Should I go to William & Mary or Rutgers- New Brunswick (Undergrad)

College Search & Selection
1

Hi all,

I have until May 1 first to make my final decision between these two schools. I’d greatly appreciate any advice, especially from someone who is especially qualified to make comparisons (alum of either school, relative of one, professor, etc)

Context:

Financial:

NJ resident. Rutgers would be 100% covered by my family while W&M would leave me with $22,000 in federal loans (14k subsidized, 8k unsubsidized). However, when I turn 21, I will gain access to roughly $15k in savings which can be used to repay student loans if necessary.

Academic:

At Rutgers I would be in the “honors program” for Arts & Sciences, which offers various academic and co-curricular opportunities; notably optional honors housing, a personal academic advisor, and special classes/seminars.

William & Mary does not have any such honors programs, probably because it doesn’t make sense for a school of only 6,000

I am looking to study History, at least to start off. My other main area of interest is English (specifically creative writing).
Lesser interests include Government/ political science, psychology & sociology, computer science (especially as relates to video game design), and film.

Personal/Career Interests:

I ultimately want to be an author, though I am not beyond considering other careers that could also incorporate writing such as historical/museum work, writing for game design, or journalism. Apart from work a major goal of mine is to travel extensively while I’m young, which plays into the debate about taking on student debt and/or committing my savings to paying it off.

Some of these career paths would probably mean grad school, which is another layer to consider from a financial standpoint. My family is committed to supporting me financially as much as possible, but inevitably William & Mary would mean much less money available for them to help me pay off a Masters degree.

All things being equal, I would go to William & Mary. I like the academic environment, and I love the campus. I believe I would do fine socially at either, though I will give Rutgers the edge in that respect as I like sports and am a pretty outgoing person, while it seems that W&M more caters to introverts.

All thoughts are appreciated!

2

If it’s 22k total for all 4 years and not for one year, it’s ok. It’s within reasonable bounds, under the federal limit, and if you have a summer job you may be able to cut down on there a bit.
Since you prefer W&M (which is superb for history) that’s what I’d go with.
Do plan on working and finding internships since it’ll create more financial pressure than a free ride, obviously.

3

authors don’t pay much. Very irregular work. Definitely in conflict with a young adult that wants to travel.

MA programs are expensive. Save your money and stay instate.

4

Rutgers. In case you may change your mind about your majors, Rutgers has more options. I live in NJ and I know most NJ kids hate Rutgers. This should not be the reason to turn it down. It is a fine school.

Also, I don’t many kids around here like/know W&M, so it is okay in that sense. ?

5

Neither colleges have a major in creative writing, just in English. They both, however, have a minor in creative writing.

Both are excellent colleges, however, they are very different types of place. Both are public, and both are research universities, however, W&M is a small research university, and is similar in structure to Ivy League and other older private colleges. Rutgers is a large Flagship university.

So, it would really depend on your actual major. $22,000 is a good chunk of money for an aspiring writer, and you should keep that $15,000 for living expenses. However, if you are looking at a major that actually provides a paycheck, other things come in to play, like median salary, and how long it would take to pay off $22,000. If we were talking $40,000+ there would be no question, but $22,000 is borderline if you are not expecting to work full time as a writer.

6

@NateBacon Back in the day I followed the money and went to Rutgers and participated in the Honors Program. Had a full ride. I traveled extensively while enrolled as a student there and after I graduated (Europe/Asia/Africa). Then went to grad school and had T-20 choices, fully funded. It ended up being a good choice as opposed to the prestigious LAC for which I would have incurred considerable debt.

The celebrated writer, Junot Diaz, came through a few years after me and lived in what was then the honors dorm.

William and Mary is also a fine school but your academic interests will be well supported at Rutgers at less cost. The history department is great.

Good luck with your decision.

7

If it is $22K difference over 4 years, that doesn’t sound too unreasonable to go for the one you prefer. (If $22K/yr., that is another matter.) But only you and your family can really assess your financial situation. I’m sure either option can work out fine for you. Good luck.