<p>I was accepted to all three of them and all of them are very good schools. I am planning to study econ/mathematics (financial engineering or operations research if i go to Columbia). Which one should I CHOOOSE? This is sooo tough...</p>
<p>Based on the fact that you're having a hard time choosing between these schools, I'd go with Columbia. Why? It's a happy medium between the two others.</p>
<p>While Dartmouth is known as the Ivy League's fratty party school and UChicago students are known as über-intellectual and rather nerdy, Columbia has a fairly serious academic atmosphere even though there are no t-shirts available that read, "Columbia: where fun goes to die," or, "Columbia: where the only thing that goes down is your GPA." (such shirts do exist for UChicago). </p>
<p>For the sake of argument, Dartmouth has a greater emphasis on undergrads, if that's what your looking for. It also has a quieter, safer, and more spacious campus than Columbia or UChicago.</p>
<p>Of course, all three schools are strong academically. You're going to have great professors regardless of where you go.</p>
<p>if you want a small campus, a frat scene and the woods - Dartmouth, it's also marginally more undergrad focused than the other two.</p>
<p>over the past few years, chicago and columbia have become comparable when it comes to Economics, i'd say the edge still goes to Chicago, but for wall street, which OR and FE grads opt for: Columbia over the other two hands down.</p>
<p>one of Columbia's unoffical slogans: "Columbia University: Where your best hasn't been good enough since 1754." there's a facebook group devoted to it. Login</a> | Facebook I think it serves columbia well - i.e. columbia is a tough place with very smart kids, but is filled kids who are willing to make fun of themselves and their eccentricities.</p>
<p>there is also: </p>
<p>Login</a> | Facebook - (meant self-depricatingly: the class of the 2011 works hard, stays indoors and does not party at all)</p>
<p>Columbia and Dartmouth do better than Chicago in terms of getting people on the street. That said, these are very different schools. Columbia/ Chicago are more similar with more intense student bodies and much less hand holding. On the other hand Dartmouth is a LAC with no class over 100 students, no TAs, and lots of attention to undergrads. Socially Chicago tends not to have a strong social experience, Columbia has more urban social options but they are not necessarily campus based (people go into the city, hang out in separate groups), and Dartmouth is a community driven tightknit LAC type environment with most of the social life on campus.</p>
<p>I would honestly visit all of them if you can for accepted students weekends. They are very different.</p>
<p>"visit" is the sage advice that goes around this time of year, every year.</p>
<p>Columbia's OR/FE program has quickly become one of the best-regarded in the country, up there with Princeton's. You also gain the benefits of a more well-rounded education and a more well-rounded student body than Chicago. I would've been happy at chicago - i'm quite geeky about some things - but Columbia was a step up in all of the right areas for me. Chicago would've made me just as good a student if not better, but I really think Columbia made me a better person. That's half the atmosphere/classmates, and half the academics.</p>
<p>In case you missed it the first time: visit. It'll be clear to you after you do.</p>