<p>My S got accepted to the U of Maryland Honors College with a President's Scholarship and also to Northwestern University. We do not expect much financial aid from Northwestern, so the financial issue is considerable here. At this point he is still undecided regarding his major. I am weighing the quality of the education vs the expense. Any advice is appreciated.</p>
<p>I would say this, Northwestern offers a better quality of education although UMD is not slouch in that department especially their honors college. He could easily go to either one and get a damn good education. So the problem boils down to money. I would and see what type of Fin Aid you are going to get and then think hard about if you are willing to pay for an NU education. Since he is undecided at this point you can’t really weigh in on that factor which is a very important one. The best thing to do is to wait, get the financial aid package and talk to him about what he wants to do and make a pro/cons sheet including what you would have to pay to go. </p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Well, you might get a bit biased answer since this is in the NU forum, but I’d say Northwestern. Despite the costs, NU provides a much better education (though UMD isn’t bad, like the above poster said). Also, there is the name recognition that comes with NU. Though it might not be like an Ivy, employers are more likely to look favorably upon an NU grad than a UMD grad, even with that honor’s tag. So coming out of a school, he’d definitely be better off with NU as it will open more doors for him (NU = gold standard in the midwest, along with a few other schools, whereas UMD has to compete with Ivys, Duke, etc. on the East…). Also, keep in mind UMD is a bit more laid back, semi-party school. Though that might mean more fun, it is also a lot harder to get the most from a college education because of the distractions (thus, since the adage of “it’s what you do with your education” is true, it will be a lot easier for your son to use his education in a school with other elite students who are using their education, without the distractions of partying every day of the weekend).</p>
<p>At the end of the day, however, I suggest you just let your son decide based on the school he likes better. Both are good, and that Honors tag does add a lot to the UMD name (though I feel the general NU tag is still better). Even with the cost, if he wants to go to NU, rest assured he will be in a great school with great people and have very high chances of finding a job and such.</p>
<p>Leilamom:</p>
<p>I think the first question is what can your family afford. If the tuition at NU is a true hardship for your family and would impact on things like your retirement, or the ability to send other children to school then you have to give serious consideration to a lower cost alternative.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you come down to the question of “is it worth it”, and I’m afraid that no one really knows the answer to that question. People feel VERY strongly on both sides of this question and make decisions accordingly.</p>
<p>FWIW, we were in the same situation last year as you with our D, where the choice was between NU, paying full freight, or going to a lesser-reputed (but still excellent) school with significant scholarship money – we chose NU, and believe it was the right decision.</p>
<p>Send me a private message if you want to discuss this further.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I think this is a choice most NU families face since virtually ALL NU admits have stats most schools will pay a lot to attract. There’s an interesting thread devoted to this topic (“why do people choose to go to NU over full-ride options…”).</p>
<p>I’ll bump it in case you’re interested.</p>