I’m having a really tough time deciding between the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I have visited both of these schools numerous times and love them both. I’m planning on major in Economics, but this could change. I got into the honors programs at both schools (UMN CLA honors program and UW Letters and Science honors program). However, at Minnesota I will be getting a scholarship of roughly $10,000 per year. While at UW, I talked with an advisor in econ and will likely get a scholarship of $5000 each year after my freshman year (though UW tuition is much higher- making it seem like UMN is a better value overall). At first when I visited UMN I loved it. But with some looking into it, it seemed like the econ courses were taught mostly by TAs and very large class sizes. This didn’t seem very appealing and it kind of just seemed like a rat race. But getting into the honors programs seems to have changed some things as I will get more individual attention and the opportunity to take smaller courses. At UW, they really seemed like they would work individually with me to make sure I reach my potential (i.e. taking PhD courses by my junior or senior year. doing research). However, now at UW, the governor is cutting lots of funding going to the school, so out of state tuition will likely rise and professors may leave the university (I know the dean of UMN College of Liberal Arts recently went to UMN from UW). UMN is also closer to home and I have family in the city. The thing is, at UMN they are showing lots of interest in me and really trying to get me to go there, while UW hasn’t really shown much other than accepting me to the honors program. When I visited UW, it just really seemed like home to me already. I could really see myself there and it felt like much more of a college atmosphere than UMN (however I do love Minneapolis). I’m basically looking for a school that will give me a great education, has great faculty, where I won’t always be in huge classes, can get some individual attention, internships/research opportunities, and overall just really prepare me to get into a great graduate school. Any tips and info would be great 
If the price tag is $15-20k more per year at UW, I think you would have to think the fit there would need to be overwhelmingly better for you for that to be worth it. Econ is a top program at UMN, look it up. Class sizes at these comparatively size schools will be about the same. Honors at Minnesota is more selective than UW. Madison is fun but Minneapolis is more cosmopolitan.
More internship opportunities in Minneapolis - aside from being bigger it is ranked as one of the U.S. cities with highest job growth.
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
Run the numbers.
U MN is the better bet.
UW parent here – I can certainly understand falling in love with Madison, it is hard not to. UW does not recruit hard, so students and families looking to “feel the love” are not going to get it from UW. Econ at UW is a superb program, ranked around 15 in the country, and would certainly prepare a student for Ph.D. program, if that is the goal. Honors at UW is not a school within a school but rather a program which allows students to go deeper into their coursework, there are no Honors dorms or other obvious differentiation between Honors and other students. My student is in Honors, and has enjoyed Honors sections of lecture courses, led by the prof rather than TAs, as well as smaller Honors only seminars. At both MN and UW, certainly intro and often intermediate level coursework will have TAs leading discussion sections.
I do have to quibble about one poster’s description of MN Honors as more selective than UW – they are different programs with different goals, so difficult to compare selectivity. MN, IU and Iowa and others, have specific requirements for gpa and test scores for admission to Honors. In contrast, At UW, every admitted student (at least in Letters and Science), is invited to apply for Honors – the idea is, every student is capable of Honors work, but only some are interested in pursuing subjects to a deeper degree. The essays for UW Honors app count a lot, as they reveal whether the student is interested in intellectual exploration or just looking to add a perk on their resume. So, while it is true that everyone is eligible for Honors at UW, the group which actually applies, writes the essays etc., is a self-selecting group. My kid fits this model of UW Honors wonderfully – he did not have the gpa or test scores for auto admission into other schools’ Honors programs, in part, because he was never the kind of kid to “play the game” in high school. But he loves to go deep into subjects and get lost in them. So Honors is great for a kid like him, he contributes to discussions in Honors classes and benefits from it.
For what it is worth, while Walker has proposed significant cuts in order to give UW greater financial flexibility, many do not think that deep a level of cuts will be ultimately be approved by the legislature. Will OOS tuition go up, and how much? No one can predict. I think my kid’s OOS tuition over three years has increased about a $1000 (that is in year 1, 2 and 3, the total difference between freshman year tuition and junior year tuition is $1000.). I would not expect to see UW OOS tuition go up by $10k as a result of Walker’s proposed budget.
If we were our family, it would all come down to finances. If your family is full pay, and has the resources to absorb the difference in cost between MN and UW, and you feel that UW just feels “right” – then it is a great choice. But if that difference is significant – as it would be for many families – then MN is a great school, with a lower sticker price than many OOS flagships, in a great city, and will afford you wonderful options after college.
UW econ has their own placement office as well as access to the Business school placement office and internships in several major cities such as Chicago, NY and Minny are common.
http://www.esamadison.org/professional-services/esa-career-trips-upcoming-trip-information/
Minnesota and Wisconsin offer tuition reciprocity, so there should not be much difference in tuition rates.
Well, if you truly can’t decide, it makes sense to let money be the tiebreaker. You already have a scholarship at Minnesota, to the tune of $40,000 over 4 years; you don’t yet have a scholarship at UW, and even if you get it will be less than half what you’d get at Minnesota. So based on financials alone it seems like Minnesota is the better choice.
Both Minnesota and UW are very large public research universities. They have similar numbers of undergraduates. I’m willing to bet that the introductory economics classes at both universities are very large and taught primarily by graduate students (or adjunct professors), because that’s generally how it works at large public universities. As you get into your intermediate and advanced econ classes, the sizes will shrink and you are more likely to have a professor as your instructor. The honors program, as you noted, will probably help you get more access to professors and smaller classes.
At large universities, sufficiently advanced undergrads usually have the opportunity to take graduate-level classes in their senior and sometimes junior year. You should check to see if this is a possibility at Minnesota, but I am willing to bet that it is.
I doubt large numbers of professors will leave UW; it’s a top research university in a great location and academic jobs are tough to get. It’s hard to go “up” from UW and Madison, if that makes sense.
Honestly, you can get what you want at either school, but since UMN is cheaper, you are in the honors program, and you have family there - to me it makes more sense to go there.
@midwestmomofboys My parents are willing and able to pay for me to go to UW. I just can’t decide if spending about 100K more to go to UW instead of UMN is worth it.
If the difference is $100,000 more, then ABSOLUTELY NOT!
If the difference is $25k per year, for 4 years, and assuming that is real money to your family (there are some families for whom it is not), then MN is a wonderful place to do what you want to do. Much as we love UW, I wouldn’t spend $25k more per year for UW over MN.
Imagine what that money can go to instead – allow you to take unpaid internships to advance your career goals, study abroad without worrying about cost, take classes during the summer etc.
MN is a great school, with great opportunities in your area of interest. Look ahead, to a wonderful experience!