Pure turmoil over college decisions

<p>My s had decided on Loyola Md after belaboring over Providence and Loyola. Thursday we got a call from GW...accepted for business off wait list. Friday we got a call from U of Miami accepted to Entrepenuer program. He is totally lost. Visited both, liked both. Any advice?</p>

<p>We went through an arduous April. Since he kept his name on the WLs he must have liked those schools better than the others. Since he already visited, it should be a quick decision. How long are GW and UM giving him to reply? Put a deadline on it and then no turning back. GW is a wonderful opportunity. But there will always be second guessing. good luck.</p>

<p>What’s the money factor here? Which school gave the best scholarships/cost the least etc?
Also, which is the closest/furthest from where you live, and how does he feel about being close or far?</p>

<p>Wow. Just when you think it’s over, it’s not over. I don’t have any advice, just congratulations. Too much of a good thing, huh?</p>

<p>I don’t have any advice, but Congrats to your son! An embarrassment of riches is not the worst problem to have.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your well wishes, believe me we know he is blessed. Both schools will be out of pocket expenses. We live in NJ so Miami is far (but would be great to visit in FEB). I think we are stuck in the mindset that Miami means party central and GW just has a great reputation even if it’s business school is not as good as Miami’s. Academic consultants are pushing Miami. It should be interesting. Got both packets Thursday 5/7 and needs to decide today (Monday 5/11).</p>

<p>“academic consultants are pushing Miami”…just curious, why? Is your son planning on staying in the Fla region for internships and after grad?</p>

<p>Given that you only have today to decide, where does your son feel he will thrive and expand? I’m not sure the difference in business schools is that pronounced at this level to make that much of a difference unless he is hot on staying down south…</p>

<p>He is not set on the warm weather. The consultants we have used in the past both say Miami has a better business program, will open more doors etc. It is better known globally where GW is known in the Northeast. They feel the new dean (from Wharton) and the professors that she recruited (from Duke) will change the school for the better. Everyone outside of the educational field immediately sayst GW because Miami is a party school (#1 in Playboy this year). Im not sure they will ever live the party reputation down. He just wants the best program…has no intention of living in the south permanently.</p>

<p>Good point about the Wharton dean…totally forgot about that change, which is weird because I had him for a professor in the 80’s…that whole party school thing, IMO, is a farce…I know plenty of kids at Miami who turned down top 20 schools to attend with scholarship; you find your own at every school; if your son is a student, being at Miami is not going to change that…good luck with the decision…</p>

<p>Well, this may be a day late and a dollar short, but the campus feel of Miami and GW are so, so different. Does your son want an urban environment or a defined campus experience. I know for all three of mine, that factor alone would have made their decision.
Also, your location in NJ could play a part. If you are fairly close to an airport, you could get to Miami easier than DC.</p>

<p>I would chose GW over Miami. My son just transferred out of Miami as a junior. It is a big party school, don’t think otherwise.</p>

<p>Thanks all for input…GW in the fall.</p>

<p>Congrats to your son!</p>

<p>Came late. Great choice!</p>

<p>I think you made the right choice.</p>

<p>GW is a terrific school and Washington DC is a great place to study. Here’s a story that helped us make peace with school choices:</p>

<p>A traveler approached a woman working in the fields outside a city and asked “What sort of people live in this city?”</p>

<p>The woman paused in her work, looked at him and asked, “What sort of people live in your city?”</p>

<p>The traveler gave a bitter laugh. “They’re lazy, good-for-nothing, back-biting snakes-good riddence.”</p>

<p>The woman nodded and said, “I’m afraid you’ll find the people here are just the same.”</p>

<p>The traveler sighed and rode off, despondent. </p>

<p>Several hours later, another traveler approached the woman in the fields and asked her the same question: “What kind of people live in this city?”</p>

<p>The woman again paused in her work and asked the traveler, “What sort of people live in your city?” </p>

<p>The traveler smiled and said, “Why, they’re wonderful people-witty, energetic, creative, full of life. I miss them terribly!”</p>

<p>And the woman nodded and said, “Well, you’ll be glad to know that people in this city are just like that.”</p>

<p>And they both smiled at each other and went about their own business.</p>

<p>Late to the point of irrelevance, but to validate: GW in a heartbeat.</p>

<p>For lack of a better term, the critical mass of serious peers will be much higher at GW than at Miami. Remember, half the education takes place outside the classroom. I suspect that GW may offer some interesting opportunities in terms of either a) business-oriented think-tanks or b) the intersection of business and public policy that wouldn’t be readily available in most other places.</p>

<p>My only knock on GW is that it’s pricey. Says the Dad who mails off another payment on the PLUS loan for his daughter’s LAC tomorrow.</p>

<p>The story of the traveler is so true.</p>

<p>My niece transferred out of GW after a year because she said all the girls wanted to do was shop and party.</p>

<p>Miami is a great school and does not deserve the party rep. They were not even on anyone’s party school list for the last few years, and along comes Playboy with their ridiculous method of calculating “party” and all the hard work Donna Shalala has done to stress academics at UM is wiped out. </p>

<p>FYI</p>

<p>Playboy used “days of sunshine” and “brains” as major factors in their calculations. That is ridiculous!! </p>

<p>Miami has very strong programs in Business, Medicine and Marine/Atmospheric Sciences, among others. They also have a great music school (Frost). Many students are there because of their very generous merit scholarships and are very serious about their studies.</p>