<p>Alexandre, I don’t see any use in continuing to debate this with you. I do support and respect the University of Michigan, and you are aware of the personal reasons why I chose to attend a top private over Michigan. This doesn’t mean that I am hostile towards the school, nor that I’m attacking it. I in fact have quite a few friends who go there.</p>
<p>To be honest, it was really only one of your first remarks that set me off.</p>
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<p>Hopkins was my dream school for many years, a school that I devoted four years of my life to in order to be accepted. I know I could have been accepted to Michigan with less effort, and to hear you imply that I’m a fool for putting in that extra effort was insulting. Nonetheless, certain comments in your last post hint that perhaps I misinterpreted the above quote…</p>
<p>So, yes, it is a financial strain for me and my family to send me to Hopkins. However, we all believe that it is a worthwhile investment, and I know many others both in my community, in my high school, and on both sides of the Atlantic who would’ve made the same choice. Thus we’ll have to agree to disagree: you don’t see the benefits that I do in attending a top private university over U of M. Fair enough.</p>
<p>As an aside, I lived in the States, Germany, and Belgium. When I spoke of the reputation of American universities abroad, I was speaking from my experience with the educated international community, not the average lad you meet in a pizzeria.</p>