<p>I should go to UW (Washington). It's inexpensive because of in-state, and it's a good school. I love Seattle and I love the Northwest.</p>
<p>I want to go to CU-Boulder. I visited there back in the spring and loved the area, and campus, all that.</p>
<p>The only real reason not to go to UW is because they don't have a very good music program. I'd end up majoring in something else. The ******** reason is that I don't want to live that close to home - 45 minutes away. Regardless of whether or not I'd be going home, it feels too close.</p>
<p>The huge reason not to go to Boulder is that it's really expensive. I can get some scholarships probably (3.8 GPA, 1960 SAT) but I'm not talented enough at anything to get a full ride for it. My family <em>could</em> afford it, but it'd be a bit of a challenge.</p>
<p>So... what do I do here? I'll apply to both, obviously. I really want to go to CU-Boulder, but I don't know if the cost is worth it.</p>
<p>Yeah, definitely apply to both and talk it over with your family along the way. It’s a huge decision to make, but take a really good look at your life at UW. I’m from Wash originally too, so I know that it’s a great school. But see if you can envision yourself being happy there… And take into account your family’s situation, as I’m sure you are: Are you thinking of grad school? Do your parents have other kids who will be attending college after you? In which case choosing UW might be the clear answer. </p>
<p>There are ways to make CU work - applying for external scholarships, and all the finaid you can get, working during the year to take care of your own expenses. Just make sure how much you want to go there and if in the end, you wind up torn, go with the one that gives you more money. But if you’re significantly pulled towards CU and you know that you’d be overwhelmingly happier there, then it’s definitely something to consider because then the cost may pay off in quality of experience. </p>
<p>Choose where you’ll be happiest if you can afford it.</p>
<p>The only reason I’m at the school I am at now is because I could not afford the one I was accepted to where my girlfriend goes. It has delayed us being together permanently for many years. I’m not really happy and I’m applying in hopes of somewhere else that I might be will take me that I can also afford. </p>
<p>Do everything in your power to make it work if CU Boulder is where you want to go. Be where you can see yourself spending a long time.</p>
<p>Look for option 3, an affordable school with a good music program. Also, make sure you are correct that UW’s music program isn’t what you are looking for.</p>
<p>It’s not true the UW doesn’t have a very good music program. I don’t know where you heard that. People come from all over the world to attend. I work for a church and our last 5 music directors, and our current organist have been UW master’s students. Three of them have been from other countries, one has already released a couple of CD’s and has some name recognition in his field. They have been smart, capable, and well-versed in world music, both religious and secular. Do check much more thoroughly before your write off the school. If you’re worried that you won’t be prepared to make a living in music after attending, you’re just wrong. All of our directors have moved on professionally after getting their degrees.</p>
<p>Thing is, I’m not really planning on making a living from music. My plan is to get an undergrad in music and then go to grad school for something a little more profitable. Another point for UW, I guess.</p>
<p>sseamom - Huh, perhaps I heard wrong. Actually, the biggest thing is that I have just never really heard about the music program there, even though I go to UW every other week for lessons.</p>
<p>If there are other places I’d want to go that are cheap with good music, I’d love to hear suggestions. The issue is, there aren’t really a lot of places in the country that I want to go. I mean Washington, Colorado, maybe some of the upper midwest states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota). I also don’t want to go to a small private college, which might be cheaper than a state university.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people who live within 30 minutes of campus who still have a great college experience. Greater Puget Sound has over 4 million people; it’s not like you will be living in the same neighborhood.</p>
<p>I’m not an expert on music, but I think the program may actually be better at UDub than at CU.</p>
<p>CU is pricey and there are few scholarships available. Go ahead and apply, but don’t expect too much aid.</p>
<p>Since you mention the upper midwest, you could look into the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. Your stats are probably a bit low for scholarships, but maybe you’ll get lucky and the OOS tuition is lower than CU.</p>
