Prestige vs Happiness!? Please Help!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hullo Guys,</p>

<p>So I'm struggling between two schools right now: UVa (Virginia) and UGA (Georgia). I'm thinking about majoring in Business.</p>

<p>Pros of UGA:</p>

<h1>1 Party School</h1>

<p>I've met some students and they're all extremely nice!
I can see myself fitting into the social scene there!
It's practically free with the HOPE Scholarship and Financial Aid
I'm already guaranteed a research opportunity (CURO) and 4k spending money
I'll be in the Honors Program
They have a GREAT study abroad program!</p>

<p>Cons of UGA:
It's not as prestigious and it's reputation stops at the Georgia borders</p>

<hr>

<p>Pros of UVa:
Its prestige is known across the South and the country (to an extent)
Their undergrad Business program (McIntire) is ranked in the top 3!
It's FREE because of financial aid.</p>

<p>Cons of UVa:
I've heard soo many horrible things about the student body and the workload.
I want to let loose during college and maintain good grades! This seems harder at UVa.</p>

<p>I've yet to tour UVa (that happens next week) but I'm torn between the two schools! I REALLY want to go to UGA because I know I'll have fun and receive a good education with the chance to partake in funded research! But at the same time UVa is very prestigious!</p>

<p>Is the name of the school THAT important? How far does the name get you in life?</p>

<p>Thanks all!</p>

2

<p>personally, i don’t think your decisions could be more obvious- you should go to UGA. You seem to really love the school in many ways, PLUS you have an awesome research opportunity and it’s almost free for you! Don’t think that just because UVA is a little more well-known that you should go there. You will be successful after college no matter where you go- the school name does not determine that, you do. I know lots of people on the west coast and northeast who have heard of UGA. Don’t let people tell you that it’s not known outside of georgia!</p>

3

<p>OMG McBain you have no idea how happy your response just made me!!</p>

<p>I’ve been struggling with this for the past week now! Others have told me that I define how successful I become in life, not a school! I’m just afraid of how others would perceive my decision and my school! UGA is mainly known for being a party school and while that’s great, I don’t really want that reputation to stick for the earlier parts of my life!</p>

<p>I’m also worried about the quality of my education. I’ve seen some UGA professors and they seem to be learned people! However, some UVa professors are known nationally! I’m afraid that the quality of my education will determine how far I go in life (more so than the name of the school).</p>

4

<p>Outside of Georgia, UGA is considered to be a perfectly respectable institution of higher education. Choosing to attend because you a) just plain like it better, and b) it is way cheaper, is not going to hold you back in life. Yes some of the UVA faculty members have national reputations, but any day they could take an offer from another university and leave, or even worse, drop dead. The important thing is that you already do know that the professors at UGA are competent. You will not get a “bad” education there.</p>

<p>Run the numbers, and some of the non-financial criteria that matter, through this calculator. I’m sure that you will find that UGA is a good choice for you: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>

<p>Truly, in college as in the rest of life, what you get out of your experience is mostly up to you.</p>

5

<p>If you feel UGA would be a better fit, go to UGA.</p>

<p>With that said, UVA actually sounds like a pretty good fit too.</p>

6

<p>Hey Happymomof1,</p>

<p>Actually UVa and UGA are both free! UVa offered a full financial aid package covering tuition, room and board, food, etc. It totaled out to nearly $50,000! I haven’t received my aid package at UGA yet but I live in state and I’ll be receiving the Pell Grant and a few scholarships so it’s basically free as well!</p>

<p>Haha if cost were a factor, this decision would be so much easier! However, it’s not and I’m left to decide which university is a better match with my interests. My dad told me that I can basically turn UVa into the type of school I’m looking for (in other words, I define my own experience). However, I can’t help but feel as if I’ll be missing out on something if I don’t attend UGA.</p>

<p>At UGA I’ll be treated special (they go through great lengths to ensure that they’re Honor students have an abundance of resources). Moreover, I’ll receive a scholarship for 4k in spending money (I can spend it on anything I want to), I’ll be in Honors, I’ll have the ability to partake in research with respected professors and I’ll be exempt from 6 classes through AP credits (I’ll only be exempt from about 3 at UVa).</p>

