<p>Hi. I'm starting to get decisions back, and I need to start narrowing down my options. I am waiting on a bunch of schools, but so far I have been accepted to:
MIT
Case Western
University of Rochester
Georgia Tech
University of Pittsburgh
University of Alabama</p>
<p>I'm no longer considering Georgia Tech because it would be most likely more expensive than MIT. Alabama is also pretty much out because I don't really like the southern culture (I've lived in Texas for like 10 years). Now, I have MIT left which has been my top choice for a while so that will stay. University of Pittsburgh, I am visiting soon and may have a full ride so that will also stay. Which takes me to my real question.</p>
<p>Is there any reason I should consider University of Rochester or Case Western? Financially, I have $18000 merit at Rochester, but I will probably get more need based aid than that and since it doesn't stack it doesn't matter. So MIT will be cheaper than Rochester. At Case I have $30000, and have applied for two other scholarships, 1 would be an additional 5-10000, and the other is full tuition. So Case may end up cheaper than MIT. However, at Pittsburgh I already have full tuition and am a finalist for their full ride scholarship. So that will probably be my best option, financially.</p>
<p>Now let me lay out some of my goals for college:
- Research experience
- Get into a top grad school
- Play probably some IM sports
- Could see myself going to sports games
- Not averse to partying</p>
<p>I feel like MIT will have hands down the best academic opportunities for me. I feel like University of Pittsburgh would have the best social life for me, but I am slightly worried about getting carried away. My take on Case and Rochester is that they won't be as good academically as MIT, and they won't have the social scene I'm looking for. And they may end up being the most expensive depending on the need based aid I get from MIT.</p>
<p>tl;dr I get the feeling that CWRU and Rochester are going to be the worst of both worlds for me, and more expensive. What do you lovely people think?</p>
<p>I suggest you present a simple, ordered list of net costs, like this:</p>
<p>School … Net Cost
Pitt … [$ cost after aid]
MIT … [$ cost after aid]
etc.</p>
<p>It appears that your two strongest contenders are MIT ("hands down the best academic opportunities ") and Pitt (“will probably be my best option, financially”) … followed by Case (“may end up cheaper than MIT”). What are the out-of-pocket cost differences between these schools?</p>
<p>And I’d agree that 'tis best to wait for all financial awards/options to be in play.</p>
<p>There’s no reason to keep considering schools you feel won’t be a good fit or can’t afford as long as you can afford the others.</p>
<p>Visits helped my guys see where they felt they would fit in best. I’d definitely plan visits or return visits to your top choices (3 or 4 choices if you have that many).</p>
<p>Yeah, the issue is I don’t have final packages for any of them. But I’m still waiting on like 6 schools so I figure I should start narrowing it down… And another thing is I haven’t visited any school. Which I obviously need to start doing ASAP, but I can’t really afford visits ($$$ or time-wise) to potentially 10 schools right now. I’m just worried it’ll be April 1 and I’ll have my decisions in and then it’ll be too rushed to decide.</p>
<p>Major is going to be STEM, likely physics or engineering.</p>
<p>Don’t be too quick to rule out Case as an option. My daughter attends and loves it. She has a very busy social life. I cannot believe the personal attention and opportunities that have been made available to her. She could not be happier.</p>
<p>I would not turn down MIT unless you had to take on a lot of debt to do it! Aside from the academic excellence, resources, reputation, prestige, alumni network etc. etc. it has everything else you could want including parties, IM sports and varsity sports if you want to be a spectator. OK, it is not Division I, but on the grand scale of things that is not so important. Plus you are very close to some Div. I schools.
