Small liberal arts college VS Huge public university

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Okay, so this post might seem similar to <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1319065-my-son-doesnt-want-go-where-he-got-merit-awards-14.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1319065-my-son-doesnt-want-go-where-he-got-merit-awards-14.html&lt;/a> - But I really need some advice... Any would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>Of the schools I was accepted to, my two favorites are the University of Michigan and Mount Holyoke. I want to study art (at a high level) in college. Here's the situation:</p>

<p>-U of M-
As an out-of-state student, U of M would cost over 50,000. I didn't get any money from aid or merit. Transportation (I'm from NY) would also cost money. I loved the campus when I visited and they have a GREAT art department. They have wonderful facilities in their school of Art and Design and offer a BFA. Michigan is also known to be a public university with good academics and a pretty good art school. The greek life there intimidates me a little bit and I'm definitely NOT big on parties (I don't drink btw), but in general the students I spoke with when I visited Ann Arbor were very friendly, enthusiastic, and approachable. Again, my main focus in college will be art and U of M offers that.</p>

<p>-Mount Holyoke-
They did offer me a scholarship. Normally, they'd also be around 50,000 a year, but I got a scholarship which gave me 15K/year (so like paying for 3 years instead of 4 in college). As I said before, I'm not a partier and I'm pretty reserved - and the girls at MoHo seemed very chill, focused and down to earth. I love their international aspect and diversity, too. And as a plus, Moho is driving distance away. HOWEVER: they do not offer a BFA, nor are their art facilities anywhere NEAR that of Michigan's. MoHo is practically not known in the art world either. But again, their academics are also fairly good. </p>

<p>As for my own financial status, my parents can afford both colleges and have been saving up for this for a while (I'm also an only child), but money still plays a big part because I plan on graduate school (and saving the money would still take a load off my parents).
(The other places I was considering were Skidmore and Alfred University, but those are out of the picture for various reasons)
Any advice? I can't decide and the deadline's approaching!
*Also, which school do you think would offer more job opportunities? Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Just my opinion, but I don’t think any public uni is worth $50,000 a year. Public unis at the undergrad level have much larger class sizes and less interaction with your professors, so it’s more like having all the resources to teach yourself than having the professors actually teach you. Public unis are supposed to be the pragmatic option, not the luxury that you pay tens of thousands extra for.</p>

<p>If Mount Holyoke is that much cheaper, I think you should definitely go there. $15,000 a year is a HUGE saving. Like, so huge that a high school senior can’t even begin to comprehend the figure and make a logical decision based on it. Think of it this way: if you went into the workforce right now, you would probably have to work full time, 40+ hours a week, for an entire year in order to make $15,000. It’s easy to say, “yeah, $15,000 isn’t a big deal, we can manage”, when your PARENTS are the ones paying, but try to think of just how much money that is.</p>

<p>And besides that, you’re only thinking in terms of art. Yes, I get that you’re passionate about art, but you’re still going to be spending the majority of your time on other subjects, and I don’t think it’s too controversial a statement to say Holyoke has better academics than Michigan. You’ll have much smaller class sizes and you’ll actually get to know your professors.</p>

3

<p>The usual tradeoff is that big universities tend to teach lower division courses “in bulk” (either faculty members doing huge lectures with graduate student TAs doing supplemental discussions, or graduate student TAs leading small classes like English composition and beginning foreign language), but offer a greater variety and/or higher frequency of upper division (and graduate) courses. The smaller schools are more likely to have faculty led small classes at all levels, but less variety and frequency for upper division courses.</p>

<p>However, there are plenty of exceptions, so you want to see if the on-line schedule of classes at each school can tell you something about class sizes and variety and frequency of offering of desired courses.</p>

<p>Of course, $60,000 total cost difference over four years is very significant, especially if any debt is involved, and the relatively low pay on average for art major graduates.</p>

4

<p>Let us evaluate the cost of attendance issue:</p>

<p>Mount Holyoke:
Tuition: $41,300
Room and Board: $12,100
Books and miscelaneous: $4,000
TOTAL: $53,400 - $15,000 = $42,400</p>

<p>[Tuition</a> & Financial Aid :: Admission :: Mount Holyoke College](<a href=“http://www.mtholyoke.edu/admission/tuition_finaid.html]Tuition”>http://www.mtholyoke.edu/admission/tuition_finaid.html)</p>

<p>Michigan:
Tuition: $39,100
Room and Board: $9,500
Books and miscelaneous: $4,000
Total: 48,600 + $1,000 (for plane tickets) = $53,600</p>

<p>[Office</a> of Financial Aid: Cost of Attendance](<a href=“http://www.finaid.umich.edu/TopNav/AboutUMFinancialAid/CostofAttendance.aspx]Office”>http://www.finaid.umich.edu/TopNav/AboutUMFinancialAid/CostofAttendance.aspx)</p>

<p>Four years at Michigan will cost ~$220,000 while four years at Mount Holyoke will cost ~$180,000. </p>

<p>The difference in the CoA will not be $60,000 but rather $40,000. This is by no means negligible, but it is not glaring when compared to the total cost, particularly if FancyWolverine’s parents have the means.</p>

<p>Academically, both schools are excellent. I disagree with Kudryavka regarding Michigan’s class sizes. Intro-level classes will be large, but beyond that, classes will generally be small (5-20), unless one decides to major in a very popular major such as Economics, Political Science or Psychology, in which classes can be mid-sized (30-50 students) at the intermediate and advanced levels. However, there is much more to academics than class size, and to suggest that Mount Holyoke provides students with a better education is very debatable. I cannot think of many outputs that would prove such a contention. Getting to onow faculty and receiving individual attention is not a problem at Michigan either. Students need to take the initiative, but if they do, faculty almost always respond in kind.</p>

<p>The way I see it, the choice hinges on what whether FancyWolverine wants a traditional BFA degree or not. At Michigan, that can be accomplished, not so at Mount Holyoke.</p>

<p>Socially, Michigan is not dominated by the Greeks. If one wishes to party, the Greeks are the way to go, but those who do not care for partying have a great deal of things to do on and off campus. There are over 1,000 clubs and organizations on campus alone. The city of Ann Arbor has much to offer too. I do not think one should be “intimidated” by the Greeks. Only 17% of the student body belongs to the Greek system. </p>

<p>As far as employment opportunities upon graduation, Michigan attracts a ridiculous number of employers given its size, but unless one belongs to the CoE or to Ross, pinning down those employers requires initiative. Mount Holyoke probably does not attract as many employers, but given its size and its alumni network, I am sure professional prospects would be plentiful there too.</p>