This is an interesting decision. We are in DFW, and I agree that people here tend to overrate SMU - it’s a good school, especially for business, but it’s not the pinnacle of American higher education or anything like that. In my experience, affluent locals really talk it up, as it’s traditionally been fairly easy for full-pay students with local connections to get in and they want to make it seem as though admission is very prestigious.
It sounds like my D22 was in a similar situation to your daughter in the last admissions cycle - high stats, very modest resources that allowed for lots of need-based aid from top schools, interest in a not-so-lucrative major, and ready to leave home. If she’d had the choice of (1) Columbia for 9k, (2) NW for 6k, or (3) SMU for free, she would have immediately eliminated SMU, even if she had to borrow the total amount at the other places and pay it back without help. And while I’m no great fan of student debt (having spent most of my kids’ childhood years paying off my own $160k law school debt), in this case, I think the experience at Columbia or NW, and the industry connections one might make there, could be worth the cost. I do understand the comments from others that money is money, and if you are struggling financially, “free” is a lot different than 6k or 9k. For 20k or 50k or 80k per year, I would agree. But you only live once, and here I would vote NW for 6k.
The prestige could matter a bit and open a door or two. The bigger factor is the people you will meet at those schools and the connections you will make for you career by attending those institutions. With the changing landscape of journalism, connections like those have never been more important.
The people who really achieve in this world rarely take the route that is the most comfortable.
Congrats on 3 excellent choices! I would encourage her to think of it this way: if she had only gotten into 1 of these 3, the choice would be easy and she would not be worrying, she would be rejoicing that she got into 1 of these fine institutions! In other words, she can’t go wrong.
Each school has a different vibe, and fits different goals: SMU is locally prestigious and will be within her current comfort zone in so many ways. Choosing something known and comfortable is a fine choice, going to college is enough of a transition in itself. If her goal is to eventually settle down in Texas, SMU is a great choice. She can still “get away” with study abroad etc.
Columbia and Northwestern have national prestige. They will both be a bigger intellectual and personal stretch. She is 100% capable of doing this, but at first it will probably be a bigger adjustment than going to SMU. They will also both be more of a financial stretch. I went to college at a private school with a lot of rich kids, and it was a culture shock at first. I had to learn to say “no” to a lot of things like ordering in pizza, or going out to movies etc. It took me a little while to find the kids on campus who were more working class like my family. She may need to stay on campus for small holidays like Thanksgiving break. My own son goes to college in NYC (at a different school) and since we are not a drivable distance, he stays on campus for little breaks like that. Luckily some of the other “from far away” students also stay on campus, so he isn’t lonely.
If she decides she does want to eliminate SMU, I would not overthink the difference between Northwestern and Columbia, I would just go on gut. Columbia is smack in the middle of NYC, either you love that or you hate it! Northwestern is more suburban, more polished and calm. Both have excellent academics and connections, so for example Northwestern supposedly having a “better” journalism department doesn’t matter. Just pick the environment she would rather live in for 4 years!
I understand about the money, I know it’s a stretch, I was in that same position when I was a college student. But there are ways for her to supplement. She can work hard each summer, and many places will hire temporarily for winter breaks. And the one secret of expensive cities like Chicago and especially New York is that babysitting is also ridiculously expensive! Especially if she is babysitting Friday or Saturday nights she will rake in the cash.
If your daughter was accepted to Medill, then she’s presumably pretty invested in journalism. Medill is one of the best if not the best journalism schools in the US and it is relatively easy to double major across schools as well as to switch out of Medill if she doesn’t like it. Columbia, as others have mentioned doesn’t have a journalism school. NU’s is the only top ten university with an undergrad Journalism degree. If your daughter wants out of Texas, the future earnings potential from NU and Columbia are worth far more than the added cost if you can cover it in the short-term.
Not necessarily. If she stays in journalism her future earnings are negligible for the near future anyway regardless of where she attends. If she goes to a more corporate career, well, Texas is home to the most Fortune 500 companies in the US, and SMU is the only game in town in Dallas. It places very well in high paying corporate jobs.
She should go to NU or Columbia if she much prefers them and can penny pinch well.
SMU definitely has sororities… in line with all the big Southern schools and are quite expensive. Northwestern’s sororities are more low key and not as big a part of campus life.
Dito with Columbia - yes, there are sororities, but Greek life doesn’t play any big role at all.
I remember speaking with a Barnard student there (which some consider one big sorority in its own ) who was in a Columbia University sorority for her reasoning. She said it was mostly that she got so busy with studies, internships, etc., that the sorority was a convenient way to at least delegate her social calendar to someone.
) who was in a Columbia University sorority for her reasoning. She said it was mostly that she got so busy with studies, internships, etc., that the sorority was a convenient way to at least delegate her social calendar to someone.