Trying to Decide on a University... WWYD? - Page 2

[Gator-mom]

I vote you stay here..but that is just because I like you!

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by Gator-mom

I vote you stay here..but that is just because I like you!

I know With our busy schedules we'll probably see each other just the same though!

[BetsyS]

I'm another that has enormous student loan debt. It's only a couple of years---I would let finances rule completely.

In fact, I often (as in, at least once a week) have dreams where I am telling my grad school self to rethink the loan/money issue. It weighs on me A LOT. A whole lot.

[moonyoungi]

utah for all the previously stated reasons.
You can move to oregon after couple years.

[Ianthe]

Yeah.. I've decided to just stick it out in Utah.. if I truly hate it I can always transfer to another university (I think).

[Girlprof]

Sorry to stir the pot if you've decided. I have to put in a plug for Eastern Michigan. My mom's alma mater. In terms of safety, I wouldn't be worried. Ypsilanti had a bad reputation when I was growing up, eh-hem, 20 years ago, but it's improved a lot. Ann Arbor is amazing. Many people go there for school and can't bear to ever leave. It is true that the state is an economic disaster zone at the moment and it's worth checking out how that is affecting the universities. For awhile Eastern was a school that took really excellent care of its students and that's worth quite a bit. I don't know if that is still true and I"m not sure how you'd find out.

If I were you, I'd probably try to fill in some more details on your list. Like, being near family - is this overall good or bad? With kids and both parents in school, it might be downright critical to have family around to help, more important than cost factors. But, what exactly will you do about childcare?

Also, how does the quality of the school fit with your future plans? It sounds like you are interested in grad school. I would go ahead and call the departments of the graduate school programs you are interested in and ask them what they think of those three colleges.

What career path are you thinking about and how much debt can you tolerate? I would be very willing to spend more for a higher quality undergrad education if I was either headed toward a better-paying career or going to grad school in a field where it was likely to be paid for. My DH and I both have some debt from college and grad school, but it has been manageable to pay it off. My brother, the business dude, paid his student loans off early.