<p>Hello! I was accepted to a total of five music schools and I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to these two. I'm hoping to double major/dual degree in music (voice) and maybe busienss. Northwestern is going to be about $11,000 more a year for me than U of I. I have teachers I like at both schools. My question is, is the extra money worth it in the end? I'm looking for the school that will best help me get into graduate schools and jobs later in life. Any advice?</p>
<p>Is Northwestern going to cost YOU more money or cost your parents? And is the difference in cost a big deal to them? If you’re talking an extra $44,000 in debt over four years, I’d say on balance that’s not worth it. But if your parents can handle the difference and are willing to, that’s another story.</p>
<p>These are both good schools, as you know. Your prospects for both a job and graduate study will be fine if you do well at either of these schools. Northwestern’s music department is well known. I don’t know about U. of I.'s, though I know some graduates of their music program, including vocalists, who are outstanding (employed) musicians.</p>
<p>If there are no Stafford Loans in your aid package for Northwestern, then if you take out the maximum for your freshman year ($5,500) you will have half of the difference covered. The other half would need to come from somewhere else (work, parents, etc.) because you can’t borrow more than the Stafford maximum without a co-signer.</p>
<p>Northwestern has me taking out 3,500 in loans included in the financial aid package already, so we could take out another 2,000. My parents and I will be sharing the cost of additional loans.</p>
<p>If you wanna do music, I would go with Northwestern. I’ve lived nearby all my life and visited UIUC about a dozen times. $20k or so in loans (for yourself, assuming your parents will take out the same) for Northwestern is probably worth it. The two schools are pretty comparable for business, I’d say, but the location cannot be beat for NW. Evanston is a great town, and it’s so close to Chicago. The facilities are also really nice compared to UIUC, and I also get the vibe that it’s a more serious school (academically), but they still have fun. The Greek scene is decent-sized, but nothing compared to U of I.</p>