Which school should I choose

College Search & Selection
1

Hello guys!
So i have been accepted to University of Maryland(honors), UIUC ,University of Minnesota, University of Georgia & University of Wisconsin Madison.

I am awaiting my decision from Boston University, but even though it is my top school and even if I get accepted there’s a slim chance that i’d go there because I now realise that spending 70000 dollars per year for undergrad is just not worth it. So in all probability I will have to make a decision from the above 5

My biggest factor in consideration is that i want an urban environment which i think can be best provided by UMN and UMD(proximity to DC).

I think i am not going to consider UGA unless they offer me any kind of scholarship which at this point doesnt seem likely even though I qualify for the classic scholars one.

I know that all of the above schools are quite similar in ranking and prestige but that just makes it more difficult to decide. Earlier, i wasnt even considering UMD but since i got into honors I’m highly inclined.

I am an international student so nothing is in state for me And at this point my choice is mainly between UMD and UMN. Though I like UW Madison as well i’m not sure about its location and with UIUC , urbana champaign doesn’t intrigue me since i’m an international and wish to spend my life outside of school in a bustling environment as well.

Any suggestions would be helpful!

2

Oh and my major is Psych but I’m going to combine it with English or Economics or Film Studies

3

How important are finances? I assume U-MN is the least expensive.

4

@intparent finances don’t matter a lot since my parents are willing to pay. But yeah as i said 70000 per year for BU is too much so otherwise finances dont matter. I am most worried about the weather at minnesota

5

Madison is a perfect small city to go to college, much better than Minneapolis.

Wisco is on a different level than UMD and you will quickly tire of DC.

Why are you concerned about Madison? It has the perfect blend of attributes and it is the state capital.

If you wish to spend your life “outside” of school why are you coming to the US? Becoming part of the community is one of the cornerstones of the experience, especially the schools you mentioned.

6

@ScaredNJDad I wish to spend my time both inside and outside of school in case you failed to comprehend that. For me a university experience should comprise not only of the confines of the university( no matter how large it may be) but the environment outside as well. Thank you for your input though :slight_smile:

7

Madison is your best choice. You are not understanding that the time you will have is quite limited and places like DC aren’t as wonderful for students as they appear, especially in the case of UMD where you have to travel in an area famous for congestion. You will have time for DC on the weekends but after a short period of time you won’t go that much.

Wisco and Madison have evolved together so the school and city are inseparable, with businesses and activities tailored for students. If you go to UMD because of DC you will be disappointed.

As an international I can understand your thought process but it isn’t accurate.

8

Academically, Madison is your best choice, but the others are perfectly fine options as well. I think it is BS that you will “tire of DC” – there is easy access to the city by Metro, a lot to do there, and also pretty easy access to other cities on the East coast. Minnesota is fine, and Minneapolis is a nice city, but it isn’t really near anything else. I lived in MN for years and have a master’s from U-MN, and have an adult kid in DC, so have some exposure to both. Between UMD and U-MN, I’d pick UMD. But it is more expensive – not $70K, but I bet it is over $50K (haven’t looked). Don’t forget you have to pay transportation, also will probably be require to purchase the college health insurance plan (cost usually around $1500 per year, but it varies).

9

@intparent Cost of Attendance at UMD is 45k, UW is 43k and UMN is 40k so not much of a difference.

@ScaredNJDad I wasn’t even considering UMD before i received acceptance. I had thought to myself that i’d not go to umd even if it’s in DC. But getting into the Honors college pretty much made me consider the college.

I guess i’m leaning towards UMD at this point but there’s some time so i’ll research more

10

@intparent You are exaggerating the ease of traveling in that area on the weekends. It is 90 minutes each way with a change of trains, not counting the time to where you intend to go in DC or delays in transfer. Not many college students will do this.

@pallavijaniani You should post on the school specific forums about location. I think you will learn that access to a city and the fit of businesses to student tastes and pocketbooks are the most important things. Since Wisco is part of Madison, you will find great feedback.

The area around UMD is not comparable in any way to Madison.

11

US News has ranked UMN as #16 for psychology in the world and UW as 41 but overall UMN has#29 and UW 26. UMD is 61 i think(for psych)
I’m just getting more and more confused :frowning:

12

Those rankings are for graduate school, but both Minnesota and Wisconsin are ranked 9th in the USA. Wisco is ranked #2 for Clinical and #5 for Developmental. They are both excellent schools.

