I’m not sure if I want to apply early decision to Dartmouth or Columbia, can any of yal help
Asian American
1560 SAT
4.4 Junior Year GPA
Officer in 2 clubs
Several political and campaign internships
To clarify, I’m down to my top two, Dartmouth & Columbia, I need help deciding between the two
To clarify, I’m down to my top two, Dartmouth & Columbia, I need help deciding between the two
What is your intended major? Also, their environments are completely different. It’s hard to imagine someone happy in bustling NYC being equally happy in little Hanover, NH.
Without more information, it is difficult to recommend one over the other.
Any intended major ? Any targeted career ?
What do you find attractive about each school ?
Would either be a wise use of an ED application ?
Other schools that you considered & why you discarded them ?
Did you consider any LACs as ED apps usually make a significant difference regarding chances of admission ?
They are both major reaches for any unhooked applicant so I’d suggest you apply ED to the school you would prefer to attend. There are enough differences (ex. urban v rural location, Columbia’s large core curriculum, semester v quarters etc.) that you should have a preference.
Intended Major: Political Science
And I see your point, both are vastly different but I like both, I’d be happy at both schools
For political science, Columbia would be the clear choice. However, if you are looking for the best choice in Poli Sci, why either one of them, as opposed to, say, GTown or UPenn?
Without knowing what attracts you to each school & which other schools you considered and demoted to third place at best, it would be unreasonable to recommend one over the other.
Did you consider any LACs ?
Columbia’s locating in New York definitely will give you more opportunities outside of the classroom than Dartmouth could, but Dartmouth is a still such an amazing school, and I sure you can still find great opportunities. Also, with Covid-19, location is less important than ever and many office spaces will not be the same, so you could theoretically still find internships working remotely. You also want to consider your chances of getting accepted as well when applying early decision. For Dartmouth you have a really good shot getting in Early Decision since you have such great stats and their Early Decision acceptance rate is also really high. Columbia has a low acceptance rate during Regular and Early Decision, so it would be safer to apply to Dartmouth and still get into an ivy league even if it isn’t Columbia. Many successful politicians and congress people have graduated from Dartmouth, so I think Dartmouth is a really good starting option.
Extra Note: Getting into graduate school is not as competitive as undergraduate so if youre willing to spend 2 extra years or graduate early you could go to graduate school at Columbia or even Georgetown for Political Science
My point is that without more your best ED options might be with LACs.
Dartmouth College & Columbia University expect / demand more than just outstanding numbers.
You sound like a great candidate for Georgetown. No better place than DC to study political science.