<p>Hey guys, I've been accepted to the University of Michigan via EA, invited to the honors program, and offered some money. UoM is ranked #3 in the field that I want to study. I would be in-state tuition, and I actually live very close, which I consider a sort of benefit.</p>
<p>The Ivies always have some degree of luck involved (Or I like to believe so). Nevertheless, I feel as if I have a fairly good shot at the Cornell CALS program which has the field I want and also a decent chance at Brown University. Tuition would obviously be huge, but they do provide the Ivy experience with the added benefit of a very high-achieving pool of alumni.</p>
<p>I was also deemed fully qualified at USMA-West Point and won 1 of 10 nominations from my US Senator in the state of Michigan. I received an email from an admissions officer advising me that I was likely to be accepted as soon as Michigan slate decisions are released. Tuition would be completely free. While USMA doesn't have an amazing program for my field of interest, I would be able to attend for free and have a myriad of valuable experiences that I probably couldn't get anywhere else. The trade off is 5 years of active service after graduation which would be time I could be using to get my graduate's degree.</p>
<p>I'm at a complete loss as to what to do. In terms of academic value, UMich and CALS or Brown would be substantially better, but the I've also worked very hard for USMA, and free tuition is HUGE, HUGE factor. Granted, 5 years is a huge chunk of time, keeping in mind that that's over a quarter of my life so far. Could you guys offer me any advice as to which course of action would be most satisfying and why?</p>
<p>Tough decision. And it really depends on your own preferences. Some things to consider, you’re interests may change once you get to college although all three schools would offer plenty of alternatives to whatever your current interest is. Just think about how important the “amazing” programs in the interest are to you.</p>
<p>University of Michigan may not be an Ivy but I can’t see you being denied an opportunity that might have at an Ivy by going to U of M. You may have to look a little harder, but you can find them. </p>
<p>You also worked hard for the West Point acceptance. It’s really a one time thing. It’s probably also a scarier decision because of the obligations at the end but one that probably won’t seem as big a deal once you started. </p>
<p>Finally, if grad school is a serious consideration, save your money and maybe try to get into an Ivy for grad school. </p>
<p>Based on my preferences, it would come down to U of M or West Point and I would probably choose West Point if I could get over the “fear” factor. I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t and would end up at U of M. But then again, I’m not the type to have ever got the nomination to begin with. Good luck.</p>
<p>I say go with Michigan. The statistics show that students who get into ivies but can’t afford to attend them pretty much have similar career opportunities (e.g. Nixon) And you’d probably get similar networking opportunities at Michigan as you would at a school like Cornell or Brown.</p>
<p>Your proximity to UMichigan is a huge advantage as well. You can seriously save tens of thousands of dollars on living expenses. Idk how much in debt you’ll be by going to Michigan, but if you care about avoiding debt, go to westpoint; if you care about having five years of your life to do what you please, go to Michigan (if i was in your case i’d probably go to Michigan.)</p>
<p>WAIT for the financial aid offers from Cornell and Brown (assuming accepted). For many middle class families, attending an Ivy, which have generous need policies, is less expensive than their instate Uni.</p>
<p>btw: if you are an Army type, is Brown a good social fit?</p>
<p>All great choices so congratulations!
USMA is an outstanding choice, but the school’s main goal is to train future officers. If you want the military as a career, it is the best option. I would not go just for the free tuition as there is a huge commitment of time during and after college to military activities. It will not be the typical college experience. A great place, but you have to really want it.
MI - sounds like a good/safe choice in terms of academics/finances
Ivy schools - don’t count them out yet, you may get in with good enough aid packages to attend. (and I echo the comment above about Brown - it is a very liberal school).<br>
Wait until you have all your options and then think about what you really want from your college experience. Good luck.</p>
<p>don’t go to one of the academies if you see service as a tradeoff. The service commitment isn’t something to be taken lightly and you likely won’t last the four years if you don’t actually want to serve. Many even say its wrong to attend the academies if you want to serve, but go in planning on doing the “5 and dive” route (the academies want people who want to make a career out of it). Don’t get me wrong, a USMA carries a certain prestige to it, but unless you want to serve as an army officer, you are wasting your time. Take it from someone who was accepted to USMA but didn’t hesitate in choosing to attend somewhere else (part of the reason is I wanted to go Navy, but I still chose a civilian institution over an academy).</p>
<p>If you do want to serve no matter where you go though, even if it is only for 5 years, feel free to PM me on the ROTC vs academy debate. As an FYI, Michigan and Cornell both have Army ROTC, which could be a good alternative if you still want a “myriad of valuable experiences that I probably couldn’t get anywhere else.”</p>
<p>No, I wouldn’t say I was necessarily the Army type. In fact, there is a term for people like me amongst Army cadets: Heavy hitters- people who matriculated almost solely for the financial benefits when they realized they did not have the money to pursue another institution. While I am open to serving and am sure I would become a proficient officer, 5 years is such a long time. I don’t want to tie myself down and regret it for the rest of my life. I suppose this is the fear factor that Sadilly was pointing out. I feel as if I can’t let this opportunity pass me by either though.</p>
<p>I already put our family’s statistics into the Ivy Aid Calculator, and my package will be very insignificant or even zero. My family is upper-middle class, but unfortunately, we already have two college students, and I’ll need to pay for my education ground up until my older brother graduates, which will be in two years at-least. The ivies would cost an exorbitant amount.</p>
<p>I am now leaning more towards UoM unless there are any new developments. Tuition would definitely be affordable with some loans, and the education is superb, if underrated. The truth is, I don’t really know what I want from college. An education, surely, but what else? The sad fact is that I only have a few months before I have to accept an offer somewhere</p>
<p>“5 years is such a long time. I don’t want to tie myself down and regret it for the rest of my life.”</p>
<p>From my experience, the things you’d see and do in the the military for 5 years would probably dwarf the things you’d see and do in 5 years in just about any other field. </p>
<p>Also, on just about every base there are opportunities for grad school classes, not to mention online options. So serving in the military doesn’t necessarily mean you’d have to delay grad school.</p>
<p>I’ll echo the advice of others - people who go to the military academies should go there because they are committed to military careers. You won’t be happy there otherwise.</p>
<p>You can get just as good an education at Michigan as you can at any private college. If that’s your most affordable (non-military) alternative, I’d say go for it.</p>
<p>If you are ineligible for need-based aid with two others in college, then your family is way beyond what is generally considered “upper-middle class”. :)</p>
<p>D1 got honors and $80K from Michigan; she eventually went to an Ivy where the regular financial aid beat the UMich offer. I agree that if you really wanted to be a West Pointer, you’d know it. It’s a very different college experience. I’m very thankful that there are Americans who are right for it, but I wouldn’t have been.</p>
Just wanted to say this is categorically not true. The education you receive at the academies is every bit as good as that at any other school in the nation. You will also be forced to take a broader curriculum than anywhere else.</p>