Should I choose this school over another?

I got into UW Stout and I plan on attending the hospitality program. Their program is ranked nationally (8th a few years ago) I live in Wisconsin so the tuition would be cheaper. However, I also got into Ferris State, Grand View University, Lakeland University, and Waukesha County Technical College. So, how should I go forward with my decision? Is it best to go to a nationally ranked program?

  1. What is your estimated Cost of Attendance after any scholarship or grant aid that you do not need to pay back? Make a spreadsheet with the figures. Your travel expenses might be different depending on the college/university, so put in your own best estimate for that.

  2. If any of these are two-year programs, where would you need to transfer to in order to complete your degree, and how would that affect your costs?

  3. Have you communicated with the individual departments and the career centers at each campus to find out where their students get internships and jobs? If not, do that.

If the program is affordable, and can lead to work where you want to be working, then “ranking” is immaterial.