<p>As an international student , she did not apply Fin aid from U of C.
so there is no $ givne by the university . ( but she can get fund for her education though parents who are working as regular professionals) </p>
<p>she now received an new offer from Wesleyan University with<br>
a scholarship which will covers her full tuition in Wesleyan for 4 years.
( 35000/year)</p>
<p>she wants to do Econ for major.</p>
<p>She admires UC, but someone suggests, if she go to Wesleyan and enter a
Graduate School in a Ivies or UC 4 years later ( it is said student graduate from Wesleyanhave high chance toenter such schools for further study)) , the result will be the same but save some money. </p>
<p>is it a wise way to choose? please advise. thanks.</p>
<p>The offer of Wesleyan University came with Freeman schollarship.</p>
<p>she was on the waitinglist before 1 May, and offered last week when someone before her refused the offer ( schollarship and of course also school ).</p>
<p>she was given 2 weeks to consider the offer. on 30 April she had accapted U of C. ( can change with deposit is gone )</p>
<p>parents can sponsor her but 60K a year is not considered a smallamount of $, as no money tree in the backyard:).</p>
<p>concern is which way is better for her in general. thanks</p>
<p>well they are really different schools. IF money is no concern, than go with the happiness factors. U of C is urban, mid sized university with access to great resources and great reputation, but also the drawbacks of bigger school… wesleyan is in the middle of nowehere, but a small LAC with all the LAC benefits. also has a great reputation. a scholarship is a great opportunity. i dont know the details of the freeman, but money aside, the recognition and perks that come with most scholarships make for a really unique and personalized experience… what does she think?</p>
<p>A note: Wes isn’t in the niddle of nowhere. Middletown is small, but it exists, we’re only half an hour from New Haven, and only a couple hours from NYC and Boston. </p>
<p>Anyway, if you hve any specific questions about Wes, feel free to ask. U Chicago definitly has a fantastic Econ program…one of the best in the country. But Wes’s is also good…I’m not sure if the difference is worht the money.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is a wonderful LAC. As someone said, it is very, very different in feel compared to Chicago, but it is a first-rate, very prestigious institution that attracts engaged, smart students. If you take the money, you won’t be getting a second-rate education because of it. (Says the father whose kid turned down almost that much at another good school to go to Chicago. But it was nuts.)</p>
<p>She loves both, but prefers U of C. The only reason according to her is that
in case she does not wish to pursuse higher degree after 4 years undergraduate study , a degree from U of C will give her more chance and network in hunting for a job(?) than that of Wes. Otherwise, if she attends another biger school ,gets a say Master’s Degree after Wes. The result will be more or less the same ( I mean it will be equ to a BS from U of C. )I am not
sure if it is true. Hope I had made it clear… Sorry for my poor english:)</p>
<p>zrheihei: It can’t be that the “only” reason your daughter prefers Chicago is the better-known name. There are lots of differences between the two schools, and reputation – at least in the U.S. – is an area where there is very little difference between them. If that’s what she thinks makes a difference, she hasn’t done nearly enough thinking about what kind of school will be best for her.</p>
<p>OK . Put the money aside , let’s say if she gets a full aid from somewhere ( not UC ) for attemding U of C. where she should go?</p>
<p>no doubt, Wes is a very good LAC , but compared to UC,
a LAC is relatively small and lack of facilities and resources an UC type school has,according to many friends of mine. She thinks in UC she will get more for her University life than in Wes --in general. I simply not sure about this… </p>
<p>One concern she has about UC is how hard its Econ Major would be ? ( She got 2230 Sat I and 2400 Sat II though , and offerd by UCL and LSE etc in UK but only by these two from USA.)</p>
<p>I know the topic is turned a bit from here. But still wish to hear some advices from someone . thanks </p>
<p>Wesleyan is comparatively big for a LAC, and very well funded. The big differences vs. Chicago are comparatively weaker science programs (though they’ve spent LOTS of money on their facilities, and are desperate for students to fill them), small town vs. big city, very few graduate students vs. lots, no professional schools, generally very liberal politics among faculty and students vs. broad range from very liberal to very conservative, New England vs. Midwest.</p>