None of the other schools you have mentioned are in the same league as MIT.</p>
<p>If however, MIT proves too expensive, both Case and U. Rochester are excellent options. We visited both when my son was looking at engineering schools. Like MIT they are both urban schools. Rochester’s campus was more compact and very pretty (it is an arboretum), but Case had more interesting architecture and better access to museums, the symphony etc. (there are a bunch that surround the campus), and right off campus is a great Italian neighborhood.</p>
<p>For engineering/physics I wouldn’t put Pitt at the same caliber as the other schools you are still considering (MIT, URochester - can’t compare Case for those majors). (I would keep Pitt if you wanted neuro or pre-med types of majors.) They are a nice financial safety to have, so keep them in play, but then see what else you get.</p>
<p>If you can swing the finances at MIT, I’d definitely recommend it. Although Case and Rochester are great schools, I don’t see any advantages of them over MIT. All three schools have about the same number of undergraduates (Rochester has the most) so they’ll all feel about the same size. The undergraduate research opportunities at MIT are extensive. Some people will say that the large number of graduate students means there’s less opportunity for undergraduate research, but the opposite is true: it means that there’s a lot of research in general and it translates to a lot of undergraduate research. MIT has the most varsity sports (33) of any school you’re looking at, and they’re Division III, so you might be able participate in one. It also has one of the largest IM sports programs in the country. There are a wide range of social opportunities ranging from partying to nerdy activities.</p>
<p>My main reservation about MIT is that there won’t be enough normal people. I’m not a very “nerdy” person (don’t do video games, cards games, or stuff like that) so that worries me a bit. </p>
<p>On the other schools, I am having a hard time discerning the academic differences. From US News:
Pitt: Physics (52), Engineering (47), Math (59)
Case: Physics (63), Engineering (47), Math (89)
Rochester: Physics (52), Engineering (41), Math (63)</p>
<p>Can anyone clarify? It seems like Pitt is similar to the other schools in the fields I’m looking at.</p>
<p>The US News rankings for individual disciplines are pretty much worthless. For example, Iowa is ranked 34th in ecoomics and their ranking has changed very little through the years. Several years ago, about 5 of their best faculty left. They temporarily suspended admissions to their PHD program. Yet they are still ranked the same even after this. </p>
<p>The cream always rises to the top. Odds are that it won’t matter much at all if your undergrad physics degree comes from Rochester, Pitt, or Case as they are all strong schools across the board.</p>
<p>Consider calling the physics dept a the 3 schools and ask them for their undergraduate placements. What grad schools are recent grads attending? What jobs did they get?</p>
<p>My guess is that you will see little difference. The top physics grads from all 3 schools probably placed into similar quality grad programs. Again, the cream rises to the top.</p>
<p>Thanks for that Haystack, that’s what I was thinking too. Also if I am lucky enough to win the Chancellor’s scholarship at Pitt, I feel like I would have probably some good perks there (it’s their best scholarship given to ~5-10 a year).</p>
<p>
IDK maybe but I feel like it’s a bit correlated to test scores as well. Pitt/Bama students seem less nerdy across the board. Plus there’s a lot more of them. I joined the MIT facebook group recently and a good percentage of the posts are about setting up long distance gaming parties, robots, etc. But some of these kids are highly accomplished and/or geniuses so I am sure they are also pretty interesting. Rochester and Case seem to be like MIT but possibly to a higher degree and with less sheer intelligence. Sorry for stereotyping but that’s just the vibe I’m getting.</p>
<p>Since money is a primary concern, you can wait until all of the financial aid numbers come in. No need to conduct early eliminations when many will eliminate themselves.</p>
<p>Like others have said, MIT is tops if it is even remotely viable cost-wise. Its worldwide reputation will open doors for you, including for grad schools. </p>
<p>Congratulations on that great list of acceptances.</p>
<p>You should visit MIT before you turn it down based on your perception of the “vibe”. MIT has been working hard to select students who in addition to being brilliant are also more than just nerds. I think you will find an interesting variety of people there. I would not turn down MIT for any school on your list unless the finances forced you to.</p>
<p>Your reasons for really considering Pitt are good ones. We have visited the majority of schools on your list and your intuitions are pretty spot on for generalizations - it’s why my guy liked U Roc (though he isn’t into video gaming and has plenty of “other” activities not necessarily typical nerd - like Archery Club, a theater group, and American Sign Language club). However, the vibe of the school is definitely intellectual vs sports or other “more common” things to Pitt and UA. We did not visit MIT (my guy is more pre-med and not engineering or technical), but students I know who have gone there fit a similar mold.</p>
<p>The reason I recommended MIT or URoc compared to Pitt is because of where typical students from our area go with your major interests. If they are more into engineering, they pick Penn St over Pitt for in state options. Pitt gets more of the pre-meds. Most wanting Physics are more intellectual/nerd types. If that’s not you, then Pitt or UA would likely be better options - esp if the finances are better at these schools. Fit means a lot. Note that Ucbalumnus is likely correct of who you are likely to find in your major regardless of which school you like, but undoubtably, there will be others more similar to your likes/dislikes too. It’s a bigger world.</p>
<p>Do make sure you visit MIT and Pitt and try to spend some time with students - try to go on a day when you can visit a club doing what you like (more of “your” peers). Visit a couple of others if they end up fitting financially. That should give you a good idea of which school is better for you.</p>