Hello!! I did not expect my college decision would be more stressful than applying–but it is. I am thinking about majoring in econ/finance/math. I could really use some input…here are my choices and some little facts about each
Johns Hopkins:
-Prestigious
-Love the campus
-Research opportunities galore!
-Good location
-Most expensive…would graduate with like $60k in debt
Cal:
-Top-ranked econ dept.
-Bay area=lots of opportunities
-But…its a little big and not a fun of the city/dorms
-Would graduate with no debt
Univ of the Pacific:
-I don’t like the school but I was named a Powell Scholar there (gives me tons of research opportunities, personal research money, and study abroad money)
-Not very much name recognition
-Graduate with no debt
I am really interested in doing undergrad research and getting lots of internship opportunities. Also, do you guys think that I should go to grad school?? (because that will factor into my decision because if i do need to go to grad school I will need to pick an undergrad to help me get into grad school) HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.
In my opinion, Hopkins is not worth the extra $60,000. My choice, in your shoes would be Cal hands down. Cal is an excellent school with many research opportunities and big name recognition, not to mention a large alumni network. In my opinion, Cal is nearly as prestigious at Hopkins. Although to be fair, I have never heard of the University of the Pacific.
As for whether or not we think you should go to grad school, I think you should go to undergrad first and see how that goes before even considering graduate school. If grad school is something you’re considering, you need excellent grades, research/internship experience, great letters of recommendation, and a good GRE/GMAT score (which test depends on what your desired grad school program requires). As a current graduate student, people in my class went to large state schools, prestigious Ivy league schools, unknown liberal arts colleges, and everything in between, yet we all wound up in the same great grad program because we all had the 4 things listed above. Where you go to school for undergrad doesn’t matter to get into a grad program - it is what you do while you’re there that counts.
I agree with mademoiselle2308. If I was in your shoes, I would pick Cal because it’s an amazing school and it won’t put you in debt. If you’re worried about the size, I would recommend joining a bunch of clubs there because that will make it feel a lot smaller. Plus, you could live off campus some of the years (especially when you’re an upperclassman) if you don’t like the dorms.
Going to JH and being in that much debt isn’t worth it, especially since you are considering going to grad school. You seem to not like Univ. of the Pacific, so don’t bother going there. You don’t want to be miserable for four years. To me, it seems like Cal is the clear option. It has “prestige”, a great alumni network, plenty of opportunities, and you’ll have no debt.
So the best part of JHU is that it’s prestigious? But Cal is not?
Seems like this is when it gets real for you. Will you personally take on $60k in undergrad debt for “presitige” or go to the best Econ department with no debt. That’s a very personal decision…
Cal. You can get research opportunities. Engage with professors. Introduce yourself. Be willing to do boring stuff to prove you will show up. You will do great.