<p>I am having a dilema, and Im sure lots of kids are in a similar situation. I made all my schools, and I have narrowed my choices to Wake Forest University and James Madison University. I can't decide where to go! </p>
<p>Wake Forest is a nice campus, small, private, individualized, has resources and oppurtunities of a large university in an intimate setting, has an extremely difficult workload, and costs $42,000 but is a fantastic liberal arts school. I would like to stay involved in music and extra curricular activities but I dont know if it is possible in such a rigorous school.</p>
<p>James Madison University is a large institution, much cheaper (>$25000 for out of state + I got a partial music scholarship), not as competitive or intimate, is not rated as a top school, but the price is right. I would double major in music and something else - but I don't want to be a musician when I grow up.</p>
<p>I was looking for a small liberal arts school, but I don't know if its worth the money and all of the extra work since WFU is one of the top 10 schools with a tremendous workload. Is it true that if you go to a rigorous school like Wake you will be better off in the long run - more successful with a better job? Does anyone have thoughts or what would you do in a similar situation?</p>
<p>I went to a high work load prestige school and honestly, it did not pay off for me. A lot of it was my own fault-was all tensed up about the work at the very beginning, but soon found it was not that hard and that I was doing very well. However, then I forced myself into a lockstep in my major, would not change even when I realized that it was not right for me- didn't want to lose credits, lose ground, do less well. Didn't pay enough attention to social development and joining activities. This hurt when I hit the job market. You need an activity to talk about in interviews, trust me. I did not do well in the job market until years later. So, I feel that I would have thrived more at a more ordinary school. However, who knows, maybe I would not have.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it's about taking full advantage of you educational opportunities wherever you go. If money is an issue for you or your parents, you might want to consider the scholarship at JMU; however, I worked my tush off at a small, private college (marlboro) and do not regret the experience or the cost (I received a full scholarship to grad school). Hope this helps.</p>
<p>My son liked Wake but they gave him no merit money so we had to evaluate it at full cost. He got three scholarships (almost free tuition) at Penn State (Schreyer) - one of the better honor programs in the country. PSU also has a business school that is as good or better than Wake. So PSU it is (his choice). He loves sports and the big school atmosphere so I think it's a good match. He'll also have money to spend on grad school if he wants. For you, I guess it depends on your money situation and what you're looking for. Most of the kids I know at JMU are happy. Is there an honors program there? Does prestige matter to you? WF isn't Harvard but it seems to have a better name than many publics.</p>
<p>I recommend starting by visiting both schools, preferably overnite is that can be arranged thru the school with a volunteer host or with friends who already attend the schools. Then try to get a sense of what it would be like to be a student at the schools. Talk to students in the dorm, at meals, etc. Get a sense for the type of kids the schools attracts -- are they studious, friendly, tense, overworked, casual with respect to academics, etc? What do they do in their spare time, and how much spare time do they have? Find out about class size -- will you be in large lecture classes or smaller settings? Find out about advising -- will you have a faculty advisor, how about access to counselors in your college and major? Since you want to stay involved in ECs and music a visit is a perfect chance to ask current students whether this is going to be possible, and if they know anyone doing things you're interested in. There is a great article about overnight visits at <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=170687%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=170687</a></p>
<p>As for your question "Is it true that if you go to a rigorous school like Wake you will be better off in the long run - more successful with a better job?" the answer is -- there is no answer. Simply attending a school is no guarantee of anything, good or bad. It's what you make of it that counts. There are going to be great successes who attended Wake as well as those who struggle the rest of their life.</p>
<p>if you are from the northeast and plan on working/living in the northeast when you graduate, the 'name' of the school you choose wont matter because quite honestly, the only reason why people know of wake forest in these parts is because of their basketball team. nothing against these 2 schools, which are both great, but most schools around the country are 'prestige-limited' to the average person. which is why i believe the worst criteria to use while picking schools is the prestige factor.</p>