<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>Recently I've been accepted to both the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland and I've narrowed my choices down to these two schools. I plan to study Ecology and Evolution. UMich offers several advantages for me, such as much higher prestige and program quality. However I'm OOS and my family would have to pay over $51k per year, which might get difficult later on. I'm in-state for UMD, plus I received a $5k/year scholarship and got into the Honors College. I applied to the UMich Honors Program but didn't get in, but I could apply for an Honors Concentration my third year. Overall, money isn't a huge issue right now, but unsure about later on. </p>
<p>Thoughts/opinions?</p>
<p>Go to Maryland. It is a very good school and won’t cause your family financial distress. Best of luck to you there! :-)</p>
<p>You seem to have a preference for Michigan. I would suggest discussing it with your parents and figure out if Michigan OOS is worth it for your family. The additional cost is significant and it is a personal decision whether it makes sense to incur the additional cost.</p>
<p>Personally I don’t think Michigan is worth it if the price tag is over 51K a year. Michigan is stronger than Maryland, but the discrepancy between the two isn’t colossal. Both are well respected publics.</p>
<p>“Personally I don’t think Michigan is worth it if the price tag is over 51K a year.”</p>
<p>So, what schools do you think are worth over 50K/year out of pocket?</p>
<p>Michigan is worth the price difference if one comes from the upper crust, can afford the University, and is expected to attend an elite university. However, for most people, no amount of prestige is worth the difference in cost of attendance. </p>
<p>In the OP’s case, I would go with Maryland.</p>
<p>“Michigan is stronger than Maryland, but the discrepancy between the two isn’t colossal.”</p>
<p>So, name the schools where the discrepency is collosal between Michigan and others.</p>
<p>I mean’t I don’t think there is a big enough difference between Michigan and Maryland to justify paying significantly more. Whereas, if there was a more significant difference, say OP was deciding between Maryland and Yale, then paying the steeper price tag may be worth it.</p>
<p>A colossal difference would be Mich vs Kentucky, Tennessee, New Mexico, South Carolina, etc, etc. Maryland, especially with the Honors program in tow, is very well respected on the east coast and of course has strong tie-ins to DC and Baltimore markets.</p>