<p>It seems like the only reason I’m even considering UVa is because of the prestige and the business school. Everything else pales in comparison to the opportunities I’ll have at UGA.</p>

<p>@noimagination,
Why do you believe UVa would be a good match?</p>

7

<p>

Because you are from the South, interested in business, and want to let loose a little bit. Sounds kind of like UVA to me. I seriously doubt if the social experience at these two schools is that different.</p>

<p>With that said, I can tell just based on your tone that you want to go to UGA. If that’s the case, maybe you should just go ahead and do it.</p>

8

<p>Hahaha thank you for your input noimagination :)</p>

<p>I was a bit worried that I would convey a pro-UGA tone…but whatever! That’s how I feel right now! And I hope you’re right! I heard that UVa is pretty big on parties and academics too. So we’ll see. :/</p>

9

<p>“I’ve yet to tour UVa (that happens next week) but I’m torn between the two schools!”</p>

<p>There’s no reason to make any decisions until you have seen UVa. Colleges are like picking a boy/girlfriend or spouse…there are a lot of little factors that come into play that are tough to quantify or articulate. Just because one looks good “on paper” or in pro/con lists, it doesn’t mean that’s the one you will fall in love with. During or after your visit to UVa your decision will probably become very easy.</p>

10

<p>Thank you Shmaltz :)</p>

<p>My mom told me that I should wait until I toured UVa’s campus as well! But gosh I can’t wait until then! I want to know NOW!!! :smiley: Haha but I hope you’re right! I’d love for this decision to be easier.</p>

<p>Would anyone mind commenting on the importance of prestige? It seems to be the only reason I’m considering UVa (well that and it’s almost out of the South…which is pretty good).</p>

11

<p>PLEASE keep an open mind when you tour UVA. I’ve always loved UVA, so I’m biased in the way, but the school really is great. From what I know of UGA, UVA has a similar atmosphere and campus style. I assure you, there will be enough partying at UVA, and you’ll also get a top-notch education while you’re there. </p>

<p>For me, this would be a no-brainer (UVA), but I realize that you’re considering other factors. I just want to make sure you give UVA a fair shot.</p>

12

<p>

</p>

<p>Then go to the school where you will be happiest. A prestige school is ONLY valuable if you are willing to work as hard as necessary to earn top grades. Employers and grad schools will prefer someone who graduates near the top of their class at a reputable university over someone who has mediocre or poor grades at a more prestigious school. </p>

<p>Of course there is a possibility that you won’t earn top grades at either school… but in that case, then your happiness at school is all the more important.</p>

13

<p>Thank you so much for all of your responses.</p>

<p>I’ve been trying to remain as unbiased as possible and I’ve also told myself to look at UVa with an open mind! I don’t visit until the 17th-19th. Maybe I prefer UGA right now because I know SO much about the facilities and opportunities. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about UVa.</p>

<p>I’m also curious about the opportunities at UVa. I’ve already been promised tons of opportunities at UGA and I’m not even a student yet! However, at UVa I didn’t apply for the Echols Scholars (I didn’t know about it until after the deadline) and I haven’t been offered any research opportunities. I understand that I have 4 years to look for these opportunities if I were to attend UVa, but if I go to UGA these opportunities are already guaranteed!</p>

<p>Also, I find it comforting that you guys say that UVa is similar to UGA in terms of the social life and what not. I think I’ll have to wait until the visit to see if it’s the right match for me, though.</p>

<p>Edit:
I will definitely maintain stellar grades at both institutions. My concern at UVa is that the workload will be so intense that it eats into my social life. In terms of amount of work I’ll have to do, UGA will definitely be a lot easier; therefore, leaving a lot more room for me to have a more enjoyable social life and research. At this point I’m wondering what’s the point of attending a more prestigious university if the workload will be more intense, my GPA will be lower and I won’t be guaranteed the same opportunities.</p>

14

<p>USNWR Undergraduate School Rankings
25. Virginia
56. Georgia</p>

<p>Virginia is considered the 2nd or 3rd best public school in the country.</p>

<p>USNWR Undergraduate School Rankings (Public Schools)
2. Virginia
18. Georgia</p>

