<p>I am a prospective Econ major from Texas. These are my schools and how much each would respectively cost me after non-loan financial aid/university scholarships. Any opinions on which offer I should take? (With regard to everything, not just cost.)</p>
<p>(University: Total cost of attendance/year)</p>
<p>Rice University: $42,071/year</p>
<p>University of Chicago: $34,350/year</p>
<p>University of Pennsylvania: $36,190/year</p>
<p>University of Texas - Austin: $24,028/year</p>
<p>UT is significantly cheaper than the others and is a good school. If you’re looking for a traditional college experience you’d probably be happiest there. So a good case can be made for UT. </p>
<p>If academics is your priority and your family can afford the extra cost, go with Chicago or Penn, whichever you think is a better fit. Both have strong economics departments, but for academics alone I think Chicago has the edge. Rice is excellent too but I’d rule it out on price (and because economics does not seem to be one of its strongest areas).</p>
<p>Ever heard of the Chicago School of economics? UChicago is one of the top schools in the world for economics. If you can afford it, go there.</p>
<p>@tk21769: Out of those schools, UT is probably the one I’m least interested in, but I’m a fan of value so it’s actually probably tied for my top choice. ALL of my friends are going to UT, and while I love my friends, for some reason that turns me off. But for ~$10K a year less than my next cheapest… that may sway me. Rice was actually my top choice until I saw their financial aid.</p>
<p>@thsfan345: Yes, I know about the Chicago School, that’s a big factor in why I chose to apply to Chicago. I’m just trying to decide now if a degree from Chicago is worth ~$40K more than a degree from UT. My family can afford it, but I still don’t want to put too much of a financial burden on them.</p>
<p>college is an investment though… if chicago is that strong in economics and thats what you want to do, that will pay off more in the end i think</p>
<p>Bump, just to get some more opinions.</p>
<p>I’d say Chicago if you’re truly set on economics. That’s a top school for your major - the kind of choice worth paying for. Plus you’ve got it at significantly below the cost of attendance, so it’s a bargain. Love Rice and Penn, but there’s no reason to pay up for Rice, and it’s hard to see why you’d take Penn when you have Chi. If not Chi I’d grab UT because cash is always nice.</p>
<p>Just my opinion.</p>