I have been admitted to both Caltech and Yale among other schools, and I am wanting to choose Yale. My major is in engineering, though, and obviously Caltech is the better choice for that. However, I have a gut feeling that I don’t belong at Caltech. It seems to have a very rigorous environment that is not particularly inviting, and I’ve heard from someone who went there that many students don’t even attend lectures because they’re smart enough to study it all on their own (which seems like an atmosphere that I wouldn’t quite fit in). Additionally, I value a liberal arts foundation, which Yale provides. In my opinion, Yale also gives me the opportunity to explore all kinds of majors and life paths, whereas at Caltech I would be stuck in engineering or STEM. Overall, I feel that I would be happier at Yale, though the engineering program doesn’t at all compare to Caltech’s…
Is my decision reasonable?