<p>So I was accepted into UMD College Park and wait listed at Villanova. However I just got a call yesterday informing me that I also was accepted off of the wait list! I'm having a really hard time deciding on whether or not I should take up Villanova's offer and leave UMD or stick with UMD. Here's some bullet points:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Financial Aid - I got ~$14000 in grants/loans/workstudy from UMD while I got ~$45000 from Villanova meaning that we have to pay about $10000 more to go to UMD. (I'm out of state.)
(While this would be a deal breaker for most families we're Asian meaning that my parents are willing to spend whatever amount of money it takes for me to get the best education. Since my parents prefer UMD over Villanova, they have no problem spending the extra money.)</p></li>
<li><p>I already payed the enrollment fee and signed up for the admissions day for UMD. I'm not sure how easy it is to cancel these/sign up for Villanova's since it's almost June.</p></li>
<li><p>Like I said before my family is Asian, (though I'm born in America and probably more "American" and most of my friends) and not super rich ( ~$60000 a year) so I'm wondering how I would fit in the Villanova environment which is known for being "Vanillanova" and full of rich preppy kids.</p></li>
<li><p>I got into the business school for both colleges and I'm mostly interested in majoring in Finance. (May change but unlikely)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If any of you are currently students at either college or were accepted and did not go to either college could you please tell why and/or what your reasons were? Also, what are some things about Villanova/UMD do you not like? (I'm only asking because most people only ever talk about the things that they love)</p>
<p>I'm just interested in what you guys would do in my situation, any helpful comments would be really appreciated!</p>
<p>Bump. Any help would be really nice.</p>
<p>Either one is a good choice.<br>
Villanova is not that full of rich preppy. I know lots of kids that went to Villanova. Know quite a few at UMD. Know lots of alum from both Villanova and UMD.
The question comes down to where you may want to work/live long term? Get info from the placement offices of both schools.<br>
Will you want to get an MBA… if so where? Get info on where the grads go for MBA? That may be harder to get the info as many work for 2-3 years then go back to school for the MBA. So, you may want to ask your target MBA school where their applicants come from.</p>
<p>Here is a business exercise for you: What would you do with the approximately $40,000 you could be saving by studying at Villanova instead of UM-CP for four years?</p>
<p>Run the numbers here: <a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid; and think about what the differences mean. Take transportation costs between your home and the university into account. Don’t forget to consider increases in tuition/fees and on-campus housing each year. Find out whether housing costs go down or up if/when students move off campus. And chat up the placement offices, and see where the graduates go.</p>
<p>Right now you are interested in business. If you drop that major for whatever reason, would one of these places offer you better choices for other possible majors?</p>
<p>Wrong way to look at it mom.
You are solely looking at if from a cost perspective.
You should really do a net present value cash flow taking into account long term salary, etc.
If he is going to focus in finance… Villanova is in Philly… Wharton/Penn has a great MBA program especially if finance is the emphasis. But is there a better tie to Wharton from Villanova or UMD? Do you want to live in Philly area (less expensive) or DC area (more expensive) long term.</p>
<p>It’s not like his parents are going to give him the 40k they would have saved by him going to Villanova so your question on what he would do with 40k isn’t applicable. </p>
<p>Villanova will probably be less diverse than Maryland, fwiw.</p>
<p>I grew up in Philly. Went to college there and have been living in Maryland since then. I can assure you that Villanova will be less diverse, and probably does not offer as many different majors as UMD. Wharton/Penn does have a great MBA program, but getting accepted there is no cake walk. UMD has a highly regarded Business school and provides many opportunities/internships in the DC area. In the interests of full disclosure, my D is attending UMD next year, even though she was offered a ton of money from my Alma Mater in Philly. 10K a year is some serious debt. Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck.</p>
<p>The good MBA programs expect a bare minimum of two years (five would be better) of increasingly responsible professional experience after graduation. It really doesn’t matter all that much where the student completes his/her undergrad degree. The undergrad GPA and GMAT scores and letters of recommendation will matter. </p>
<p>Villanova wait lists you AND they offer you a ton of money? Villanova offers student 45K out of the 58K VU will cost student next year? Does that seem unusual to anyone? </p>
<p>jkeil,
Never go by sticker price of private universities. They give out lots of money.
Seems it is a strategy of trying to appear “elite” for high ratings or scaring some away riff raff with the sticker price that they don’t apply.</p>
<p>Tomsriver, jjkeil knows VU well enough to know they are notoriously stingy, don’t meet need even for RD and certainly not for WL students. So …</p>
<p>Yes, I know Villanova but my question is more general, as MYOS indicates. What schools give a wait listed student 45 out of 58K they need to attend? For a school to do so would surprise me, unless there was something extraordinary about this application. Usually, schools spend their money on students they want and take kids off the wait list who can afford to pay a large chunk of the fare. Has anyone heard of any other school giving 45 out of 58K for a very needy waitlisted student? I’d like to clear up any misunderstanding I might have about wait listed students and FA.</p>
<p>Any place that has a policy of meeting full need will meet full need for wait listed students.</p>
<p>Any place that does its level best to meet full need will continue to do so for wait listed students.</p>
<p>If the aid package was determined separately from the admissions decision, and was a very good one for this student, perhaps VU simply defaulted to that package when the OP came off the wait list.</p>
<p>^the issue is that VU does not do “its best” to meet full need AFAIK.
Also, even if schools meet full need for RD students, they don’t promise to meet full need for WL students. Although most colleges on the “100% need” list try to meet full need, they are need aware for their WL or may not offer the same package for WL students.</p>