Columbia or Northwestern?

Hey guys I’ve gotten my decisions back but I’m really having trouble deciding where to go, so if you could help me out I’d really appreciate it!

Basically I’m leaning toward Columbia and Northwestern… but I also got in Duke UCLA UMich UIUC, so I’m not completely ruling those out.

I applied engineering everywhere… so I question if by going to NW or CU i’d be forgoing a better engineering education/reputation/future opportunities at uiuc, umich? but just looking at NW and CU , NW probably has the better engineering, but then columbia, of course is NYC…

and besides academics… in terms of general quality of life I’m pretty split…
can anyone help me out?

<p>If majors didn't matter I'd go to Columbia because it is in NYC. NYC is the capitol of the world.</p>

<p>hmm, yeah i agree NYC is awesome</p>

<p>but how bout taking engineering into account?</p>

<p>I would go to Northwestern or Duke. SEAS is good, but not as strong as those two. Quality of life I give the edge to NU and Duke bigtime, unless you arent the type of guy that would like a more normal college experience.</p>

<p>wow, you have alot of great choices. for your major i'd pick UCLA...it'd also be great quality of life since it's in a rich part of LA. but over all i'd pick Columbia...cus it's NYC, ivy league, and just awesome. Duke seems really preppy...i dont know. is financial aid a big factor in your decision? where are you from?</p>

<p>I've heard engineering at NW is really strong, whereas at Columbia it isn't. Plus, NW has a strong community/campus feeling, which Columbia also tends to lack (since the city is there and all). Chicago is practically as accessible from NW as NYC is from Columbia (face it - it takes forever to get where you want to go in either city) and personally I think Chicago is a classier and more liveable city. Good luck, and congrats of course.</p>

<p>Well, congratulations first off. The SEAS program at Columbia is growing in undergrad engineering ranks and is starting to become known as a place where students want to go. The fact that it is integrated with the Core of Columbia College makes even the most science/math intensive students well-rounded people.</p>

<p>The Gateway Class at Columbia is extremely popular and every engineering student takes it. A class with that much unity between all engineering students is bound to help build relationships. </p>

<p>Northwestern has a better engineering program, and is in fact one of the best in the country in that regard. </p>

<p>What specifically do you want to major in engineering as well as do after college? </p>

<p>All of your choices are excellent, and it might be wise to do the admit days at your top choices to get a better feel for the schools. If you choose Columbia, welcome to the class of 2009! If you choose another school, congratulations on your choice because it is a great one.</p>

<p>Columbia Univ. is the bomb</p>

<p>smart ivy leaguers excel there</p>

<p>it is quite prestigious compared to your other schools u made</p>

<p>DUKE DUKE DUKE is good for engineering though</p>

<p>wow thanks for all the feedback</p>

<p>i applied as electrical engineering, but mostly for a quantitative background that may be a backbone for a future in business... but i'm not 100% sure about that, just kind of a direction i may head in</p>

<p>and as for the comparisons in engineering programs... i know NWU's engineering is very well respected... but for CU i don't really doubt what I can absorb from there either... so it's more of a question in whether or not recruiters will see SEAS @ CU to be inferior?</p>