What would you do? Local school or out of state?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I am debating transferring to Smith College or UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago).</p>

<p>Yes, I know they are very different both in their environments and as far as academic challenge. Here's the situation:</p>

<p>I received a very generous financial aid package and an external scholarship that would cover my loans, which means both are debt free options. However, I currently live in Chicago and I can very realistically save money as a commuter vs living on-campus or renting a room or apartment as a Smithie. I have 5 semesters left which means I could save about $10,000 (from getting a refund and working a freelance position in Chicago).</p>

<p>I would be studying Government at Smith, Urban and Public Affairs at UIC (it's a smaller college than the Liberal Arts college.) </p>

<p>I am in my early 30s, so although I love the idea of finally getting to live the "college experience" I wonder if I should just accept that I'm in a different position in life and UIC makes more common sense. Another big consideration is that I am the only child to my mother who is in her mid-sixities. She works but does not have a stable job. I pay her cellphone and help her out a bit - however, when she's out of work for a couple months at a time, I have to pitch in a lot more, like paying rent or getting her up to date on heating bills so the service is not cut off. So basically, I'm worried that a situation like this might arise while I'm living out of state without money to bail her out.</p>

<p>I would like to go on to grad school but not interested in getting into debt over it. I'm looking at staying in the non-profit sector, so not expecting to make boatloads of money with my degree. </p>

<p>I would appreciate any comments or things I should consider as I make this decision. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You have to seriously consider your family obligations. IMO family comes first before all, so Chicago may be the most responsible choice for you at this point. It’s not like it’s a crappy school- it’s a great school, so it’s not the worst compromise. :-)</p>

3

<p>thanks for the insight! Yeah it’s not a crappy school, and particularly in that area of Urban Planning/ Public Policy it’s a pretty good one.</p>

4

<p>I’d suggest that you re-post this in the Parents Forum. Put the information that you are a non-traditional age student at the top when you re-write the post. What you need is some advice about the Smith vs. UIC experience as prep for your eventual grad school goals.</p>

<p>I understand that Smith has a strong record with non-trad students, but I have no specific experience with Smith so I can’t speak directly to that. I think that someone in the Parents Forum may be able to.</p>

<p>In my observation, the public universities usually are very good with non-trad students - especially in places like Chicago where many students work and study at the same time. That could be a good reason to choose UIC over Smith.</p>

5

<p>Have you made a decision yet?</p>

6

<p>My deadline was extended to decide, maybe by about 1 week. I came up with a compromise school - DePaul University. It has the Public Policy major with a concentration in either Urban or Environmental studies. It’s a liberal arts college, which is one of the things that drew me to Smith. I’m meeting with an admissions officer today. </p>

7

<p>Good luck! I’m all about having choices! </p>