<p>So I visited UMich this past weekend (as an accepted student) and loved it! It was awesome! I really do want to attend Michigan (especially if I get rejected from Duke/UNC, which is highly likely), but my mom really does not want me to go there. She wants me to stay instate (MO) like my siblings. I love Mizzou (they did offer me almost a full ride) but really loved Michigan a lot too and no offense to MU but Michigan is a much finer university. Anyway, so I visited there with just my dad. He seems to want me to go there (his parents attended there), he and my mom went to MU.</p>
<p>My family is fairly well off, he told me we wouldn't fill out FAFSA and whatnot (and I trust him since he is an accountant). I know I have a lot of money saved up for college from my gparents and parents. My mom keeps saying that Michigan is too expensive and I should just save my money and if I don't get into UNC or Duke go to Mizzou. IDK she really really really does not want me to go to Michigan. How can I get her to understand that I like it a lot? I could really see myself going to school there!</p>
<p>I think she understands you like it a lot. I understand you like it a lot, and I’ve just read one post.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be nice if the only factor was “what do you like?” </p>
<p>It is YOU that needs to understand there are many more factors at work, unless you are paying for 100% of your education. If you are, then it’s all about you! Pick your favorite, pay for it, and go!</p>
<p>If you’re not, then others rightly have a say in the distance, the education, the cost, and any other factors.</p>
<p>Unless you’re getting substantial merit aid there, UMich is not worth $200,000 more than Mizzou. UMich is outstanding, it’s nationally prominent, but $200,000 worth? No way.</p>
<p>There are many reasons for “Wanting” to go to a school. What are they? Make a list. Then you should give each reason a score, from positive to negative. Add them up and then you have the answer. That is one way. The other way, is to actually look at it from return-on-investment perspective. Ask your dad to make up a ROI sheet and calculate the returns in 5-10 year horizon.
In general, a good school has good departments. Like Michigan, it has a very strong Engineering school and business program. If you are interested in those, go for it. I am not sure about your state flagship school. I will choose Michigan, if I am facing the decision. For the most part, it makes more financial sense, as you will most likely to get a better job after graduation. Speaking of which, you should check on graduates for both school and see the percentage of them get decent jobs. The propability of a Michigan graduate in finance getting a job at the Wall Street is fairly high. Much higher than those from Mizzou. For last year, the bonus pay out for the Wall Street is about $150 Billion! How many folks are now working there? You do the math.</p>
<p>OP - EVERYBODY knows that UMichigan is a great school. SOME people know that UMissouri has a few well-respected departments. NOBODY knows the dynamics of your family. And that means nobody can tell you definitively how to resolve your family impasse.</p>
<p>I like KXC’s suggestions … put together a rock-solid case for attending Michigan, and run it past your Dad. Somewhere in the discussion, ask him (quietly!) why he thinks your Mom is so adamant about you attending UMissouri.</p>
<p>Dad says he’ll pay for Michigan. You prefer Michigan. Tell Mom how much you love her but that you want to go to Michigan. She’ll come around. Dad will work on her too.</p>
<p>OP: I’m not saying you are exaggerating, but how did Mizzou offer almost a full-ride? The highest merit scholarship at Mizzou is the $10,000 Mizzou Scholarship. They only give 10 of them and the 50 students who are being interviewed for them were just contacted last week. (I know this because my son was one of the 200 students asked to apply.) The only full-ride at Mizzou is one per county for a first-generation college student (which you are not) and ONE full-ride to ONE student out of the Mizzou Scholarship finalist. That person gets the ONE Chancellor’s Scholarship.</p>
<p>So, unless you’re a recruited athlete, I think you’re not being completely honest.</p>
<p>If your family can afford Michigan and you want to go there, go to Michigan. It’s a great school.</p>
<p>your dad agrees with you, which is great, now what if you tell him to talk to your mom to convince her(while you’re not around)?</p>
<p>tell your mom that if you go to UMich that you would be more comfortable and perform better academically, which is true due to the attraction you have to the environment. if you really like the school and how it feels, it will motivate you try harder and concentrate. try to make her understand</p>
