<p>So</p>
<p>Stanford for $36k a year (with financial aid)
Harvard for $32k a year (also including financial aid)
or UNC CH for $0 a year (tuition, room, board, books, and fees)</p>
<p>Interests: Political Science, Creative Writing
Career Plans: probably a lawyer, but I'd like to write for the New Yorker or Esquire
My parents are able to pay for S or H, but not comfortably</p>
<p>What would you do?
What do you think I should do?</p>
<p>That is a tougher question than many people think. Although in these economic times it seems obvious to go to a school like Carolina for free, it depends on what you value. </p>
<p>One thing that I don't think is too different between each of the colleges is the quality of education. Some people may vehemently disagree, but I honestly don't think that the quality of the professors differ that much. It may be a harder class because the quality of the students at Harvard and Stanford is higher, but that is the main difference there is. </p>
<p>The benefits for going to Harvard or Stanford are there. You have the prestige factor, which does matter a little. Beyond that you can probably make great connections with people that will become highly influential later on, and are more likely to do so there than at UNC which is 80% in-state. </p>
<p>Going to UNC has its benefits though. Other people may know specifics, but I am pretty sure UNC's school of journalism is pretty highly ranked. And no matter how you look at it, $130,000+ is a lot of money.</p>
<p>Basically, it comes down to do you believe your time at Harvard and Stanford would be worth the extra cost? I'm not sure I do. I'm probably a little biased being at Carolina, but I think I am as happy as I could be with my college experience, and I don't know if I would have been as happy at Harvard or Stanford.</p>
<p>What scholarship did you get at UNC?</p>
<p>I wasn't offered either of those (i didn't do the supplemental materials, unfortunately). so i would be getting tuition, room, board, fees, and books, but not the advisors, programs, or summer opportunities of one of the name scholarships.</p>
<p>As much as I love UNC, I say go for Harvard. In my mind, there's little doubt that you will receive more personalized attention and have a fantastic undergraduate education.</p>
<p>If you're sure about going to law school, I'd say go to UNC. Undergrad makes no difference in getting in--it's all about GPA/LSAT. If anything, going to UNC might actually make it easier to get a higher GPA. Once you graduate from law school, employers will not care one bit about your undergrad. Law School is going to be very expensive already, so it makes little sense to burden yourself with additional expense for UG when it offers no real advantage long term for a law career. </p>
<p>If you're serious about the journalism thing, I think it's a tougher call. Yes, UNC's journalism school is great, but when you're talking about getting jobs at some of the top publications in the U.S., I think there's a lot to be said for Harvard prestige. </p>
<p>I guess the sum of my advice is that if you're sure you're going to grad school (especially law school), go to UNC. If you're going to be looking for a job straight out of UG though, the Stanford/Harvard prestige is probably worth it.</p>
<p>There is little to no scholarship money for grad and professional schools. Most everything is loans. That said, taking on $150K in debt for undergrad BEFORE the debt you will incur for law or grad school will put you in a hole that will take years to dig out from.</p>
<p>If, as you say, paying for S or H would be a burden for your parents then turning down a free ride would be difficult for me to advise you to do. </p>
<p>There are many students at UNC who have taken merit money (not Morehead or Robertson) and turned down HYPS. </p>
<p>In these days where 401Ks have shrunk or disappeared, retirement funds have been lost or dramatically reduced, and jobs are disappearing faster than new jobs are being created , taking on that kind of debt for undergrad when you can go to a top notch school like UNC doesn't make much sense.</p>
<p>If we were talking about a full ride to a lesser school like a low second or third tier school it would be harder to argue against going for name brand but UNC in the eyes of grad and professional schools IS name brand and you can attend for free.</p>
<p>Lastly, UNC has one of the top three journalism schools in the country and also a very highly regarded creative writing program. Do well at UNC and you can go to any law school in the country and be debt free when you get there.</p>
<p>Post this on the Parents Forum and see what the responses you get look like. They will be, on the whole, more fair and balanced.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>if your honestly going to ask this question go to unc</p>
<p>Did you already receive your scholarship info?
I'd say go for Stanford cause I love Stanford, but if you're doing law then probably Harvard.
