Where Should I go to College?

[LaxBuddy21]

I voted Michigan and here's why. It seems like it is something YOU want to do. I know your parents don;t want to pay ofr it, so take out some student loans and go to the place that you want to go to. It is ultimately YOUR decision. Do what makes YOU happy.

This is true, to an extent. You cannot expect an 18 year old to have the foresight to necessarily think things through either from a financial perspective. Most 18 year olds still to not have a real concept of money and the bills that will come due once the college ride is over. You should definitely do what makes you happy but just make sure you take everything into consideration so you dont look back later regretting it! Your parents want to see you get a good education as well but do not want them or you to go broke in the process of getting it!

[Cassow]

Daryl Morey is the start of a shift in that. Trust me' date=' sports never stay that way. It used to be like that in baseball too but now there's like 5-10 that didn't play it. Look up Daryl Morey though; he's an incredible thinker.[/quote']

Come back to reality man. You really need to tame your thinking and expectations.

Morey is a genius and developed a statistical analysis approach to sports mgmt--which btw, he keeps close to the vest. Are you planning to develop something similar?? Or perhaps you're planning on him mentoring you and showing you his secrets?

These kind of jobs dont go to fans, and unfortunately thats all you really are at this point. Have you seriously discussed this with your parents? I mean...you've told them how Roy/Gary Williams is going to take you under their wing...teach you the game of basketball, etc? If not, you really should.

It's amazing to me that you would consider eliminating a college from your list because you think Gary Williams is on the decline as a coach and not someone you would want to learn from. How in the world is that even a factor?? You do realize you would be lucky to get five minutes with ANY DI mens basketball coach, much less him.

[redskins0756]

Come back to reality man. You really need to tame your thinking and expectations.

Morey is a genius and developed a statistical analysis approach to sports mgmt--which btw, he keeps close to the vest. Are you planning to develop something similar?? Or perhaps you're planning on him mentoring you and showing you his secrets?

These kind of jobs dont go to fans, and unfortunately thats all you really are at this point. Have you seriously discussed this with your parents? I mean...you've told them how Roy/Gary Williams is going to take you under their wing...teach you the game of basketball, etc? If not, you really should.

It's amazing to me that you would consider eliminating a college from your list because you think Gary Williams is on the decline as a coach and not someone you would want to learn from. How in the world is that even a factor?? You do realize you would be lucky to get five minutes with ANY DI mens basketball coach, much less him.

Exactly.

I think the OP misunderstands that NBA Live 09 does not constitute as GM experience

[PleaseBlitz]

UNC.

Great school, great academic reputation, allows you to get the hell away from home, and its not in chilly unemployed hellhole Michigan.

Also, UNC chicks >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Michigan chicks.

[buenosdiaz]

agreed with PB on the chick factor

seriously if i could do it again i'd go down south or out west...avoid the northeast and cold weather at all costs haha

i voted for michigan btw but UNC is a very solid choice as well (and its pretty cheap compared to Michigan even for an OOS)

[Predicto]

UNC.

Great school, great academic reputation, allows you to get the hell away from home, and its not in chilly unemployed hellhole Michigan.

Also, UNC chicks >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Michigan chicks.

Michigan is hurting, but Ann Arbor is a damn nice place to spend a few years.

And you are right about UNC being a very good school, although I am pretty sure that it does not equal Michigan as far as general reputation, at least not anywhere but in the southeast. Michigan is generally considered one of the world's handful of great universities.

18th in the world and 13th in the US according to this USNews list, while UNC was 102nd.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-colleges/2008/11/20/worlds-best-colleges-and-universities-top-200.html?loomia_ow=t10:sa:a41:g29:r1:c0.581848:b20174415&s_cid=loomia:about-the-worlds-best-colleges-rankings

Of course these rankings are pretty much BS (for instance, Stanford is way low), but all rankings are pretty much BS.

So go wherever makes you happy, after weighing in the extra cost.

[Heisenberg]

This thread is making me wish I could rewind to about 7-8 years ago.

What an exciting time that was.

[renaissance]

This thread is making me wish I could rewind to about 7-8 years ago.

What an exciting time that was.

There's always grad school!

Let me tell you though the grad school admissions process blows as compared to the undergrad process.

