<p>To be honest, I have no idea how I am going to decide between these schools. Each is fantastic, each has its strengths and weaknesses. </p>
<p>Here are the things I was looking for in a college:
-prestigious academics (I am interested in a major in the liberal arts: economics, political science, and neuroscience are the three I am considering)
-well-rounded student body (I want to meet people who understand the value of academics but aren't consumed by their studies)
-exciting sports and extracurricular opportunities (I love going to basketball games and I played soccer in high school, so I would want to do club sports) (If I went to UChicago, I would be running for their track team)
---able to get me into graduate school (this is the most important one because I need to make sure I have enough money to go to graduate school)
-urban environment (this is the major con on Chapel Hill, but is it worth waiting until grad-school to be in an urban environment?)</p>
<p>What I want to know is whether or not it is worth going to Chapel Hill (20,000 dollars in-state tuition) and having money to go to a grad-school, or going to Chicago, Duke, or Georgetown (60,000 dollars approx.) and perhaps getting into a better grad-school/ getting a better, more prestigious academic experience, but being stuck with loans or debt. </p>
<p>I can picture myself going to Chicago, Duke, and Georgetown. Each fits my ideal college well. But would Chapel Hill Honors be the wise decision? It'd be hard to turn down high caliber schools for Chapel Hill, just because I have worked so hard in high-school to get into these schools. Ultimately, I know I can't make a bad decision, I just want to hear what other people think. Go.</p>
<p>I"d knock out Duke right away. You already have a NC choice.
And then I wouldn’t think about grad school…most folks don’t feel this way on CC but I don’t like the idea of a 18-year-old deciding on his college based on a “definite” path to grad school…lots changes…I take my opportunities when they come up.<br>
After that, it becomes a really really tough decision. Have you visited all 4 schools in person?</p>
<p>Hey SouthernHope, </p>
<p>Yeah I have visited each school. Loved the UChicago campus, but it was in the context of a recruiting trip, so I only met athletes. My concern with Chicago is the rep they get for being quirky. I don’t feel like I fit the norm of a UChicago student, but the campus was perfect and they have one of the best econ programs in the country.</p>
<p>I visited Chapel Hill with a bunch of friends who are planning to go there. Like I said, I live in-state, so it would be really cheap. But I didn’t have that “moment” at Chapel Hill. The campus was nice, but I didn’t connect with the energy. Then again, I have a ton of friends who are going to go there, so I know I would have a great time, and the Honors program makes UNC much more appealing to me. </p>
<p>As for Georgetown, it was by far my favorite campus, and D.C was definitely my favorite city. However, I don’t know how I feel about their academics. I know they are prestigious, but their reputation doesn’t extend far past political science and foreign service. I’d be nervous that I was spending a ton of money on a school that didn’t quite fit with my academic goals. </p>
<p>I’d be interested to hear more about your (and everybody’s) opinion about grad school… You don’t think that I need to atleast have it in mind as I make a college decision? And also, I’m curious how you were able to eliminate Duke so quickly… I thought it was a great environment when I visited, and I identified with the “well-roundedness” of the students that i met.</p>
<p>if this decision is to come down to money, as it should in most cases, the choice is clear. there’s no need to fret or worry. UNC-CH will prepare you for grad school or anything else in life as well as the other schools because it ain’t where you go but YOU do. If you have the GPA and GRE scores, let’s say, the grad schools won’t care that you didn’t go to Georgetown or Duke. Go to UNC, bust your butt, prep for whatever post-grad testing, do the internships and research, get great letters of rec, and move on to the next step. Don’t let this prestige thing trip you up. The grad schools won’t let it trip them up. (Spend your summers in the big city. Go to grad school in a big city. Live in the big city after your education’s over. This, or pay 40k more for four years because you just can’t wait to live in the city. Get real.) I have no horse in this race. </p>
<p>You have not stated a very good case for the extra cost of a private school. In admission to graduate or professional school, the private school brand probably will make little if any difference (not with respect to these four anyway). It will be about your academic performance, test scores (esp. in the case of professional school), and how well your research interests align with those of a prospective mentor (in the case of a PhD program). Top law schools admit students from scores of colleges. Strong PhD programs admit some students from obscure LACs and directional state universities; they reject some students with good records at better-known schools just because their research focus does not align well with the faculty’s.</p>
<p>Chicago does not seem to be a good fit. Georgetown is not consistently stronger than UNC-CH. If the US News and NRC/Chronicle graduate program rankings are any indication, UNC is stronger than Georgetown in political science and economics. Duke may have stronger departments in some of your interest areas than UNC, but are they $160K stronger?</p>
<p>@Pnutmonster, my D didn’t have the “moment” at CH, either <em>gasp</em>. There seems to be a good amount of pressure in-state to focus on UNC. She really wanted to like it, but it just isn’t a “fit” for her, as good a school as it is. </p>
<p>That being said, a friend of hers wasn’t sure about it, either, but went to an Admitted Students Day, which helped her so much, she decided to go there and has been happy with her decision. If you can do one of those days, might want to go to it before making your mind up. :)</p>
<p>If anyone reads this post in the future, it may interest you to know that I chose Duke University.</p>