13

@ScaredNJDad Alright thank you ! I’ll take into consideration all the information that you’ve provided while making my decision

14

UMD Honors is excellent and very hard to get into. Did you get Honors anywhere else?

Email Admissions. Ask them to put you in touch with a student in your major and a student from your country (in any major). Ask those students the same questions. Compare the answers.

I think Minneapolis-St Paul is GREAT but the time to live in a college town is in college - you can live in a city later on. And Madison is among the best college towns in the country (perenial top 5). :slight_smile:
http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/50-best-college-towns-america/
http://www.usnews.com/education/slideshows/10-great-college-towns
One downside to UWIsconsin at the moment are the big budget cuts.
Both WI and MN have the same type of weather - VERY cold, sunny, and dry in the winter, hot and humid in the summer.
College Park, where UMD is, isn’t very nice at all in terms of “college towns”. However, there’s no denying that DC has lots of very interesting places, and at $4 a ride/35mn from College Park to Foggy Bottom or the Smithsonian, not to mention the ease of travelling along the Eastern Seaboard, I can really see the attraction for an international student.

15

Madison is a great college town. I wouldn’t say it’s better - or worse - than Minneapolis, just different. Minneapolis is a big city. Madison is significantly smaller. But, both will fit your needs for an “urban” environment.

UMD, from what I understand (I have never actually been on their campus) is in a suburb of DC, not in DC.

Both UW and UMN are right in the city.

UMN will likely be cheaper.

I believe the budgets cuts in WI might affect things, but it’s hard to foresee…

If you prefer bigger cities, go with UMN. If you prefer a smaller, college town vibe, go with Madison.
If you really need to be by DC, AND WARMER WEATHER - it will be really cold in winter in WI and MN - go with UMD.

They’re all three considered fine universities.

16

@MYOS1634 No i got into only UMD honors. And your idea about contacting admissions is really great! Thank you for your amazing inputs.

@BeeDAre Thank you so much!!! :smiley:

17

I know some of these schools aren’t in big cities, but Madison, WI and Athens, GA are two of the nicest, most vibrant college towns in America in my opionion. Great restaurants, pretty streets, fun shops. Loved them both. I have been to Champaign-Urbana and thought it was nothing special at all. Very blah. Minneapolis is a big city so that may be what you really want. Haven’t been to College Park, so no opinion. I just wanted to chime in because I’m a big city person, and I could see myself happily living in Athens and Madison.

18

I think U of Minnesota has a strong psych program

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@citymama9 Thank you! As i said i wont be considering UGA unless any scholarship is offered since the other schools have a more highly ranked psych program. And yes, i’m considering U of Minnesota not only because of its city but the highly ranked psych program as well. What bothers me is the weather but i guess Madison has similar weather.

20

Madison and Minneapolis will have very similar weather.

Minneapolis also has enclosed walkways throughout downtown (probably on campus too) for walking around “outside” during winter. But you will find that Minnesotans don’t let winter keep them inside…

The other thing about Minneapolis is there are other colleges and universities nearby, and Minneapolis is supposed to be a great city for young people. (But so are the others! :slight_smile: )

Furthermore, Minnesota has actually decided to increase funding toward higher education recently; whereas other states, most significantly Wisconsin and Illinois, have drastically cut funding. I really don’t know if that will be a factor affecting students sooner or later, or even exactly how, but another one to consider…

I know nothing about Athens GA… but can vouch that Champaign-Urbana, despite having a world-class university in it’s midst, is nothing special. And definitely not the place if you really want “urban”. It’s a small town surrounded by miles and miles of endless cornfields and other smaller towns… (although you can get to Chicago in two hours on the Amtrak.)

Finally, re: UMD - College Park - it is right outside DC, and I’m sure there’s a train going in to DC from there. Everything will be more expensive there - but I personally love DC and think it’s a nice town with lots to do.

But again, you will be in College Park most of the time!

Does anyone know anything about College Park? I have a friend who got his Master’s there, I’ll try to ask him today about it…

And yes, it’s warmer in DC, but warmer doesn’t always mean better - it gets pretty humid and sticky, starting in spring, and when it snows, everything shuts down. I’d personally rather have the milder summers and autumns, and snow in winter, and the infrastructure to handle it…
The Southeast US, in general, is sticky, very hot, and humid in spring and summer. Milder winters, though.