[#98QBKiller]

UNC would be the best for your resume.

[fullnelson9999]

I cant believe some of you are saying that money shouldnt be a factor in his choice of school. This is the kind of mentality that is going to keep this country down. Taking out student loans beans you have to repay them, yeah, lets let more people have a chance to go into debt.

If theres anything we all should learn from the recession its that we cant just spend money all the time. Maybe it can teach us to conserve a little and to not always take the most extravagant road. In this case, you dont need to shell out the big bucks to go to Michigan if you have a perfectly good school like Maryland in your backyard.

Go in state. You will thank yourself later.

[JiggaManDC]

Daryl Morey is the start of a shift in that. Trust me' date=' sports never stay that way. It used to be like that in baseball too but now there's like 5-10 that didn't play it. Look up Daryl Morey though; he's an incredible thinker.[/quote']

But it seems as if you are trying to emulate Morey from the opposite direction (i.e. from inside the sports world).

Look at Daryl Morey's CV.

BS in computer science from Northwestern

MBA from the Sloan School at MIT

Management Consultant at the Parthenon Group where he worked with and met the executives who purchased the Celtics (http://www.parthenon.com/people/DarylMorey.html)

What of that speaks of him trying to learn the "game" from coaches?

He is where he is not because of his basketball knowledge, but because of his knowledge of statistics and strategy. None of his significant accomplishments or previous experiences had anything to do with the game itself.

To make it within the sports world from outside of it (i.e. you were not a player), you need to be special in another area, first.

Anyhow, as a UMD grad, I'll tell you to go to Michigan, but major in something harder (i.e. more quantitative) than Sports Management. Michigan is flat-out the best of those three schools (only UVA and Cal can compare in terms of public school prestige) and it will look much, much better when applying to business or law school in the future (which is what you should be looking to do).

[renaissance]

I cant believe some of you are saying that money shouldnt be a factor in his choice of school. This is the kind of mentality that is going to keep this country down. Taking out student loans beans you have to repay them, yeah, lets let more people have a chance to go into debt.

Go in state. You will thank yourself later.

I don't really agree with that.

Repaying student loans sucks, but it's not like you are in credit card debt or you are stuck in a bad mortgage. If you can take out federal student loans to cover what your parents can't or don't want to, then I don't think money should be a factor. I did this and do not regret it for a second, even when that $150 gets taken out of my bank account every month for the next billion years. I would not, however, take out private loans unless you absolutely have to.

All other things being equal, I would say let money be the deciding factor. But that doesn't seem to be the case here.

[Bliz]

I cant believe some of you are saying that money shouldnt be a factor in his choice of school. This is the kind of mentality that is going to keep this country down. Taking out student loans beans you have to repay them, yeah, lets let more people have a chance to go into debt.

If theres anything we all should learn from the recession its that we cant just spend money all the time. Maybe it can teach us to conserve a little and to not always take the most extravagant road. In this case, you dont need to shell out the big bucks to go to Michigan if you have a perfectly good school like Maryland in your backyard.

Go in state. You will thank yourself later.

Money can be a factor, but it shouldn't be the only factor. As long as you understand what you're getting yourself into, a lot of it is feel.

But there are things you can do to tilt the scales a little bit. As others have suggested, insist that you pay for every cent of it yourself. If you still want to go to Mich or UNC, it's because you really want it.

Alternatively, submit to your parents' lobbying, but ask that they buy you a car in return. Because if they're saving $60,000+ on tuition, the least they can do is get you a car to sweeten the pot (comes with a nice $8,000 tax break also).

[ceviker]

I was in a bit similar situation with you. I ended up choosing UMD, but was real nervous with my decision. It was absolutely the best choice I ever made. I had an absolute blast at UMD and their business program is top-notch. I majored in finance so perhaps a little different than you, but the professors are great and the subjet matters are relevant (for the most part at least). On top of the education, you get to save plenty of $$, the party/social scene is fantastic, and you have access to some huge markets (DC/Baltimore is SIGNIFCANTLY better than NC region / Michigan region). Yes, people recruit from all over world, much less the US, but there are always those internships that only exist for local people.