<p>Virginia has smaller classes, higher graduation rates, higher SAT scores etc etc</p>

<p>% of Class <20 students
52% - Virginia
36% - Georgia</p>

<p>Graduation Rate - 6 years
93% - Virginia
81% - Georgia</p>

<p>SAT - CR
600 - 710 - Virginia
560 - 660 - Georgia</p>

<p>SAT - Math
620 - 740 - Virginia
560 - 670 - Georgia</p>

<p>The following are the rankings of the top public universities in the country in terms of placing students to the top Med, Business and Law Schools. Virginia is at #3. Georgia is no where to be found.</p>

<p><a href=“WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights”>WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights;

<p>You can party at each school just as much.</p>

<p>If you don’t want to attend Virginia because it is too hard, why not just skip Georgia also and attend a Community College instead that will assure you of easier classes.</p>

<p>One of the important points of going to college is **to learn **- and purposely attending a school because of easier classes is not going to get you there as much.</p>

<p>Virginia’s business program and connections and reputation in the South and the rest of the country are much much better than Georgia’s.</p>

<p>Regarding GPA’s, I am not hiring now, but if I were approached with similar individuals from Virginia and Georgia to hire, and the Virginia student had a 3.0 GPA v. the Georgia 3.5 GPA, I would tend to go with the Virginia student.</p>

<p>Once you visit Virginia and realize that it can be as much fun as Georgia, you will be convinced that the better academic school here is the way to go.</p>

15

<p>wait, i thought happiness and prestige were the exact same thing? :P</p>

16

<p>japanoko,</p>

<p>I didn’t ask for anyone to tell me which university is more prestigious. I don’t need facts and numbers to tell me what should be common sense. I’m simply asking if prestige is worth sacrificing happiness and an abundance of opportunities already promised.</p>

<p>Rest assured, I am going to visit UVa and I will determine whether or not I like the grounds and the student body. If not, I will most likely go to UGA. While prestige is important and it was definitely my goal for the past 3 years or so, I am now realizing that my own happiness is much more important and instrumental in determining my success in life. My only question now is whether or not I will be able to find my own niche at UVa.</p>

<p>ilovebagels,
To some! I’ve heard several Ivy kids state otherwise :stuck_out_tongue: BTW San Fran is my dream city! I totally want to move there ASAP!!! :)</p>

17

<p>

</p>

<p>well, if going to Virginia is going to make you very unhappy compared to Georgia, then why go there?</p>

<p>just enjoy Georgia and come back to us four years later to let us know how well you did in graduate school applications or job prospects.</p>

18

<p>Actually, my dream is to start an internet-based business while in uni. I have no intentions of applying for a job or grad school. That means the quality of my education will be very important because it will guide me in creating my business. I don’t want to apply for a job or grad school because I’m working now. I’ve learned a lot but the most valuable thing I’ve taken from the experience is the importance of being the man on top and not the one doing the grunt work.</p>

19

<p>

That’s a wonderful goal, but college isn’t high school, and it could be more difficult than you anticipate to earn A’s. </p>

<p>But I do think happiness plays a part in that as well-- if you run into academic barriers and you are not happy at your school, that will tend to compound the problem. On the other hand, if you find you have to work harder than anticipated but you are enjoying your school and your social life, you’ll be more motivated to put in the extra effort. </p>

<p>It also does sound like UGA has offered you some opportunities that could lead to a better overall academic experience, with the research program. So it could be that UVA has more prestige, but the honors program at UGA will actually give you a better overall educational experience, and possibly a better foundation for grad school down the line.</p>

20

<p>Thank you so much calmom!!!</p>

<p>I’m still not sure which school I’ll attend, but which ever one I choose I can guarantee happiness! After reading what you’ve had to say, I’ve realized that happiness is definitely instrumental to my success at any college. When I visit UVa I will keep this in mind! I also understand that maintaining straight As in college will be very difficult (some argue impossible) and I’m fine with that. My goal isn’t to make straight As, but to do my best and leave with 3.5+ GPA.</p>

<p>Again, thank you so much! You’ve definitely alleviated some of my fears and concerns. :)</p>