<p>look for another option possibly. living that close may not be horrible. you can still have a great college life. but def find a school where u can study what you want to study</p>
<p>It might not be horrible, but it’s definitely not what I want to do. I mean for me half the reason I’m excited for college is to not live near my family, and Seattle just feels too close.</p>
I felt the same way. Most people I know felt the same way. That doesn’t make it an accurate assessment. Unless your parents are going to make you come home all the time, you don’t need to worry about it. It won’t feel too close once you are busy with your new life at college.</p>
<p>A question that unfortunately isn’t in the college search tool:</p>
<p>What parts of the country have similar geography to Washington? I traveled a lot this summer, and I disliked the Midwest just because it seemed to be endlessly flat. I did like Wisconsin, but that was the only place that really stuck out. That was also the reason I loved Colorado, because of the geography. Are there any colleges that would fit that and are also less expensive? Michigan, Wisconsin…?</p>
<p>My brother just went back to colorado for his sophomore year at CU-Boulder, he LOVES the school, but we are having alot of trouble paying for it, if he can’t come up with enough money to cover his junior year he is going to have to come back home and go to UW Seattle. He plans to apply to UW seattle during his sophomore year at CU-Boulder. If the money is a big issue I’d go to UW seattle because of the price, or you could consider WWU they have a nice music program, and provide a nice on campus living experience (where I go ). You have to decide for yourself in the end, but graduating with tons of debt would really suck.</p>
<p>You remind me so much of my former college roommate when she was applying to graduate school. Her #1 criterion was that she needed to be close to mountains! :)</p>
<p>UW had everything she was looking for, but she didn’t want to go because her brother was there too. She really liked the geography at CU-Boulder but their graduate program wasn’t the greatest… After two months of back-and-forth, she decided that location wasn’t important enough to sacrifice academic quality. Ended up at UC San Diego despite the weather (she prefers snow). </p>
<p>
Did you check their out-of-state scholarships? You’d be a borderline candidate for the $5K/year scholarship (minimum 3.85 GPA) and it seems extremely unlikely that you’d get more than that based on merit. It doesn’t seem very likely that you would get much need-based aid either (besides loans), since you say that your family could technically afford it.</p>
<p>b@r!um, you’re talking about the Dean’s Scholarship, yeah? That’s the only one I’ve really seen. My schedule this year isn’t too bad, so I should be able to raise my GPA that extra .04. I’m not sure if it just counts academic classes though… if it does, that’s 4 years worth of band classes that wouldn’t count and I don’t know how taking out those A’s would effect my GPA. No, my dad’s a manager at Boeing, so I doubt we’d be much of a candidate for need-based aid. </p>
<p>How is University of Wisconsin in terms of offering aid to OOS students?</p>
Check out the University of Utah. Good school, right next to the mountains. You’d qualify for reduced WUE tuition. The Great Salt Lake isn’t quite Puget Sound though… ;)</p>
<p>I don’t know about the music program, but Colorado State would be more affordable than CU.</p>
<p>Out-of-state merit aid is limited at both CU and Wisconsin. If you can handle Madison’s topography, I’d look into Minnesota as well.</p>
<p>Heh, Utah. As picky as this may be getting… I couldn’t do Utah. Beautiful place? Yes. But I’m not even kind of what you’d call religious, and religious people kind of bug me. Same reason I’m not looking at Indiana, in spite of their great percussion program. </p>
<p>I’ll look into Minnesota though. Looks cheaper than a lot of schools.</p>
<p>Also, just as an update on UW - I talked to someone today who went through the music program and is still a bit involved in it. She basically confirmed what I expected - it’s a good program, but not as intense as a program at UNT, or a very competitive program. That could be good, since I’m not planning to have a career in music, or not. I’m not entirely sure.</p>
<p>I don’t know about their music programs, but CU Denver and CU Colorado Springs offer the WUE reduced tuition if you’re really set on Colorado. A couple others are CSU, CSU Pueblo, and the University of Northern Colorado.</p>
<p>What’s your instrument? UW Marching Band is nothing to sneeze at, if you play a band instrument.</p>
). You have to decide for yourself in the end, but graduating with tons of debt would really suck.</p>