<p>I am still extremely undecided about where to go to school next year, so I was hoping for some advice.</p>
<p>School A: An Ivy-caliber institution. I think I'd really like the intellectual atmosphere here - I'd really like to go to school with a lot of motivated, hard-working, intelligent students, and I think I'd find that here. This school also has a relatively niche major that I'm considering and is in a city that I love and that is easy to get to from my hometown. On the downside, the school's reputation is that it attracts a lot of quirky kids and I'm pretty mainstream; I'm worried about not fitting in. I'm also worried about the workload - I'd like to have a relatively balanced college experience (although I am by no means opposed to working hard and spending a lot of time in the library) and that may be harder to find here. This might seem petty, but I'm a big sports lover and interest in sports here seems pretty low, so I think I'd have to put that aspect of my social life on the back burner. Overall, though, my gut is telling me to go here. </p>
<p>School B: Out of State "Public Ivy". I received an invitation to a pretty prestigious honors program here, which would give me a variety of perks like priority registration and a guarantee that I'd live in a nice dorm. The school also has a very niche major that I'm potentially interested in, although I'm not sure anymore about whether I'd actually like to study the subject or not. The sports scene here is great, and there seems to be a lot of interest in attending games. This school has a big party reputation and a big Greek scene, and I'm not sure whether I'd rush or not (though I'm leaning towards doing so). When I visited here, I felt vaguely like an impostor - not preppy or pulled together enough. I'm also not sure what it'd be like socially if I decided not to rush; I'd like to go out and have fun, but it seems like a lot of the parties are Greek-centered. Also, I'm not sure if the intellectual discussion/interest would be as high here as at School A. A minor point, but it is relatively difficult/expensive to get here from my hometown. </p>
<p>School C: A top 10 LAC. I think I'd fit in the best here socially - when I visited, I felt like I could be friends with almost anyone who went here. Overall, I think it'd be a very comfortable, easy place to spend four years. However, the school is very small, which makes me nervous. I went to a small high school and struggled some socially, and I'd like to avoid repeating that experience. Also, the school has limited course and degree offerings, so I'd be compromising on my major (there are majors that would be in the ballpark with my interests but not exactly what I want. A major interest of mine is only a minor here while it is a major at almost every other school I've looked at). There's a lot of school spirit here. It is somewhat difficult to get here from my hometown. </p>
<p>School C is about 10-15k/year cheaper than School A and School B, which are about the same price. My parents can afford all three, but it'd be nice to have an extra 40-60k in their pockets after graduation. </p>
<p>Thank you in advance! If you know the schools, please don't put them in the comments, though you can PM me if you want to talk about a specific choice. For a variety of reasons I'd like to stay as anonymous as possible. </p>