more than Mizzou? I’d say no.

Honors is great if you want personalization, attention, more writing/reading…but it’s great for the student. It doesn’t translate to the job market - companies don’t care - they don’t even ask on applications about it (there’s no place to put it).

UGA is a great program - but again, it’s an extra $88K - is that worth it? You have to decide - and btw - college costs more than the COA - I can assure you of that.

Now, perhaps as a student manager, you’ll be able to offset some with whatever scholarship they give you, etc.

Good luck.

7

You are mistaken. There are elite companies that only recruit UGA honors students, for example MBB and IB. I bet there are others. Students will definitely have Honors Program listed next to UGA on their resume and on their LinkedIn. OP is basically an undecided student. It is worth the extra since this family can afford it for the overall better school. And if journalism is the goal, Grady is just as excellent as Mizzou’s journalism program. That the student doesn’t even like Missouri makes eliminating Mizzou easy.

8

I don’t’ think I’m mistaken but thanks for the endorsement. I happened to help my son fill out job applications - nearly 400 in getting an internship this summer. Resumes don’t matter anymore - they are collected by systems to go into profiles - and in not a single place could he mention the Honors College. And you will read countless other posts on CC that state similarly - do Honors for yourself, not for jobs.

UGA has a good program and yes, some Honors professors have access to jobs or programs to steer people. But you’re assuming you know what type of jobs the student is even interested in and that Honors would lead to that type role. And most Honors students are not getting jobs because of Honors colleges but because of the normal way.

Yes, they can have it on their resume and linkedin.

Yes, UGA is higher ranked - but truth is outside the top schools, rankings don’t matter. If you are in Chicago or Denver or NY, there is no difference from UGA to Nebraska to Mizzou to Utah to Oregon. The same goes for higher ranked UF.

Unless you are the two premier UCs, Michigan, UVA, UNC, and maybe W&M, your school doesn’t matter as an aggregate.

For journalism, Mizzou is higher caliber but it’s a low paying and difficult field and as you said the student is undecided.

We talk about college costs as if they are nothing. My daughter will attend C of C all in for $30K. Alternative I could have sent her to Washington & Lee for $81K. I got off cheap - $30K.

hmmmm - but when i go to stroke the check, $30K is still a ton of money.

So a $22K a year difference - not saying he shouldn’t do it - but that’s $88K. It certainly should be a consideration.

There’s another chain - someone chose UAB over UCLA because of this exact fact. UAB in pedigree is lower than any school here and UCLA much higher. But the reality is, the costs are high - and it should be a factor…maybe not the only one but a factor nonetheless.

9

I am telling you, not speculating, that you are mistaken. My DD is a student at UGA in the honors program and has been involved in recruiting for an elite firm that does recruit at UGA but only from the Honors program. Interested in a fellowship? Unless you’re in honors, you won’t get endorsed. Interested in certain other prestigious opportunities? Better be in honors. There are many excellent, elite opportunities that are limited to honors program students at UGA. That is a fact. I’m all for saving money … when it makes sense. My own DD chose UGA over Harvard but we did it with full understanding after due diligence that her opportunities would be excellent.The OP isn’t talking about loans here. The parents can afford the other options. The cheapest isn’t always the right choice and it isn’t in this case.

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Btw, if your son filled out 400 apps for a summer internship, he did it all wrong. The UGA honors program would have guided him in a more effective internship search strategy. Or just someone with a better understanding of how the internship market works these days. I mentor college students and none are applying to that many internships and end up with excellent options.

11

My friend, you’re putting too much belief in what colleges promise vs. deliver. My son is in Honors - and with all the help and all that stuff - it’s a tough world. Ga Honors will have access to some things but it is no guarantee.

Back to the questioners question - and again, I’m not saying UGA isn’t strong - my daughter got into Honors and earned the classic scholarship but is choosing the C of C. Our COA at UGA would be about $38K - but the campus is just too big for her.

