<p>I'm having a lot of trouble with this decision, and it seems that every day I am leaning towards a different school. </p>
<p>I'm from California, and UCLA has always been my dream school. I love the huge sports scene, the warm weather, the surrounding city, etc. It is the ideal college experience. I guess I wasn't totally expecting to get accepted to Dartmouth, which I now feel like I should logically attend. They accept only 9.7% of students, and I was fortunate enough to be one of them. How could I pass up this opportunity? Will I regret it forever? </p>
<p>And then there's Northwestern, which is the only one of the 3 that has an entire school devoted to my intended major -- communications. I am reluctant, however, to choose NU solely for this reason because I am not entirely set on this major -- it could easily change. Other interests of mine include journalism and political science. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Dartmouth offers either of these majors?</p>
<p>I know this is my decision but if anyone wants to weigh in I would appreciate it. I guess what I'm wondering here is if passing up Dartmouth is a regret in the making.</p>
<p>Did you receive any scholarships or financial aid from Northwestern or Dartmouth? What is the cost difference? How much can you/your parents afford?</p>
<p>I don’t think it makes sense to go to school that doesn’t have your intended major, even if it is a superb school. Now, maybe getting into Dartmouth will prompt you to re-think whether this major is really right for you. But if you’re sure that it is…well, go to a school that offers it.</p>
<p>Go with the choice that will give you the least regret so you won’t look back and go “what if?” Communications is a fine major but maybe you can pursue it through English as well and then write for a student publication on the side to build up experience. It won’t be the same but it could work if your interests lie more with the liberal arts than say speech/theater/communication sciences or any of SoC’s specific programs. What program are you interested in within SoC at NU and what are you looking to do after you graduate? Maybe that can help us guide you better. Dartmouth has Film and Media Studies btw.</p>
<p>I applied for “communication studies” at Northwestern. I THINK I am interested in a career in marketing, advertising, public relations, or something related – obviously this is subject to change. </p>
<p>When people say Dartmouth has a “liberal arts curriculum,” does this mean I will be forced to continue my studies in all subjects? Specifically, will I have to take any hard sciences? (I am not a science person!)</p>
<p>USNWR TOP 15 Universities now all have admit rates below 18%. Seems a bit pointless to quiible between admission rates at this level, or probably to equate prestige drectly to admission rates. </p>
<p>Go with your heart. I was blessed by the admission gods over the last two weeks and was accepted:</p>
<p>Brown
U Penn
Dartmouth
Northwestern (yah, baby)
U Chicago</p>
<p>NU was the clear choice for me (only admission result that gave me butterflies) and I am excited to be visiting for Wildcat days in a couple weeks. Parents told me to wait a few more weeks to decide but I am attempting to convince them to send the deposit immediately in case it helps me get a better choice for dorm assignment.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is a fine institution, but it is in the middle of nowhere and you’ll have more internship and other academic opportunities related to your proposed major at either Northwestern or UCLA.</p>
<p>The weather in Los Angeles is hard to beat, but you may want to get out of California–at least for a few years. If you don’t like Northwestern, you’ll probably be able to transfer to another UC.</p>
<p>If you choose Dartmouth, don’t do it just because of the prestige. Prestige will not make you happy in the long run.</p>
<p>Dartmouth definitely has a political science major and I suspect that many journalists would say that a good grounding in history, political science, international studies and english is as important as specific journalism training. Especially if you aren’t sure about this major, I don’t think I would let that be a big factor. Lots of Dartmouth students go on to business school, so if you want to do something in marketing, as you mentioned, it could be a good stepping stone. On the availability of internships, the D plan allows you to take a semester off at some point to combine with a summer so you have time for a longer internship or several (you have to go to school during the Sophomore summer to allow this). Finally, you are going to be just as cold at Northwestern but you won’t have your own ski mountain! Re: science requirements, you should check each school’s requirements. Some “liberal arts” schools don’t have strict requirements and others do. Some universities also have strict requirements. Are you going to accepted student days? YOU REALLY SHOULD. I do wonder if you will regret choosing too much on the basis of weather although most people end up being happy with their choice and don’t re-think.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in marketing/public relations, you might find the IMC certificate at NU very helpful in setting you up for a career in the field. You will learn fundamental skills as well as make connections for internships. You will also get the Medill name, which is very attractive to employers. That said, I don’t know how selective IMC is so you might want to contact Medill look into this further. </p>
<p>The distribution areas are as follows:
* Area I - Natural Sciences
* Area II - Formal Studies
* Area III - Social and Behavioral Sciences
* Area IV - Historical Studies
* Area V - Ethics and Values
* Area VI - Literature and Fine Arts</p>
<p>@chardo: While I love all these things, I am looking to escape from my comfort zone a bit. I feel like it would be good for me to get out of California, if only for four years. </p>
<p>I will attend the admitted student days for all 3 schools, so hopefully I will somehow know when I’ve found “the one.”</p>
<p>To be honest, Northwestern has the best reputation for your program. But personally, I’d go for Dartmouth. However, </p>
<p>If you love warm weather and hate cold, then UCLA is the easy choice here, though I would not really say LA is warm most of the time. But it is at least, a lot warmer than Chicago and NH. It is very hard to enjoy college life if you hate the weather and environment. And, it is easier to thrive in college, get great grades, become involved, etc, when you love your campus atmosphere and the people you go out or hung out with.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is probably a step above UCLA for undergrad education since:
A) It’s super small
B) It’s uber prestigious
C) It’s known for having great teaching
etc.</p>
<p>But do you want to go there? If you really want to go to UCLA, then I suggest you go to UCLA. It’s not like UCLA is some crappy school. I hear we have one of the best campus newspapers, so that would probably be a great place to get some hands on journalism experience.</p>