Hi guys!
I’m a current high school senior who applied to Washington and Lee and the University of Georgia. While I’m still waiting to hear back from W&L, I did get accepted to UGA’s Honors program a couple weeks ago, and I’m weighing my options more closely now.
W&L has always been my first choice because of its prestige, small class sizes, honors system, and beautiful campus. However, in UGA’s Honors program, they brag of an average class size of 18, the addition of an academic advisor, and various other conveniences such as early class registration, nicer dorms, etc. Furthermore, as an in-state Georgia student and potential HOPE scholarship recipient, I’d be paying next to nothing for all four years of college there. My parents would be paying practically nothing (whereas they would be paying full-price at W&L), so they hinted that if I chose UGA over W&L, they would probably give me six figures worth of house down-payments post-graduation.
So, with that being said, which school is the better option, in your opinion?
Thanks so much for your advice!
What do you mean by “potential” HOPE scholarship recipient? If you got into the Honors College, you should easily qualify for HOPE and even Zell.
@Jleto18 I wasn’t aware of that! In that case, I’m a confirmed HOPE scholarship recipient.
I’d imagine you’re there for Zell, too. Is your unweighted GPA above 3.70?
Anyway, I’d say it’s up to your personal preference. UGA Honors and W&L normal college, in my eyes, are close academically, of course, it varies upon your major, though. Cost is a big deal, and it’d be smart to save a lot of money by going in state. I’d also imagine that the two have pretty different cultures. W&L is a small college with no standout sports, while UGA is one of the largest colleges in the U.S with a powerhouse SEC team. UGA is also a massive party school, while W&L isn’t really - at least not on UGA level. They’re pretty different in terms of overall school culture and atmosphere. Choose what fits you best personally is my advice.
@Jleto18 thanks for the advice, seriously! My unweighted GPA is above 3.70, so qualification for the Zell only makes the decision more difficult. I plan on majoring in business. With that in mind, which do you think is more academically prestigious?
For business school, I’d honestly go with UGA honors. The Terry College of Business at UGA is very well known and reputable. Not to say that the Williams School isn’t, but for the price, I think UGA’s business school is much more valuable. That’s just my perspective. I’ve had a father and sister graduate from UGA, so I may be biased in my review because I am much more knowledgeable about UGA than W&L.
Washington and Lee is a fantastic school. If you do well there you could probably expect to land a very good entry level position with a good company. However, I would say that you will have a bit more pressure and competition in your classes than you would at UGA. Also, if you have to pay full tuition, that could be an issue for you and your family. But if you want a small school with a good reputation, this might be a good decision.
My D is a first year out-of-state honors student double major at UGA and one of her majors is in Terry. Terry communicates opportunities to students almost daily and they offer a lot. I believe that their BBA program has a very high placement rate. She has been fairly pleased with her instructors/advisor and class sizes are limited. You can also get your masters degree in many different areas for the same cost/time as your typical bachelors degree if you maintain your grades at a high level and apply to the “Double Dawgs” program. UGA is definitely rising in the rankings and each incoming class over the last few years is more talented and competitive than the last. There is a large social scene and something for everyone.
Good luck with your decision!
Academically, W&L and UGA Honors are on par. So, your choice would come down to their differences in environment and whether you consider the higher price worth paying for these differences.
For instance:
W&L will have a more homogeneous student body, both ethnically and socio-economically. The alumni network is very strong. Greek life dominates. Their elite reputation means good recruiting opportunities.
UGA has more alumni and the business school offers lots of opportunities, so I’d say that while the environment is different the end result is similar in that respect. There’ll be a big football culture. The honors college will allow you to take intense small classes but if you want to balance that with less intense classes some semesters it’ll be possible. There’ll be the Honors LLC but also lots of other students if you wish to make friends outside of that group.
@meritaided and @MYOS1634 thank you both for your advice! Truly, it really helps!!
@MowYourDamnLawn - If you go out to GAFutures you can see exactly what your Hope GPA is now. Remember that unlike most merit scholarships your GPA will include your Senior academic grades too. Also if your school adds points for AP classes they will take them off before figuring the Hope GPA. For example at my sons school they add 5 points so an AP 89 becomes a 94 on his transcript but when the hope GPA is figured they put it back to a 89 which is a B (3.0) then add .5 on so its a 3.5. They do not add .5 on for an AP A its still just a 4.0