If you think you can afford those two schools, then go, but if not, UNC's there for you =)</p>
<p>I think the Harvard undergrad reputation is super duper overrated. Not the same with their grad programs.</p>
<p>I'm running to class here but it's worth saying that the UNC's creative writing program is absolutely outstanding.</p>
<p>I haven't read what anyone else here has said but I think a question like this is pretty personal. My junior year I was seriously considering Harvard (and me saying that maybe I could get in is not super ridiculous - I was being recruited by many of the staff from Harvard Model Congress) but after visiting it thought it may have been the ugliest campus I've ever seen - second to Drexel, maybe.</p>
<p>Stanford on the other hand is GORGEOUS.</p>
<p>I think a lot of poeple say that school XYZ is better than ABC because of whatever, but here's what I'll say - Yes, Harvard and Stanford are way more bright and shiny than UNC. Maybe you could be happy at all three of them. If you work hard, you'll be successful where ever you go. Of that I assure you. So it just comes down to which place you like the best. Now's the time to get personal, and maybe to consider the economy, as well.</p>
<p>My two cents. If you have any questions about my experience at UNC feel from to PM me. I'm a sophomore Phil Chinese double major currently studying abroad in China.</p>
<p>if you want a fun college experience DEFINITELY come to UNC. i chose carolina over duke, georgetown, and amherst (not quite stanford or harvard, but still), and i'm so glad i did. obviously, you would get a better education at harvard or stanford, better professors, smaller classes, good advising, smarter peers, but seriously the social life at those schools cannot compare to UNC's one bit. i visited a friend at princeton recently and i was so BORED. they were raving about how fun the party we went to was and it was literally the most boring event i've ever been to. unc is so much fun, and you meet such a diverse group of people. there are the genuis's (like you) on full rides, the crazy fraternity boys, the super liberal protesters, the southern belles, etc. i couldn't imagine being ANYWHERE else.</p>
<p>It depends what you're looking for in a college. The education at S and H is a lot better than the one you would get at UNC, almost every one of your professors would be one of the best in his field and your peers are going to be leaders in government and almost every industry. S and H have an infinitely better "name brand" prestige than UNC, that isn't even debatable. There are some careers where this does matter to varying degrees (academia, business) and then others where it doesn't at all. </p>
<p>I can only tell you that if I were you I'd probably go to S but there is a considerable amount of debt involved. UNC is still a great school, it just doesn't have near the opportunities the other two do. Good luck wherever you end up going.</p>
<p>Jwlstn-</p>
<p>"UNC is still a great school, it just doesn't have near the opportunities the other two do. Good luck wherever you end up going."</p>
<p>I disagree. If the OP is going to graduate school, UG virtually does not matter. A UNC graduate can have just as many opportunities as a Stanford or Harvard graduate--it depends on the student.</p>
<p>blairb91 that is completely untrue and I have no idea where you get that idea. For law school, it perhaps matters least even though it does factor in, but academic pedigree is very important for Ph.D programs if you want to study at the top schools which only admit 3-4% to their programs anyway. It's very important in business as well and as much as I love UNC it is nowhere near as well recruited as Harvard or Stanford by top firms.</p>
<p>It's not completely untrue...you can check most posts. If a student is going to medical school or law school, it really doesn't matter. I've heard it doesn't matter as much as one may think for graduate school either.</p>
<p>S and H are definitely more prestigious, but UNC is still a great school--that's the point I was trying to get across.</p>
<p>Whether or not you are admitted to Harvard is more reflective of your future success then whether or not you choose to enroll there.</p>
<p>Someone who is admitted to both Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill could very well end up thriving at either. It's Harvard's selection process, not anything in particular about the undergraduate experience there, that accounts for the majority of the success of Harvard's graduates-- they don't create successful people, they select successful people. And attending Harvard is a reflection of that success, not a cause of it.</p>
<p>^ nicely said</p>
<p>While Dante is right, to an extent, it's not entirely accurate. What about the most prestigious wall street firms that ONLY recruit at the very elite schools like H and S? A lot of firms also throw out applications that aren't from "target" schools if they don't have amazing stats, while a kid with a 3.3 from Harvard will almost always get interviewed. Again, Ph.D admissions at the highest levels are highly competitive and often it is those that go to the elite schools that get the best results, maybe it's because of prestige or maybe it is because the professors that would likely be recommending them are almost all leaders in their field. </p>
<p>Med and Law school this is not so important, I'll admit that, but let's not be foolish and naive in thinking that your Alma Mater doesn't matter at all as long as you work hard. There's nothing that will be closed off for you at UNC, but it might be easier to accomplish your goals, especially in certain fields at an elite school. </p>
<p>Please, stop thinking I'm attacking UNC. I love my school, I just think we should admit that you just don't have the same opportunities here that you do at other schools.</p>
<p>jwlstn</p>
<p>Just to set things completely straight; UNC and UVA actually ARE two non Ivy schools that are recruited by Wall St and IB firms. In fact the heads of several of the large Wall Street entities are UNC grads, one is a former Morehead. You can have the opportunities at UNC, they just aren't going to be thrown at you from day one like they are at Wharton or Princeton.</p>
<p>I won't disagree that certain schools like Wharton and Princeton get recruited more heavily than even the other Ivies. Princeton is practically a diploma mill for Wall St but part of it is also culture and the fact that they have historically steered so many people in that direction. A friend of my son went to Princeton thinking he wanted to do pre-med; his dad is a top surgeon. He felt so much pressure academically and socially to go the IB route that he did and is miserable with his decision. After his two year IB contract ends this June he is going back to school to get his pre med requirements done and will apply to med school down the road. My son also has several good friends from HS who attended Wharton and one more from Princeton who all ended up going the IB route. Right now two are still employed in the first year of the two year contracts that they signed during their senior years, but the other one who is a year ahead has had his job offer rescinded and is looking for work when his contract expires in June. Even the IVY pedigree isn't a guarantee for staying employed in these times.</p>
<p>It's dangerous to make blanket statements however that say you will be significantly disadvantaged if you go to school "X" instead of school "Y." T Boone Pickens went to Oklahoma State and Warren Buffet may have started at Wharton but transferred and graduated from the University of Nebraska. Several of the wealthiest people that I know in Dallas (I am talking SERIOUS money...Forbes 400) are grads of SMU, UVA, Texas Tech and Southern Illinois University.</p>
<p>Here's an interesting article from Forbes that should be a must read for anyone contemplating a college decision right now.</p>
<p>Where</a> You Go To College Doesn't Matter - Forbes.com</p>
<p>Same question, different school choices.</p>