<p>Where does she plan to work after graduation? Freeman scholars tend to stick together even after graduation and have a terrific network within their individual countries</p>
<p>I have a child a the university of chicago, but I grew up and still live close to Wesleyan, where many people I know went to college. The schools are very different. Wesleyan is in much quieter surroundings. Middletown, CT is not much of a city and it is over a two hour ride to either Boston or New york. Not much goes on there except for activities at the school. The quality of education at both schools is excellent, but Chicago has a far more vibrant intellectual feel and more opportunities due to its location in Chicago and the contributions of its graduate schools. The campus at Wesleyan is attractive, but it really doesn’t compare to Chicago if you like old Gothic European style buildings reminiscent of Oxford or Cambridge. However, money does matter and you can get into superb graduate schools from Wesleyan if you do well there. You can still go to Chicago or the ivies for grad school and get the same job. So, if you put aside the money issue, I would go with Chicago because I love the campus and being in Chicago. I also really like the people at Chicago. But if you don’t mind a quieter life in a fairly boring location, you can also get a great education at Wesleyan.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call life at Wes quiet. Yes, Middletown itself is quiet/boring, but the camus is INCREADABLY vibrant and full of things to do. No, it’s not the same as going to college in a city, but I personally prefer it: I have my entire life to live in cities: I’m only going to live in a community made up entirely of this many intelligent people my age once. </p>
<p>That’s not to say that the OP will necissarily feel the same way, just another POV :D</p>
<p>Go to Wesleyan. It’s one of the top LACs and it has one of the best econ departments among LACs. Since it’s virtually free, you really have nothing to lose unless you really need to be in a big city. Econ majors at any school, including U of Chicago, tend to be pretty preprofessional oriented anyway and so that somewhat nullifies the advantage of intellectual atmosphere of Chicago (I’ve heard it’s not as unique as it’s rumored to be anyway).</p>
<p>If my parents were to give me that $140,000 to either invest while going to Wesleyan or using it all on Chicago, I have no doubt in my mind I would be better off financially even years after graduation by picking the former.</p>
<p>Full tuition is really tough to pass up, I’d say it should make your choice pretty easy.</p>
<p>“so that somewhat nullifies the advantage of intellectual atmosphere of Chicago (I’ve heard it’s not as unique as it’s rumored to be anyway)”</p>
<p>Careful, now. Just because there’s a lot of pre-professional ibanker trash running around looking to learn how to make big bucks on the stock market doesn’t mean the intellectual atmosphere gets “nullified.” It does kind of suck that the economics classes can sometimes feel more like NW or Wharton (although it’s a bit funny given the rep the school has for being extremely theory-based) but it’s still a far more intellectual experience than those schools, and you’re certainly not going to get the experience of the Sosc or Hum core there either. When it comes to econ, you’re just going to have to look a little harder (and avoid the GSB if you can help it).</p>
<p>She turned down Freeman/Wes yesterday, and is going to U of Chicago in Sept 07</p>
<p>We will never know which choice is better over the other as she can only opt one. at this time , she feels she has put all her heart to U of C, and we ,as parents, will give her our support. :)</p>
<p>I wish your child a great deal of happiness and success. My child had a similar decision to make last year and she picked the U of Chicago even though it meant a major financial commitment by all of us. She is thrilled with the U of Chicago and we couldn’t be happier. It really is worth the extra money in our case and it is rewarding to see how our child has thrived at the U Of Chicago. It is a great place. I am sure that she has made the right choice.</p>
<p>I have to add my voice to the chorus, it has been worth every penny. The experience for S has been beyond our greatest hopes. Congratulations on your choice.</p>