<p>If you were not sure of your major, strong in most areas, which one would you choose? Amherst at least is fairly open curriculum and prospects for graduate study (which I plan to do), seem strong.</p>
<p>Wow, I must tell you that’s a very, VERY difficult choice to make. You are right, if you are not sure of your major, I think LAC is a good place to start. And hell, Amherst is the top LAC in the nation. Chicago will also be a nice place too, with its strong common core program. I will disregard CMU, since it is not as good as the other options you have. </p>
<p>Good luck choosing a college!</p>
<p>That really covers a huge range of schools. Amherst is a tiny LAC. Notre Dame, while nominally a university, is really more like a larger LAC, with a significant religious cast. CMU is a very European model of education – you choose your field going in, not broad at all. And Chicago is Chicago.</p>
<p>Amherst is in a great little college town. Notre Dame is in a not great little college town. CMU is in a nice neighborhood in Pittsburgh with Pitt next door. And Chicago is in a nice if isolated neighborhood in Chicago.</p>
<p>You couldn’t pay me to go to Notre Dame, although I know the kids who go there love it. I wouldn’t go to CMU without being 100% certain of what I want to do. </p>
<p>Amherst and Chicago offer diametrically opposite approaches to figuring out what you want: no requirements vs. a forced core that makes you sample everything. Amherst is a tiny, elite LAC, and Chicago a prototypical elite research university with lots of grad students and busy professors. Amherst gets some bang out of the 5-college consortium; otherwise its offerings would be really paltry. </p>
<p>You can get a superb education either place. Do you like knowing everyone? Having your hand held? Intimate classes? Heavy Drinking? That would favor Amherst. Do you like museums, concerts, dance, theater? Do you like being where the action is? Do you like being in a room where everyone else knows more than you do? Are you basically a nerd? Those factors favor Chicago.</p>
<p>I like to believe that it may not matter much which American college you would go to. Most of the American colleges are good enough where you can learn whatever you want to. On the other hand, some people argue that the college is defined not that much by the students, but by the faculty. The students are passing guests staying at maximum 4 years. The history shows a lot of the most brightest people somehow been to Chicago to get trained and they did contribute so wonderfully and significantly to our human civiliazation.</p>
<p>I have a son who is very happy at Carnegie Mellon, and while you can change majors and schools it is not my first choice for someone who is unsure of what they want to do. The others are so different, that I think you need to figure out what you like, Core? Rural? Sports? (To give you the first words that sprung to mind for your other three choices.)</p>
<p>My decision this year came down to Notre Dame and UChicago- and I picked UChicago. It was a really, really tough decision for me. I have a lot of family ties to ND- my dad went, my uncles went, my cousins are current students- and I just loved the family atmosphere and tradition. At the same time, though, I hated the uber-religious part of it. My family is Catholic, but I don’t feel strongly connected to the Catholic church and I didn’t want to be surrounded by that for 4 years.</p>
<p>Also, I really, really wanted to go to a city school- and UChicago is just a bus ride away from the downtown of an awesome city. South Bend would just be depressing after awhile.</p>
<p>I also had to consider the sports part of it- I loooove ND football, and I know I will miss that- UChicago is basically the opposite. I’ve heard that IM sports are fairly popular at UChicago though, so that will be nice.</p>
<p>What made me choose UChicago in the end was the core curriculum, which I think is awesome, and the economics department. I’m pretty set on studying econ, especially after taking macro and micro AP in high school, and you can’t study economics anywhere better. Also, I like the diversity of Chicago. I know that I would fit in at ND- white, catholic, whatever- but I really wanted college to be an EXPERIENCE, and I thought that Chicago would really provide an awesome 4 years of learning with an awesome, diverse student body. </p>
<p>It didn’t hurt that Wall Street firms recruit econ majors from Chicago, either.</p>
<p>Congrats and good luck! You have excellent reasoning, and I’m sure you’ll be a great success!</p>
<p>Yea, you have absolutely NOTHING to lose.</p>
<p>chitowngirl: Yes, college selection can get tough. Originally thought one major, now shifting. Yes, I am Catholic and I played sports…so ND would be great. It is more remote. Chicago has great programs-- not particularly interested in econ though. Chicago would cost a bit more than the others. Amherst open curriculum became more appealing since I am not sure what major at this poiint- leaving it flexible.</p>
<p>In the end, I knew I had to choose between Amherst and Chicago. I chose Chicago (mostly because it was closer to home). Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Lasermouse9, good luck. Amherst is closest to my extended family…</p>
<p>Also, how did you find fin aid, were they comparable?</p>
<p>All four are great universities, but CMU definitely is reputed to be more rigid in terms of academic programs. As has been discussed throughout, each of Chicago, ND, Amherst has a very different flavor. I can’t really do more to elaborate upon the great information other posters have shared so I would simply suggest to go where you think you’ll feel most comfortable of the 3. Academic differences are minute, and each have a wide range of strong disciplines.</p>
<p>Amherst seems to have a strong track record also of its graduates going to great grad schools, etc. Class size is small, which is great when you like to discuss/ask questions.</p>