If your options were UMD and an Ivy League school, that's a different story. But I'd pick it 10 times out of 10 vs. UNC and MSU

[MissU28]

student loans are also very low interest (at least mine are).... I started off paying like a 2% interest rate, but since I have paid on time every month for 3 years, they lowered it to 1%. Not too shabby. Yes, I still owe like 29K, but it's really not hurting my pocket every month.

[fullnelson9999]

I know some horror stories dealing with repaying student loans. Thats why i brought it up. Paying back loans isnt a big deal if you are assuming that he will have a job waiting for him a soon as he leaves college, but you never know what state the economy will be in when he graduates in a few years. I would advise caution when taking out a loan.

But my main point is that Its not really necessary to take any out if you can go to a great in state school like Maryland. Its part of the American mentality of having better and better things when you really dont need them.

Compare Maryland and Michigan. Is UM better than UMD? Yes. But is it significant enough to pay $33K/year in just tuition to go to Michigan? I dont think so.

[redskins0756]

I cant believe some of you are saying that money shouldnt be a factor in his choice of school. This is the kind of mentality that is going to keep this country down. Taking out student loans beans you have to repay them, yeah, lets let more people have a chance to go into debt.

If theres anything we all should learn from the recession its that we cant just spend money all the time. Maybe it can teach us to conserve a little and to not always take the most extravagant road. In this case, you dont need to shell out the big bucks to go to Michigan if you have a perfectly good school like Maryland in your backyard.

Go in state. You will thank yourself later.

Agreed. The marginal difference between the three schools is minimal when you compare the cost you would have to give up.

Money can be a factor, but it shouldn't be the only factor. As long as you understand what you're getting yourself into, a lot of it is feel.

But there are things you can do to tilt the scales a little bit. As others have suggested, insist that you pay for every cent of it yourself. If you still want to go to Mich or UNC, it's because you really want it.

Alternatively, submit to your parents' lobbying, but ask that they buy you a car in return. Because if they're saving $60,000+ on tuition, the least they can do is get you a car to sweeten the pot (comes with a nice $8,000 tax break also).

He didn't say it was the only factor. People in this thread are basically saying "F it go to whatever school despite the costs!". That mentality like fullnelson kindly pointed out is a huge problem. Education is indispensable and I'm not trying to refute that. But when you have schools "A", "B", and "C" which are all similar in academics pick the most inexpensive one. I know it sounds a bit shrewd, but in the long run you will have saved yourself money and you're still going to an excellent university.

Yes insist on paying the whole tuition because $60,000+ in student loan debt is exactly what you want. But ask for a car, that also diminishes in value the second you drive it off the lot, to split the difference if you go in state. Great idea.

I don't really agree with that.

Repaying student loans sucks, but it's not like you are in credit card debt or you are stuck in a bad mortgage. If you can take out federal student loans to cover what your parents can't or don't want to, then I don't think money should be a factor. I did this and do not regret it for a second, even when that $150 gets taken out of my bank account every month for the next billion years. I would not, however, take out private loans unless you absolutely have to.

All other things being equal, I would say let money be the deciding factor. But that doesn't seem to be the case here.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/financing/chi-0601150397jan15,0,2984804.story?coll=chi-classifiedfinancing-hed

An interesting article from the Chicago Tribune explaining student loan debt from 2006. Why is it important to know the date? Well the article explains how "the combined education debt of [one family] rivals their mortgage". Look how not paying your mortgage and living beyond your means has turned out for this nation now in 2009.

And here are the tuition numbers for the three schools:

University of Michigan - $44,797

(out of state)

http://www.finaid.umich.edu/Financial_Aid_Basics/cost.asp

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - $32,485

(out of state)

http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=3635&profileId=2

University of Maryland - $21,163 (in state)

http://www.admissions.umd.edu/admissions/finaid/tuition.asp

So you can see UMD costs appx. $20,000 less than MICH and $10,000 less than UNC. Those are pretty substantial figure and from that information I would let money be the deciding factor considering all things equal.

[Predicto]

UNC would be the best for your resume.

Why is that?

I agree that Michigan may not be the best choice for this poster when tuition is taken into account, but it is definitely the best choice from a pure "resume" standpoint.

I admit that I am biased, as I am a graduate of Michigan Law School, but objectively speaking the national reputation of Michigan is higher than UNC, and the reputation of UNC is higher than UMD.

