EMERGENCY- College Selection Dilemma! Please help!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>It took me a long time and a lot of thoughts to decide to ED to WashU rather than to somewhere else like UPenn or Yale (SCEA), and my college counselor was as glad/relieved as I was when she signed my ED contract.
However, when I went to her office today to get a copy of my finished common app. and essay back (my counselor has to look over them before we submit), she told me that she was extremely impressed by the common app. essay I wrote, and she told me that it was one of the best that she's read. My college counselor started to question my choice of doing ED at WashU, which is a big deal because not only does she rarely do this, I'm also one of the last people she wants to do this to. After my meeting with her, I'm now unsure again about whether doing ED at WashU is the best move for me, all because of my essay.</p>

<hr>

<p>Here's my (Kind of) Brief stat:
I'm from the midwest, and Asian. I'm applying as an international student, although a lot schools (such as Yale, and I believe WashU) will not put me in the international pool because I've been in the U.S. for 6 years.
*ACT: Sending two scores, a 29 with writing and a 32 without the writing.
*SAT II: Math IIC-760 Chemistry- 750 (and chinese-800)
*GPA: (UW) 3.95ish. 1 B for AP Chemistry for a semester.
*RANK: Competitive public school. Top 10% (The best you can do at my school).
*EC:
School newspaper (10th-present)=senior managing editor
Speech/Debate (9th-present)
Hospital volunteer (every summer, 200+ hrs)
Principal's advisory (10th-present)
Cheerleading (9th-11th)
International Students' Club (10th-present)
Mock Trial (10th)
DECA (10th)
*AWARDS/HONORS:
JOURNALISM (my strongest point)-
1. Winner of a national journalism contest in in-depth writing.
2. Highest award (only one in the state) in state journalism contest for in-depth/series writing.
2. "Superior" rating for two different feature writings in state journalism contest.
3. Attended all-expense paid minority journalism workshop
4. Finalist for Princeton University's journalism workshop (about 60 finalists/900 across the nation)
SPEECH/DEBATE (DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION)-
1. State speech/debate comp. qualifier, finished in the top 15 in dramatic interp.
2. First alternate for nationals speech/debate comp. in dramatic interp.
3. 2nd in city wide speech/debate competition in dramatic interp</p>

<h2>Prospective major: Business (I might also want to do international relations and would like to take Chinese classes in college), however, my prospective major can always change.</h2>

<p>Don't get me wrong, I feel that WashU is a very good fit for me. It's close to home (convenient); The campus/dorms are nice; and the most important thing is that I can get free tuition if I go there for undergrad.
However, WashU's business program is no where near Wharton, and some people said that an undergrad education in almost anything from places like HYP and probably other ivies trumps WashU's business program, and will get me a good job in the future.</p>

<p>But if I apply anywhere else, it'll be very hard for me to get financial aids (for instance, Penn gives out financial aids to about 50 international students each year), and I don't know if it'll be worth it in the end even if I'll be buried in debt right out of undergrad. I don't know if I will get a much better paying job (with consideration of the cost of living elsewhere) if I get in and enroll at schools like Yale/Penn than if I just stuck with WashU. However, if I do end up getting into a school like Yale, it will do much for my self-confidence, and I too believe that a Yale education will open a lot more doors for me in any kind of career paths.</p>

<p>Also, the thing is, like everyone else, I don't know what my chances are for the top schools, and I don't know if I should risk my chance at WashU by not doing ED just because my college counselor is hinting that I should because she's extremely impressed by my college essay. Additionally, most of these top schools require additional essays from applicants, and I don't know how they're gonna look at me if I have one really good common app essay and another mediocre supplement essay/essays since the common app essay is the one I pretty much gave my all in.</p>

<p>It's already October, and if I want to ED/EA elsewhere, I need to hurry up and finish the other supplement essays. I know this thread is really long and probably confusing, but please give me some advice on what to do.</p>