<p>and don’t worry about the money, no one is going to go broke over your college education funds.</p>
<p>in this case your mom’s opinion is based on fear while yours is based on love. it would be sad to see you not go to a school you like so much just because your mom doesn’t want you to (especially if your dad agrees). </p>
<p>*I’m not saying you are exaggerating, but how did Mizzou offer almost a full-ride? The highest merit scholarship at Mizzou is the $10,000 Mizzou Scholarship. *</p>
<p>Maybe he means “full tuition”. Or maybe $10k per year pays for tuition and some of room and board?</p>
<p>he does have an ACT 34 and 3.7 GPA.</p>
<p>Frankly, with an ACT 34, UMich might offer him some merit money…maybe about $10k per year. That’s what one of my son’s classmates got from UMich as an OOS student with same ACT but better GPA.</p>
<p>Since dad is an accountant, hopefully he knows the family finances. does he pay the household bills or does the mom?</p>
<p>Maybe the mom is concerned about spending a lot more on your education than they did on their other older children… Some parents worry about the perceived unfairness of that situation. If the parents didn’t give those kids a choice/chance to go to their “dream school,” maybe the mom feels guilty about letting you go. Or, maybe the mom has some other plans for the family’s money…perhaps the home needs remodeling/updating. Maybe a D is getting married in the near future and they’ll have a pricey wedding to pay for. Who knows?</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: It’s possible he is a finalist for the $10,000 scholarship, but he cannot have been awarded it yet. The on-campus interviews haven’t even happened. </p>
<p>Mikey has a weighted 3.7. Our son has 3.9 unweighted, 4.5 weighted, the same ACT score, 780 Math SAT II, 760 Chemistry SAT II, 2110 SAT, is a NM Finalist, and was not invited for an interview.</p>
<p>Again, I just want him to be honest. With his ACT, he has an automatic Curator’s Scholarship ($3,500), plus Bright Flight from the state ($1,500 if they fund the funding for it), and Robert Byrd from Dept. of Education ($1,500). Instate tuition plus room/board was $17,100 this year.</p>
<p>Michigan? If he thinks that he that good, and school is good for him, I’d pick USC. Its warmer at Southern Cal. Mom and Dad and sibs would love to visit him at Christmas. :)</p>
<p>Olderwisemom, I also got a good amount of money from CAFNR there (which is what I applied to), I meant tuition almost is free. Jeez though, the point was I wouldn’t be paying much to go to Mizzou, god…anyway, I want to probably go into either Chem or Econ, in which case UMich has a stronger reputation (much moreso in Econ) plus through LSA I’m able to better take classes in both and have much more flexibility with majors, whereas at Mizzou I couldn’t be as liquid there with my choice of major. Trust me, I’ve done my homework while applying to UMich, this is NOT just a matter of “I like the campus”.</p>
<p>Anyway, my dad most definitely runs my house financially. For sure. My mom doesn’t do anything with our family finances. I know that my parents want me to go to UNC if I get in (over Duke even) because it’s pretty cheap (for OOS) and is a good school so I’m pretty sure they’re okay with that one financially (and probably with Duke too). But I highly doubt I’m going to get into either.</p>
<p>Have you considered that the money put aside for you could be spent funding graduate school? </p>
<p>BTW, don’t get huffy when someone points out that your airy mention of a “full ride” cannot be accurate. You are asking people to give you advice based on a financial equation. If the figues are false, the conclusion will be equally worthless.</p>
<p>If Mikey plans to major in Chemistry or Economics, why did he apply for admisision to Mizzou in the College of Agriculture/Forestry/Natural Resources? Just to get more merit-based funding from CAFNR that College of Arts & Sciences doesn’t have? Both Chemistry and Economics are majors in CAS.</p>
<p>Maybe Mikey thinks no one from Mizzou hangs out here because we are not academically minded enough for CC. So, he figured he could stretch the truth a little and no one would call him out. He’s wrong.</p>
<p>Again, not an important consideration to everyone’s advice, but it’s an integrity thing for me.</p>
<p>It may be tough to justify paying $200,000 more for Michigan than for Mizzou (although I think that probably overstates it somewhat). But it’s equally tough to justify paying that much more for UNC or Duke, two places that, in terms of overall strength, are not quite up to the standard of Michigan. If the OP’s mother sees value in Duke, then she ought to be able to see it in Michigan.</p>
Mom and Dad and sibs would love to visit him at Christmas. :)</p>