<p>It seems like an obvious choice but it really isn't. I love William & Mary but I can probably go to CNU (public liberal arts university in Newport News, VA with middle of the pack academics, 58% acceptance rate) for free. I would also have a $7500 study abroad stipend, priority registration, honors courses, priority housing, access to good LOR's and career opportunities, and the chance to study a summer at Oxford for 3 credits. At W&M, I have no benefits but they have the accelerated masters I want, great career placement, and name recognition. Would probably cost about $10,000 a year. Is it worth it? Where would be better to get into a public policy master's program or law school? Is it better to have a 3.6 at CNU or a 3.3 at W&M? General pros and cons would be appreciated..thanks!</p>
<p>Bump bump bump</p>
<p>Can you afford the extra 10k a year for W&M?</p>
<p>If you can afford William and Mary without debt, then I would definitely go for it. I don’t know much about CNU but I don’t think that you should pick it solely because it’s less expensive. I’m biased because I love W&M but you need to consider whether the 10K would be a significant burden on you/your parents. If its feasible then the choice IS obvious imo :)</p>
<p>I can probably afford it with minimal loans.</p>
<p>Then Go Tribe! :)</p>
<p>We’ll see! I’m visiting both next weekend.</p>
<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>
<p>I have a similar dilemma. 
I was accepted to both and I like both of them too.I I would pick William & Mary if I were you. I’ve visited both and they both have great campuses and focus on undergraduates. I think that W&M is a lot better for Law and Public Policy than CNU. W&M has a public policy major but I don’t think CNU does. Also, W&M has a wider variety of majors than CNU has. I think you need to weigh what is more important, being one of the very top at CNU or just average at W&M. Also, consider the atmosphere and peopleof the colleges. W&M is supposed to be more about study, study, study while CNU isn’t.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input!</p>
<p>I’d say that William and Mary is worth the cost. Better programs in general, and overall just a more challenging environment. You will be surrounded by people who are extremely driven and therefore it’ll drive you to do your best too. CNU isn’t a bad school at all, but considering that you got into a school like William and Mary, you might get a little bored there. Challenges are what make you more prepared for the real world after all ;)</p>
<p>Thanks…still not sure though. I’d be turning down so much opportunity at CNU.</p>
<p>Look into how the honors program is structured at CNU. Are there only a few honors discussions offered or are there a plethora of options for students with all types of interests? An honors program can be extremely comprehensive, or it can just be a title the school slapped onto a select group of classes in order to attract some better students. From the looks of it, CNU’s program seems to fall in the middle of that spectrum, although you should ask to be sure. </p>
<p>Typically honors classes last only a couple of years which may prove problematic if you want to go into a field not known for its weeding process. Sometimes the lower ability students congregate into these majors, which may impact the quality of discussion and professor expectations. At W&M, your classmates were preselected for academic achievement so this is likely to be less of an issue. </p>
<p>Quite frankly, the perks associated with CNU (priority registration is not something to be taken lightly) make it seem fairly attractive. Would studying abroad pose a significant financial hardship if you went to W&M? If so, and you want to go abroad, go to CNU. Also top law schools care mostly about your GPA and LSAT scores. Prestige of the school isn’t a top consideration.</p>
<p>Study abroad is not the most important thing to me but it would be nice. I’m also concerned about the difficulty of W&M. For law or grad school admissions, GPA is a huge factor. Like I said, I’m confident I can pull a competitive GPA at CNU but W&M is notoriously difficult. Thoughts anyone?</p>
<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>