<p>(NOTE: if I choose to do RD at WashU, it's likely that I'll either be waitlisted or rejected because they might think that I wouldn't enroll anyway, and I really don't know if I want to risk this. Also, if I do get into Yale, I can only major in one thing, and I don't know if I would want that even though Yale is an amazing school)</p>

<p>The schools I'm now reconsidering: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn CAS, UPenn Wharton.... vs. WashU Olin ED.</p>

<p>Thank you very much!</p>

2

<p>What are the advantages of ED to WashU over just regular admit? </p>

<p>I would just apply to all as a regular admit and weigh all options when you have more information.</p>

3

<p>You know, one of the problems with ED is buyer's remorse -- after you commit, you question whether you could have done better (gotten in a more prestigious school, been offered more $ somewhere else, etc). It sounds like your counselor's input has triggered this. No one on this board can accurately foresee whether you would get in any of the other schools. Is there a possibility? Sure. Is it certain? Who knows?</p>

<p>You need to take a deep breath, step back and consider whether you really want to be at Wash U -- with no regrets about the "what ifs." If so, do ED. If not, then apply to a range of schools and wait to make a decision in the spring. </p>

<p>That's great that your counselor thinks you have a great essay. But that shouldn't serve to derail your plans if you're comfortable with the original plan.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

4

<p>Why not SCEA to Yale, then ED for the rest of them and pick from your acceptances come spring? Then if you still want WashU you can decide then. (This of course assumes that you "might" want to be at Yale over WashU).</p>

5

<p>It sounds like your concern is with rankings and whether the university on the 12th spot is as "good" as the universities in the 3rd and 5th spots, and whether this slight difference in rank will somehow limit your opportunities later in life. I don't think there is a difference in quality or later in life opportunities between the schools; the real difference is fit. I think you know yourself far better than your college counselor knows you and it sounds like WashU is a great fit and will reward your early committment with $. Risking the fit and $ for a chance at a school that isn't as good a fit or as free with $ and that rejects plenty of "perfect" students (and doing this simply because your counselor is impressed with your application essay) seems like a mistake to me.</p>

6

<p>Does Yale offer an undergraduate business major ?</p>

7

<p>Excuse me for asking but why is Wash U automatic free tuition? Are you a faculty offspring or did I miss something in your thread? If that is the case, you would basically be passing up a school that you believe to be a good "fit" with free tuition in exchange for a school with more prestige? (It's not like Wash U doesn't have any) Have you even visited the other schools you are thinking of applying to?</p>

8

<p>Wouldn't it depend on what your college essay was about? Maybe it sounds great for business but not liberal arts. </p>

<p>Have you checked out Penn's Huntsman program? It combines CAS international studies with wharton business. Sounds like it could be just what youre looking for</p>

9

<p>Yale doesn't offer an undergrad business program</p>

<p>I will get free tuition at WashU because one of my parents work there. And applying to WashU RD is extremely unpredictable, while I know that I have about a 99% chance if I do ED.</p>

<p>Sorry, I left out Huntsman, I'm also reconsidering the Huntsman program at Penn.</p>

10

<p>^ Dude, it's a no brainer then...go to WashU.</p>

11

<p>To me it is a clear choice -- WashU is a good fit, you feel comfortable and the cost is perfect. I think you would be risking alot by hoping to get into other top schools. While your profile looks strong, I don't see anything to distinguish you from hundreds of other strong students with an interest in Journalism. A strong essay is great, but again -- lots of kids have strong essays, especially those applying to the top schools.</p>

<p>Save your money for a graduate degree -- that's where the prestige will be something to aim for.</p>

12

<p>I'd go with WashU in a heartbeat. Wharton may be slightly more prestigious, but WU is still a very well-respected school, it's a good fit for you, and free tuition is about the best thing you can ask for. Only a fool would pass it up a situation that appealing.</p>

