<p>Hi, all. I got into UChicago EA and would love to go, but my family would be paying basically full price if I did. My other options (that I'm seriously considering) are UVA (Echolls), University of South Carolina (Horseshoe), and UNC Chapel Hill. The problem is that I'm more interested in the humanities, though I would also plan to minor in something more practical like economics or computer science to supplement that. And honestly I'm really not sure now if I'd even stick with studying English or history. So for someone who's still trying to figure things out, would UChicago be worth the money in the end? Does it provide enough opportunities to decide and to get internships and a good job after? I've read so many conflicting posts and was wondering how everything would apply to my situation. Sorry for the longish post, and thanks for any advice you guys can give!</p>
<p>If you’re not sure yet about your major, Chicago is very strong in both economics and the humanities (don’t know about CS off the top of my head) and is also conducive to changing or adding majors. The “worth the money” question is going to depend on your specific situation – while UChicago is a better launchpad to companies that recruit nationally, and the city itself offers many internship and other opportunities, your prospects still depend mostly on your intended career and personal ability.</p>
<p>What is the marginal cost difference between Chicago and the other options on your list? Would you have to take out significant loans, or loot mom and dad’s retirement plans, to pay? A slightly more generous starting salary won’t mean much if you’ve taken on tens of thousands in debt.</p>
<p>My parents won’t go into any debt with this, but it’s still a significant chunk of change. As for the others on my list…it’s probably a difference of about $15,000 for some, though I did get a full ride to the University of South Carolina’s honors program, so that was one I was heavily considering as well. I was just worried I wouldn’t like the environment there as much as UChicago, as well as not making the connections I could at a school like UChicago. Columbia is pretty sleepy for a city.</p>