<p>I have been accepted to a wide range of state public universities including Wisconsin-Madison, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Georgia, and University of Alabama. Right now I want to major in economics and possibly pursue a career in investment banking or some financial job. I'm also still slightly interested in doing pre-med. I wanted to get some opinions on what people thought about what I should do. Michigan, which is obviously a top rated university would cost around $30,000 than Alabama. I toured Alabama and Georgia this past weekend and I will be going up to Michigan and Wisconsin next month.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>It’s best to deal with real numbers…</p>
<p>The COA for each of your schools is…</p>
<p>$50k…UMich
$40k…UGa
$31k…UAlabama
$38k…UWisconsin</p>
<p>How much merit did you get from each school? </p>
<p>How much will your parents contribute?</p>
<p>What is your borrowing limit per year?</p>
<p>If your parents will pay for undergrad, will they let you use “saved” money (from going to a cheaper school) towards grad school, med school, etc?</p>
<p>Well, they’re in very different locations and from what I know about UofM in comparison to Alabama, they have very different cultures. So, if you/your parents can afford it and you like one significantly more than the others, one is significantly better in your major than the others, etc., then I’d go with that one.
If money is an issue rather than just being a “bonus” if you can save it, and you’re planning to continue with your schooling, which it sounds like you are, go with the school where the combination of things on which you’re judging colleges- money, excellence, culture, whatever - lines up the best.</p>
<p>And don’t forget about scholarships.</p>
<p>Mom, as of right now I only know about the money that I got from Alabama, which is $3500 a year. I’m starting to think that I should wait until I find out what my true total cost of each university will be, before making any decisions.</p>
<p>*Mom, as of right now I only know about the money that I got from Alabama, which is $3500 a year. *</p>
<p>From your Bama scholarship, I know that your stats are within this range - 28-29 ACT or 1250-1320 SAT. That is not high enough for merit $ from UMich or UWisconsin.</p>
<p>Hopefully, you’ll get another scholarship from Bama from the major dept that you listed on your app. What did you list as your major?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t bother visiting either of those schools until I saw a FA package from them. They don’t meet need of OOS students, and since you’ve indicated that your parents can’t spend much (you have 3 younger siblings), it doesn’t make sense wasting money on college visits for schools that you won’t likely be able to afford. </p>
<p>** I’m starting to think that I should wait until I find out what my true total cost of each university will be, before making any decisions.
**</p>
<p>Very true. What is your financial safety school?</p>