<p>AHHH I only got a few days to decide and I'm not sure what to do. I'm currently a junior at GMU (will have 90 credits next Fall) and got accepted to Illinois's Business School for accounting.
Here's my </p>
<p>Staying at GMU:
1. Will graduate earlier (had 33 credits transfer from APs)
2. "Easier" classes compared to Illinois so higher GPA. Don't want to be arrogant, but I feel I would be smarter than 90% of the students at GMU.
3. Met lots of teachers, T.A, so can get good recommendations from them
4. Developed a close group of friends, joined clubs.
5. I live at home so it's kind of a bummer</p>
<p>Transferring to Illinois
1. Their accounting program is in the Top 5 so very prestigious.
2. The Big 4 and lots of firms recruit a lot at Illinois compared to Mason. I feel I can get a better job at Illinois than at Mason
3. Meet smart people and get to challenge myself. At Mason, I feel I'm just cruise controlling my way through.
4. Will be out of state, so paying $30k a year.
5. I'll probably be down to 60 credits, so become a year behind.</p>
<p>My GPA will probably be lower at Illinois (have a 3.53 at Mason) but because firms know Illinois is a good school, will a 3.4-3.6 at Illinois be good enough for a Big4? (assuming you do EC, interview well, etc.)</p>
<p>You would actually be paying $47K/year for Illinois. You forgot the room, board, etc which you are NOT paying now since you live at home. $94K in loans is too much. You could always move into the dorms for $9K or into an apartment with friends for less cost to get more of the “college experience”.</p>
<p>@ccexpert80 I pay around 12K a year for GMU; only paying in-state tuition. It is very cheap for me at GMU. I don’t get any financial aid, so I’ll be paying full at Illinois.</p>
<p>@Erin’s Dad Is it really 47k/year?! Granted I haven’t looked into the financial details yet, but I thought it was a public school and on collegeboard.com it says it’s around 27-30k.</p>
<p>The reason I want to go to Illinois is because they have a great accounting program (Top 5 in nation) and it would be a great place for me to learn, interact from some of the best professors. Plus many firms recruit at Illinois, so pretty good chance to get internships. So good education, but heavy cost and I’ll be losing many credits.</p>
<p>At GMU, it is obviously way cheaper, but the education is a bit low line compared to Illinois. The Big 4 does recruit at GMU but even so, I feel I would be a lot “smart” if I went to Illinois because it would challenge me. At GMU, I’m kind of just cruise-controlling my way through. </p>
<p>The cost would be my biggest concern right now. I really thought it would be around 30k per year! I’m in the process of applying for scholarships, but haven’t had much luck lately.</p>
<p>Bummer getting into a good school, but the cost is the barrier :(</p>
<p>I would stay at GMU for the following reasons.</p>
<ol>
<li> You will graduate earlier (had 33 credits transfer from APs). You also have to opportunity to study abroad if you are interested. Why not study a semester at the London School of economics to add some more prestige to your resume and expand your network.</li>
<li> You a smarter than 90% of the students at GMU so your class rank will be higher and more attractive to graduate schools and employers.</li>
<li>Met lots of teachers, T.A, so can get good recommendations from them and participate as a research assistant if you are interested</li>
<li>Developed a close group of friends, joined clubs, so you should seek to take leadership positions with these groups.</li>
<li>You are saving money at home, but you could also move to off campus apt or take a semester abroad. (talk to your GMU office of study abroad)</li>
<li>You are in the DC metro area. There are myriad internship opportunities: all the Big 4, Fortune 500 corporations, US government offices, World Bank, IMF, etc.</li>
<li> GMU like other dc schools will provide you with more opportunities outside the classroom than Illinois.</li>
</ol>
<p>Conclusion: Stay at mason (it is an up and coming school that is gaining a national reputation and has a better name/ alumni network than Illinois in the DC area). Save money. Keep up the grades. Seek leadership positions in clubs. Assist professors with accounting research. Get internships with the Big 4 or Grant Thornton, etc. To get out of the house take a semester or two abroad at a prestigious university (lse, oxford, sorbonne, university of tokyo,etc) with all of the money you are saving by going to Mason.</p>
<p>@1789 Thank you, those are great advices.
I never considered Study Aboard, but that would be exactly as getting out of the area!–I’m definitely going to apply for that.</p>
<p>You may also talk to the office about the other competitive programs. Tell them that you want to go to the best school you can and to give you some options to consider. Oxford is obviously the most prestigious, but you may also want to consider London School of Economics, Trinity College (Ireland), Cambridge, Imperial College (London), etc.</p>
<p>Mason’ Center for Global Education can walk you through the process.</p>
<p>Your goal is to find a prestigious school in a country you may be interested in living in that offers courses that will meet requirments for graduation.</p>