<p>I’m not sure what a naturally smart person is… but I think that a driven person can excell, in the long run, graduating from any school. The UMD honors program is great, especially if you can graduate with virtually no debt. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is to get into more than 100K in debt. My friend’s sister graduated from Duke with the full 160K debt! Thats incredible. She currently devotes half of her paycheck every month to her college debt. For the next ten years (the length of time on the loan) the debt is going to buckle her down. People think that graduating from Wharton guarantees an 100K salary… dream on. If you want to be and get placed as an IBanker or a Consultant than yes you will make nearly 100K the first year, but other than that most jobs are probably in the 40-65K range. Example: First year accoutants only make about 35-50K per year, yes even out of Wharton. In that case any debt over 60K debt is huge! </p>
<p>One advantage of yours (scagneas) is that through the honors program you will be able to stand out. Being at the top of your class will earn you a lot of respect from professors and from recruiters. While a Wharton student of the same caliber doesn’t look as good, they would just look like an average student. As a student in the top of your class you will find that the UMD network will work to get you just as good of a job as a Wharton graduate, if not better. Turning down Wharton would be hard, but I think that years down the line you will be very happy with your decision. </p>
<p>Just a word of advice, from a fellow student, grades and graduating at the top of your class isn’t your only opportunity to ensure a good job after graduation. Sometimes being very active in your community and in business-related extracurricular activities will work to your advantage just as well as grades will. Not only will you build a network of contacts, but you will be offered more jobs. A buddy of mine is a national officer for Phi Beta Lambda (Greek for Future Business Leader) and he is currently working for Build-A-Bear. He told me that at every interview he has taken they never asked him what his school activities were, but what business experience he had outside of school. Through PBL he has already had a number of internships and a job offer upon graduation through this company. The funny thing is… his grades aren’t even that hot. Hovering around a 3.0, he still manages to impress business people through his practical business experience and leadership abilities; those tend to be the things that set you apart, not a 3.8 gpa compared to a 3.6.</p>
<p>I’ll shut up now.</p>