I also took out massive debt to finance my education, but I think it was a good choice - for me. Maybe not for everyone.

[redskins0756]

Why is that?

I agree that Michigan may not be the best choice for this poster when tuition is taken into account, but it is definitely the best choice from a pure "resume" standpoint.

I admit that I am biased, as I am a graduate of Michigan Law School, but objectively speaking the national reputation of Michigan is higher than UNC, and the reputation of UNC is higher than UMD.

I also took out massive debt to finance my education, but I think it was a good choice - for me. Maybe not for everyone.

Well if you consider the OP's desire to be an NBA general manager, then UNC does trump MICH in that aspect. Sorry but you guys haven't been dominating like UNC since Webber and Juwan Howard were on the team.

[chipwhich]

but it is definitely the best choice from a pure "resume" standpoint.

Maybe maybe not.

For an undergraduate business degree, I don't think it matters which of the 3 schools you go to.

Law school, different story.

[Predicto]

Maybe maybe not.

For an undergraduate business degree, I don't think it matters which of the 3 schools you go to.

Law school, different story.

Perhaps. Again, I think that one is foolish to assume that one knows exactly what one is going to do with one's life at age 18. A degree from Michigan is more likely to get you into grad schools than a degree from the others. Who knows if you will want to go that route?

[Predicto]

Well if you consider the OP's desire to be an NBA general manager, then UNC does trump MICH in that aspect. Sorry but you guys haven't been dominating like UNC since Webber and Juwan Howard were on the team.

Sadly, that is true.

At least we got a tourney win this year!

[chipwhich]

Perhaps. Again, I think that one is foolish to assume that one knows exactly what one is going to do with one's life at age 18. A degree from Michigan is more likely to get you into grad schools than a degree from the others. Who knows if you will want to go that route?

Doubtful. Although I agree with you in some respects...about 18 and making a life decision. School is what you make of it. You can excel at all three or flop...or just be mediocre. All three will get you into grad school.

A law degree is very different, as lawyers like to choose people more than most occupations based on college.

Then some people will sell, well all things being equal...the school that gets you the best opportunity in life of the three is ........? All things aren't ever equal and at 18 who knows whats best.

[benskins26]

Michigan is hurting, but Ann Arbor is a damn nice place to spend a few years.

And you are right about UNC being a very good school, although I am pretty sure that it does not equal Michigan as far as general reputation, at least not anywhere but in the southeast. Michigan is generally considered one of the world's handful of great universities.

18th in the world and 13th in the US according to this USNews list, while UNC was 102nd.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-colleges/2008/11/20/worlds-best-colleges-and-universities-top-200.html?loomia_ow=t10:sa:a41:g29:r1:c0.581848:b20174415&s_cid=loomia:about-the-worlds-best-colleges-rankings

Of course these rankings are pretty much BS (for instance, Stanford is way low), but all rankings are pretty much BS.

So go wherever makes you happy, after weighing in the extra cost.

Dude, I see the link, but those rankings are way off. Check out the rankings that matter. Every major college rankings I've seen has put UNC as the number 6th public University in the country, and like 28th overall. Not to mention North Carolina>>>> Michigan.

Not to also mention Michigan accepts over 50 %, that's right HALF of the people that apply, whereas UNC accepts 30%. UNC is WAYYYY more exclusive, and Chapel Hill is considered THE premier college town. And Carolina girls>>>>> Michigan girls. (They are all beautiful, 65 % of the population) In fact, I just got engaged to one TONIGHT.

I'll take UNC over Michigan in EVERY way EVERY day of the week.

Oh yeah, National Champions, BE-OTCH!!

[benskins26]

Why is that?

I agree that Michigan may not be the best choice for this poster when tuition is taken into account, but it is definitely the best choice from a pure "resume" standpoint.

I admit that I am biased, as I am a graduate of Michigan Law School, but objectively speaking the national reputation of Michigan is higher than UNC, and the reputation of UNC is higher than UMD.

I also took out massive debt to finance my education, but I think it was a good choice - for me. Maybe not for everyone.

You're out of your mind. Michigan might be rated very slightly higher than UNC, but accepts more than HALF its applicants. UNC is WAY more prestigious, and WAY more selective.