13

<p>More than slightly...</p>

<p>But free tuition is hard to beat.</p>

14

<p>Being practical, I think Yale is a real long shot with your record. Maybe this spurs you on to give it a try....but I don't see Yale, or H or P or the Huntsman program as likely....outside of showing you could do it (and likely not) what is the advantage to you, especially if you think it could joepardize what you view as a sure thing with free tuition via ED?</p>

15

<p>UPDATE:
I had a 2-hr-long emergency college meeting with my college counselor and my parents today, and I'm now more confused than ever about what I want to do.</p>

<p>An overview of what happened at my college meeting:
- My counselor brought up my essay many times throughout the meeting to emphasize how much she liked it. She said that it was one of the best college essays she's read in about 10 years of her career.
- My parents decided that they will now support me whether I do ED at WashU or apply to other schools.
- My counselor would like me to have more choices other than WashU.
- My parents decided that if I apply to other schools and don't get into WashU in the end, they will not force me to go to community college/cheap state schools if I'm rejected the ivies, and will pay for my first year at another decent school such as Northwestern or Michigan. If this is the case, I will transfer back to WashU the second year.
- If I get rejected from my top choice schools, my counselor said that IF I don't get into WashU in the RD round and get put on the waitlist then, she will do everything in her power to get me into the school. (Given that my school already has a very close relationship with WashU; my counselor is good friends with the director of admissions there; I'm the one student at my school my counselor has recommended to WashU to be put on the director's "radar;" and that my father works for the school and is eligible for the free tuition benefit).</p>

<p>Although it's pretty clear now that both my parents and my counselor are advocating for me to apply RD to WashU, I'm still not sure what I want to do. My parents' top choice of school for me is Yale (and IF I do get in, we wouldn't worry about the financial aspects). If I do choose to do WashU RD, my other top choices of school would be Wharton or Huntsman, and I will probably apply to Princeton. As for other schools, I will apply to places such as Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, Dartmouth, UPenn CAS, Chicago, Emory, and WashU.</p>

<p>I know that the above schools I have listed sound very ambitious for an applicant with my stats. However, If I do choose this route, I'm somewhat confident that I will at least be accepted by Northwestern or Emory and go there for at least a year and transfer back to WashU.</p>

<p>However, I'm still hesitant to take this step, especially this late in the process. It will probably make a huge difference if I can get into a school like Yale as compared to WashU. I might regret not having taken the chance to apply other schools that could've changed my life if I ED-ed to WashU. But I don't know if it's worth it for me to take this chance. I don't know how good my supplement essays will be; I know that I'm not as competitive as other Yale/Wharton applicants; I also know that I will probably get Bs in my math and science classes this year.</p>

<p>As of right now, I really need to decide on what I want to do, and soon. I have this tiny hope in my mind that I might get into my top choice schools (disregarding the WashU issue), but I'm very scared to take any step right now because I just don't know how to decide with satisfaction that "this is what I want to do."</p>

<p>I was still 90% sure before the meeting today that I still wanted to ED to WashU, especially after reading all of your comments. However, I just really don't know what to do anymore.</p>

<p>This thread is incredibly long now, I know, but I really appreciate every one of your comments/advice in helping me decide.</p>

16

<p>I think you should definitely apply to Yale early and if you don't get in just apply to the rest of the schools RD. If I was you I would just make sure that you have one safety that you are guaranteed to get in no matter what. I was very ambitious like you, and I ended up going to my safety because I was rejected by all my schools. (BTW don't worry because my stats were much worse than yours) My safety school is amazing, though, and I don't regret coming here at all. (I recommend Bentley as a safety)</p>

17

<p>Bump10char</p>

18

<p>Hopefully you have visited these other schools you are considering. There is nothing like sitting in on a class and spending a night there. Make sure you have some safeties you can live with if you pass up the ED at Wash. Awful hard to pass up a free ride to Washington!</p>

19

<p>For clarification: the free tuition at WashU doesn't depend on the ED contract. I am eligible for it as long as I can get in.</p>

20

<p>Billbank, sorry to be blunt, you are weak for Yale and Wharton/Huntsman. Go with WashU.</p>