LJ repost hehe
So I got accepted into the University of Maryland last week. I live in Maryland, and I've always been a Maryland sports fan, but because I had all but committed to Penn State I just saw it as a good thing, but not something that I'd probably consider. I wasn't expecting to get into Maryland, MUCH LESS Fall 2007 semester.
But the more I weigh it the more that I start to seriously become torn. On one side, theres Penn State. Beautiful campus, good distance away from my parents (about 3 to 4 hours), and a program that when I went to visit PSU just absolutely blew me away. I got my grandfather to pull some strings to ensure I'd get in to PSU. For a while, it looked like the place I'd spend my 4 years.
However, on the other side theres Maryland. I haven't visited the campus yet, but my parents have taken me on mini-tours whenever we go to Maryland basketball games, and I've always thought that the campus looked great. It's got some programs that I like, it's about 45 minutes away from home, and it's WAY cheaper than PSU due to the fact that because I live in Maryland, I'd get in-state tuition.
Now here's where the battle begins in my head. Penn State has the program (the Security and Risk Analysis program) that averages 56k out of college with 98% getting a job right out of college. I absolutely loved the program when I went to visit the campus and I thought that it was just a great opportunity for me to maybe go into the FBI as a computer guy. However, what happens if I get to Penn State, take a few of the introductory classes to the major, and decide I don't like the program? I'd be stuck as an undecided in Penn State, when I could be doing that at Maryland, except it would be 12k cheaper a YEAR. Couple with the fact that my father has offered me $10,000 ON THE SPOT if I decide to go to Maryland. It would be foolish for me to decide to abandon the long term just for $10,000, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it's going to be a factor in my decision.
It's really a choice between whether I want to risk my happiness and stay in a program that will virtually guarantee a pretty comfortable life or whether I want to play it safe, go in undecided at a very good and less expensive college close to home, and not worry about having spending money in college.
And to think that if I didn't work my ass off to write an exceptional essay (two of my friends with better grades wrote crappier essays and got deferred admission into spring 2007-08 semester) I wouldn't be having a very intense personal battle about where I'm going to get the most important education I could possibly get.
Who knew.
So I got accepted into the University of Maryland last week. I live in Maryland, and I've always been a Maryland sports fan, but because I had all but committed to Penn State I just saw it as a good thing, but not something that I'd probably consider. I wasn't expecting to get into Maryland, MUCH LESS Fall 2007 semester.
But the more I weigh it the more that I start to seriously become torn. On one side, theres Penn State. Beautiful campus, good distance away from my parents (about 3 to 4 hours), and a program that when I went to visit PSU just absolutely blew me away. I got my grandfather to pull some strings to ensure I'd get in to PSU. For a while, it looked like the place I'd spend my 4 years.
However, on the other side theres Maryland. I haven't visited the campus yet, but my parents have taken me on mini-tours whenever we go to Maryland basketball games, and I've always thought that the campus looked great. It's got some programs that I like, it's about 45 minutes away from home, and it's WAY cheaper than PSU due to the fact that because I live in Maryland, I'd get in-state tuition.
Now here's where the battle begins in my head. Penn State has the program (the Security and Risk Analysis program) that averages 56k out of college with 98% getting a job right out of college. I absolutely loved the program when I went to visit the campus and I thought that it was just a great opportunity for me to maybe go into the FBI as a computer guy. However, what happens if I get to Penn State, take a few of the introductory classes to the major, and decide I don't like the program? I'd be stuck as an undecided in Penn State, when I could be doing that at Maryland, except it would be 12k cheaper a YEAR. Couple with the fact that my father has offered me $10,000 ON THE SPOT if I decide to go to Maryland. It would be foolish for me to decide to abandon the long term just for $10,000, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it's going to be a factor in my decision.
It's really a choice between whether I want to risk my happiness and stay in a program that will virtually guarantee a pretty comfortable life or whether I want to play it safe, go in undecided at a very good and less expensive college close to home, and not worry about having spending money in college.
And to think that if I didn't work my ass off to write an exceptional essay (two of my friends with better grades wrote crappier essays and got deferred admission into spring 2007-08 semester) I wouldn't be having a very intense personal battle about where I'm going to get the most important education I could possibly get.
Who knew.
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