I’m simply questioning if UGA is worth $88K more over Mizzou. $88K is a lot of cash - so that’s the risk / reward the person asking the question has to decide.

Yes, he said he doesn’t love UGA…but it’s still a lot of cash, even if you can afford it.

12

btw - this is exactly what the colleges are stating to do - and in engineering with no experience, it’s a crazy world. As it is, my son is interning on a team with 2 GA Tech kids and a U of Houston and in discussions he was told similar. They cast a wide net - and there are still plenty of engineering students seeking Summer options.

With the advent of AI software and online job recruiting (indeed, linkedin) the recruiting world has changed and the school’s themselves are not placing people.

Yes, for those kids with great relationships at schools, that can help them…but most are not at that level. Most are kids who go to class, and barely know their profs, etc…especially this year.

13

There are several tiers of Honors colleges. Alabama’s is good but UGA’s is another level. Their goal isn’t to offer full tuition scholarships and a strong learning environment to good students from all over, but to snatch away kids otherwise admitted to the Ivy League, making sure they have no regrets, positioning them to show everything they’re capable of.

14

My vote is for either Mizzou or Minnesota. I have ties to all three areas (originally from Missouri, lived in ATL, and went to grad school at Minnesota).

My friend’s son turned down Michigan, our alma mater, to go to Mizzou in the J School. My friend couldn’t stomach the huge difference in tuition. Turns out his son loves Mizzou. This is a common theme…nearly everyone I know that went to Mizzou loved it (including my dad). Mizzou was the nation’s first journalism school, and along with Northwestern, Syracuse, and Columbia (grad) have the best reputations. And Columbia, MO is probably the most progressive part of the state. (although not as much as UMN)

UGA is a great school but I question whether what is now a $88K (and likely $100K after four years) difference is worth it. Think of what you could do with that money. Go to grad school, buy a car, down payment on a home, etc, or a combination of two of these. The honors college is well regarded, but I can’t say it’s worth that much more to attend. I feel strongly that students should not get into debt. If your parents can and are willing to pay, then Georgia is a good fit for you.

Minnesota is also a great school and I loved my two years there. The cold is not for the faint of heart, but it’s often sunny and cold (as compared to cloudy) which makes it bearable. And the Twin Cities are fantastic; liked my time there much more than Georgia.

They’re all great schools. As long as you’re happy and not drowning in debt, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

15

I don’t think your school matters as much as you say. Michigan didn’t change my life, and I probably would have done just as well going to a lower ranked school.

16

I think I you meant to reply to someone else. I pointed out that in this case where you go doesn’t matter.

17

That’s what I was referring to.

18

Gotcha. So I’m basically agreeing with you but noting that those few names, to many, have cache. But not to all.

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19

Agreed. There is way too much attention paid to US News rankings (that many times aren’t accurate) and less to fit and amount of debt. Not everyone loves the site, but Niche dot com takes all things into consideration in their rankings. Things like value, campus life, athletics, food, dorms, and of course, academics. These are the criteria that determine whether a student is happy, or not.

Michigan still comes out on top there, but there are a lot of other really good schools that do well in those rankings that don’t in US News.

20

The reality is rankings do matter. But you are not wrong in that who is to say higher ranked means superiority. And you have to look deeper than a school.

Want to work in supply chain ? Then you want to be at Arizona State or Michigan State. They have more jobs than recruiters.

Niche is a great site and I laugh at some CC posts that go to schools opposite of everything they desire just for ‘pedigree’. It’s a long four years and there are no guarantees at the end. The UGA HONORS offers some ‘academic’ type internships as do many schools, but again there’s no guarantees and why you (and I) said go where you want but you can do a lot with the money you save. Uga Honors is a program, not a college which also minimizes its attributes. It’s avg SAT is over 1500 so they do get great quality but you’ll find top students at MIZZOU and certainly UMN as well.