<p>I'm currently a freshman at PSU, but being an out of state student I'm not sure I can really afford to pay this much for undergraduate. I'm majoring in psychology, and although I'm not positive I'll stay with it, the only other thing I am considering is a biological anthropology major, and I would need to go to graduate school no matter what. </p>
<p>That being said, I'm aware that where you go to graduate school is more important than where you go for undergraduate, which is why I am considering transferring to UMBC. My dad works there and it is about 20 minutes from my parents' house, so if I commute I can basically go for free (UMBC is a smaller school outside of Baltimore, MD). If I were to graduate from PSU, I would likely be around $10-30k in debt, whereas if I graduate from UMBC I'll likely have $40-50k to put towards graduate school.</p>
<p>My major concern with transferring, besides the fact that I just like being at PSU, is the recognition difference. Obviously Penn State is more well known and prestigious than UMBC, but would that really matter in terms of being accepted into graduate school?</p>
<p>My parents are worried that coming home and just commuting won't be the same as living on campus at PSU, which is definitely true, but I don't believe I would really dislike that lifestyle. It would just be different.</p>
<p>I also think that since UMBC would likely be less stressful for me (I would want to pursue the Honors Colleges at either school), I could more easily maintain a part-time job, and I would like to do so to have my own money.</p>
<p>I know this is insanely long so to sum up, is a lifestyle and a well known name worth the $50-80k difference in debt between the two schools?</p>