<p>My son was admitted into the journalism programs at both universities. He loves both. Northwestern has a much higher overall rating, and a more prestigious journalism program. Miami offered 30,000 per year in merit scholarships. We would have to pay the full price of attendance--no financial or merit aid at Northwestern. I am curious to hear from Northwestern/Medill graduates if they feel this difference in reputation of the schools justifies the differential in cost.</p>
<p>Full price at NU is a lot. 250K a lot. Is there not financial aid because your EFC is full price? To get no financial aid is kind of strange. I don’t think any school is worth 250K to be honest.</p>
<p>take the merit scholarships</p>
<p>Curiously, you haven’t mentioned that money is a show stopper for you. Assuming that being the case, and if your S is passionate about NU, why not? Else, of course…Miami.</p>
<p>One thing about big schools like Miami, you may not know what diamonds are in the rough there. E.g., their philosophy department may be one of the top 10 in the world. Up there with Princeton’s, Oxford’s, Pitt’s, NYU’s…and far better than NU’s. Of course, that doesn’t matter if it’s not a subject your kid has (or will come to have) any interest in; it’s just illustrative of the fact that where there are graduate students and some money there may be stuff going on there that current highschool seniors and their fams aren’t likely to know about. </p>
<p>Iowa’s writing school is another example. Iowa may not make USNWR top 10 lists, but it’s where the best creative writing profs and grad students go. I hear Florida State’s film school is one more gem of that kind.</p>
<p>The moral is that school rankings and overall “prestige” looked at from afar don’t always tell the whole story. I mean, I haven’t got the faintest idea myself where there are the best Classics or Anthropology or Bio-Chemistry departments–Helenic College? Yale? Jefferson Medical School? No idea whatever.</p>
<p>Anyhow, good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Tough call. Medill is the best journalism program in the country, but Umiami is overal a respected school and that is a lot of money. I think it depends on your financial situation and how your son feels about both schools. I wouldn’t choose Northwestern solely because it is ranked higher, but I also wouldn’t choose Miami solely because of the money. Evaluate both scenarios holistically and arrive at an all encompassing decision.</p>
<p>@reddog, do you think Medill is generally considered better than Columbia’s journalism school? (I really have no idea myself.)</p>
<p>Columbia doesn’t have an undergrad program. Medill is generally considered the best, if not one of the best, in the country. University of Missouri (which, sort of confusingly for this discussion, is in Columbia, MO) is also excellent.</p>
<p>Remember that journalists don’t generally get paid much, so if finances or ROI are issues, I’d pick Miami; otherwise, NU is a far better choice. (In full disclosure, I am a Medill grad…from Miami.)</p>
<p>Thanks, Sally.</p>
<p>Sally, you got your phrase mixed up there. “Medill is generally considered one of the best, if not the best, in the country.” should be what it looks like. Just wanted to point that out, :-D</p>
<p>I still think that ~$240,000 vs ~$120,000 is too big a difference to pass up, unless money is really not much of an issue, in which case it’s whichever one he likes better.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. This has been a surprisingly confusing and difficult decision for us because of the points you all make. And the fact that both campuses are truly beautiful and seem to be great fits for our son. We are not wealthy, but we would pay the tuition at NU with some significant sacrifices, and we don’t want to be short sighted about the value of a good education. If a degree from NU really helps open doors and achieve professional success, we want to support that; however, if it is how hard one works at the institution much more than what an institution can offer in terms of reputation, education, valuable internships, and alumni support, then Miami seems a like stronger option. Again, thank you all for your comments.</p>
<p>To be honest, journalism is, for the most part, based on how good you are, not where you went. While Medill may be great, 120K extra for journalism isn’t worth it, in my opinion, since it depends so much more on your skill.</p>
<p>Talent certainly matters, but you still have to get your resume past the email inbox. </p>
<p>Medill does open doors (or inboxes) among traditional media powerhouses - NYT, WSJ - in particular.
But it is still hard to use that as justification for a $ 120K price tag.
I’d send him off to Miami and encourage him to work his butt off to produce grades and an editorial position that get him noticed.</p>
<p>I met Steve Johnson, a photojournalist who covered Katrina, the Kentucky Derby, teaches at UF, etc. He started when he had the drive to go ask to take pictures at a scrimmage, since he knew he wouldn’t get in at a full game. Sent them his pictures, and now he’s got work everywhere, and is a professor in his early 20’s. Journalism is about being good and working hard. So while Medill does help a lot, it doesn’t guarantee anything. I don’t think it’s worth 120K.</p>
<p>Medill alumni are everywhere, and from what I can see from my son’s friends experience, they really look out for Medill grads. Given how challenging it is to find a good job in this field I would not underestimate the value of Medill alum connections.</p>
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<p>You are right. I made a lazy edit–one that would have gotten me an “F” in class at Medill. It won’t happen again!</p>
<p>Haha, Medill would be disappointed. (Apparently Medill is now an entity in and of itself :-D)</p>
<p>Yes, NU is a better school in this program and has a better reputation, and if money was not a concern, NU would be a no brainer, but take the money, especially in this day and age of limited jobs…That is alot of money…</p>
<p>OP – here’s what it sounds like to me.</p>
<p>With financial aid, Miami will cost about the same as a state State School (in-state tuition +/-). NU will cost what a private university costs without financial aid.</p>
<p>I guess the first question is what will it mean to your family to pay NU tuition. If it becomes a real hardship, means that other family members may not have educational opportunities, your retirement will be impaired, etc. etc., etc. – it’s a no brainer. You can get an excellent education at Miami.</p>
<p>If your family can afford it. NU is generally has a MUCH better reputation (though Miami is clearly an up and coming school). The question of whether it’s worth paying an additional $100,000 plus for the better reputation is one that we could (and in other forums HAVE) debate endlessly. People have different views on this and there is no right or wrong answer.</p>
<p>I would say that the vast majority who get admitted to NU could find merit money somewhere if they looked for it. With state universities, I suspect that virtually everone does (or could) have lower cost options.</p>
<p>FWIW – we were faced with a similar decision, significant scholarship ($25,000/year) from Tulane; In-state tuition + 1/2 scholarship from UConn. Because we are fortunate in our financial situation, giving our D the opportunity to attend NU was an easy decision for us.</p>
<p>zephyr15, you’re right: there is no good resolution to this, but I have really appreciated people weighing in. Thank you again! </p>
<p>After attending the admitted students day today at NU, my son is now able to formulate his concerns and remaining questions about Miami, and I was able to help see how an extra $120,000 might be worthwhile–or not–based on answers to our son’s follow up questions with Miami. </p>
<p>With respect to finances: we are in the position you describe, with significant merit aid (free to 3/4 paid) from good schools; however, we’re in a financial position where all competitive private schools believe we can afford the full cost of attendance. This is our first kid, with one more 5 years behind. With sacrifices, we’ll figure out to make it work at NU, if it turns out that is really what our son wants to do. </p>
<p>Not to fuel another discussion, but the cost of higher education is utterly ridiculous.</p>