Rutgers vs. Ohio State vs. Maryland vs. Wisconsin

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi CC,</p>

<p>So far, I have been accepted to Rutgers (New Brunswick), Ohio State, Maryland (CP), Wisconsin (Madison), and Indiana (Bloomington;Not really interested in attending Indiana though). I have been rejected from BC, UNC, and UVa. Due to this, I anticipate that I will be rejected by my top school, Northwestern. Of course I'm still hopeful, but I'm being realistic.</p>

<p>And so, I have a couple questions for you:</p>

<ol>
<li>Which of these schools has the greatest prestige in your area, or on a national level (my major is Journalism)? I ask this question because I don't entirely know where I would like to work as an adult, and so I'm just curious as to which college CC thinks is the most prestigious out of these four.</li>
</ol>

<p>and </p>

<ol>
<li>Which college do you think would be my best choice?</li>
</ol>

<p>Some details about me:</p>

<p>I have been accepted to Ohio State Honors and Indiana Honors. If I attend Maryland, I will be in the Scholars (living learning community program, not Honors). I have not heard back from Rutgers or Wisconsin, but I assume that I would be accepted to at least RU's honors program</p>

<p>Financial Situation (Just Tuition/year)</p>

<p>Rutgers: $9,500 per year (subtracted my 3500/year scholarship to get this total, and I'm instate)</p>

<p>Ohio State: $9,500 per year (15k per year scholarship)</p>

<p>Wisconsin: $27,000 per year (No scholarship info yet)</p>

<p>Maryland: $27,000 per year (No scholarship info yet)</p>

<p>Indiana: $20,000 per year (11k per year scholarship)</p>

<p>If you have any useful information or opinions about the prestige and/or quality of any of the aforementioned schools, I would greatly appreciate it.</p>

<p>-KBronx17</p>

2

<p>I personally feel Wisconsin is the most prestigious of the schools listed and has the widest range of top-notch academic fields. If cost is comparable to OSU/Rutgers and if you get into Honors, I would choose UW in a heartbeat.</p>

3

<p>Due to the relatively low post-graduation job pay prospects in journalism, you may want to consider cost and debt strongly in your choice of schools.</p>

4

<p>parent of UW freshman here – a few comments.</p>

<p>UW has excellent reputation back east, so if you are likely to head back there for career, UW is good choice. Indiana (where we are in-state so know it well), is known best for its music and B school, otherwise, not a lot of weight, though it does have some very strong departments in the arts and sciences. More likely a constraint if you look to settle back east after school. Between UW and IU, UW much better option, I would say.</p>

<p>Don’t hold you breath for scholarship (or finanical aid) from UW. Unlike IU, they do not throw automatic scholarships at high stat students, and give basically only loans to out of state students for financial aid. The merit money that is there at UW is very competitive. </p>

<p>Also, UW Honors is not a stat-based automatic entry, like at IU. It is an essay-based application. While I think it is well worth it, as a parent, it is not run as some “super smart kid” separate program at UW, all admitted students are invited to apply for Honors. There is no separate Honors College, it is the Honors program within Letters and Sciences, nor are there are separate Honors dorms. Honors students have Honors advising and other perks, plus Honors sections in courses etc. I wasn’t sure from your post whether you have applied for UW Honors or not. The deadline for application to Honors in Letters and Science is tied to your own acceptance date, at least last year. So check you UW emails for the link to on-line application if you have not applied already.</p>

<p>I will also mention that room and board at UW not as outrageous as at some schools – runs about $9000 for freshman next year, assuming a standard double room; meals are a l carte – you pay for what you buy instead of a set number of meals per week. Room and board at some of my son’s friends’ schools are over $12k, so that is something to keep in mind in financial calculations. </p>

<p>My son at UW has friends from NJ, CT, NY, MA as well as northern and southern CA. UW draws from outside the midwest, not sure how that compares to Ohio State.</p>

<p>Good luck with your decision, and congrats on your acceptances.</p>

5

<p>I have a master’s degree in journalism and my mentor got her Ph.D. at Wisconsin. She was fabulous, so it must be too. ;)</p>

<p>University of Maryland has a good reputation for its journalism school as well. It also has a great location for jobs and internships in Washington, D.C. </p>

<p>I would agree with other posters that the difference in reputations is probably not worth going into debt. I would add that Maryland does not give out much money either.</p>

6

<p>Midwestmom–that is correct on UW Honors. They did a review of it a few years ago and found that when admission was stat driven many were doing it just to get it on the resume. They decided they wanted more commitment to real participation and valuing it for the education–not the resume boost. </p>

<p>[Letters</a> and Science Honors: 50 Years of Raising the Bar | University of Wisconsin Foundation](<a href=“http://www.supportuw.org/stories/feature/letters-and-science-honors/]Letters”>Letters and Science Honors: 50 Years of Raising the Bar | University of Wisconsin Foundation)</p>

7

<p>I am a Badger at large in New Jersey, and I would choose Rutgers, for the low cost.</p>

8

<p>I don’t think there is any significant difference in reputation among these schools, so the cost should be a major factor. If I were you, I would consider Rutgers and Ohio State only. And then Rutgers has the advantage of being next to the media center of NYC.</p>

9

<p>Are you kidding? Wisconsin is a cut above the others.</p>

10

<p>Maryland or Wisconsin are the better schools. Ohio State and Rutgers aren’t as great academically.</p>

11

<p>For journalism…Maryland. Madison is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. UMD has access to the east coast centers of power, and of course DC. In addition, it’s now a member of the B1G which from a research perspective adds luster to the UMD sheepskin, so no advantage for Wisconsin there. If you’re interested in partying on the lake at the Ratskeller, go do Wisconsin. For the better j school experience…UMD.</p>

12

<p>I’d choose between Wisconsin and OSU</p>

<p>Wisconsin for the better reputation and OSU for the cost with a strong alumni network</p>

13

<p>^^

</p>

<p>+1</p>

<p>For Journalism however, Wisconsin & Rutgers are probably the best choice. In terms of honors college selectivity and cost saving/value, Ohio State would also be a great choice. Current 2013 tOSU incoming freshman Honors College average ACT score: 32.5/36 with 25.6% application increase.</p>