Yo,
I am currently a high school senior who is pretty deep in the college process. When I was deciding what schools to apply to I had no idea what I was looking for so I hit submit on every school I heard of or was curious about. After doing some refining I got down my list to 11 schools. The problem is I didn’t plan on getting accepted into all of them. I know this sounds dumb and I’m not trying to boast since these aren’t top tier schools, but as acceptance letters roll in the more lost I feel. A ton of the schools I applied to are on the other side of the country OR,WA,UT (I’m in PA) so I probably won’t be able to tour these campuses. I’d imagine that I’ll be happy where ever I chose, but I was curious what you current college students did to finally make your decision.
TDLR: I got into schools, have no first choice, can’t really tour them, and I am not sure what to base my decision off of.
How do they compare in terms of academics in your area of interest and cost/debt? Those basic criteria can be used to make an initial personal ranking before doing any expensive visits.
My D attends a college with kids who never set foot on campus until move in day. How do you cull the list and prioritize what’s important?
-Be ruthless. Right now, eliminate the ones you know you have no interest in, or that are unaffordable.
-Of the remaining ones, which have the best academics? Which have a good reputation in your chosen major? Eliminate the ones that don’t fit.
-Get a Fiske guide, or use the website Niche. Get a sense of the campus vibe. Do they sound like your people? My kids both found that theses resources were pretty accurate in terms of understanding the campus culture.
-When you get it narrowed down to a couple, do more in-depth research, watch videos about the school, work out the logistics of getting there. A leader is going to emerge. Go with your gut.
My major is super up in the air. Probably humanities related, but depends on school. Ithaca has cool communications so I’d do that, American has cool international studies so I’d do that.
You’ve got some good choices. What is your financial situation? Honestly, I don’t think you should waste valuable time and money on the colleges you already want to rule out, unless you’ve been offered some great merit money.
My D was accepted to one the colleges you listed here, with excellent merit aid. Once she had other offers she liked better, she lost interest in that school totally. I tried to get her to visit again, but she was right. Her gut told her to forget it, and she listened. So I suggest you forget about Temple and De Paul because you have options you clearly like better.
Of those you’ve got right now, I think U Mass Amherst probably has the best overall reputation. I love the location of U of Oregon. Lots of rah rah and school pride. I also love Ithaca’s location, but it’s cold and windy. I’d say Clark and Ithaca are most similar to each other in terms of student body, with some creative and quirky students. American is pretty focused on its location in DC, so if you’re leaning towards anything relevant to that, it’s a good choice. I’m not sure it’s a better choice than U Mass, for the money.
I have received merit scholarships from all of these schools and when you subtract that from the tuition + additional expenses they are all pretty close to one another with Depaul and Temple being slight outliers. My parents will assist me, but loans are probably going to be taken out. I need to wait until full financial aid packages though.
Utah’s pretty different to the rest of your top 5. It’s a great option for really outdoorsy students, and the degree to which that is a priority for you is perhaps the best indication of whether you’d be happy there. So for example, my D does lots of skiing, backpacking, climbing, rafting etc. and (unless there is a home football game) the campus tends to be quieter at weekends, because many local students commute and a lot of the students who do live on campus are up in the mountains.
Many students have cars and are quite happy to drive 4-5 hours on a Friday night to visit the national parks for the weekend (or even just an overnight or day trip). Her group of friends decided to drive to Mammoth for a weekend’s skiing after finals (8 hours away) in December and she went back early to do more skiing after new year. Last spring they drove to Grand Teton (4-5 hours) for a day hike. If they have a few hours on a nice Sunday afternoon they’ll hike into the mountains to bathe at the hot springs.
So I find it hard to imagine a student being equally happy at either American or Utah, even though both are in cities. The point of being at American is to enjoy DC itself. The point of being at Utah is to get out of Salt Lake City (even though its a very pleasant town) and enjoy the outdoors. I’m sure there are students who don’t do that, and want to work at the state capitol or in the local community, but I don’t think many come from out of state for that reason.
I’d take a visit to Umass, Ithaca, Pitt, Vermont (you can wait until accepted to the last 2 but admission seems likely). I like both UO and Utah but I don’t see them adding much to that list except geography and Pac 12 sports. And there could be things about them you really don’t like.
When comparing costs make sure to look at travel and health insurance costs. Close to home you likely/possibly wouldn’t need to buy student health insurance as your current network might work. If it doesn’t work in OR or UT you’re looking at probably another few thousand in costs, plus a few thousand a year for travel potentially. If it’s a financial challenge to make a trip out west right now to visit, it’s not going to get easier over the next four years. Closer to home, the train or car is a lot cheaper and you could come home more often.
How much loans? You are limited to $5,500 first year (slightly increasing later years). Loans beyond that need a parent signature, probably not a good idea.
Thanks so much for the info. Utah’s natural beauty is something I’m absolutely captivated by. I really enjoy hiking and the atmosphere seems extremely laid back. Despite this I can also see myself in an apartment in DC. The main reason I applied to American was for the international programs and their academics which are things I could see myself enjoying and benefiting from. I’m really glad to hear how you described Utah since it’s location is a major selling point. But I do see what you are saying. They are opposites and I need to figure out what I want. That circles back to my original question. If I can’t tour Utah feasibly and it’s geography is it’s selling point (still a great school academically but you know what I mean) would it be irresponsible to enroll there. I will for sure try to get out there though before I make a decision. Happy to hear that Utah was a positive experience for your family. Since I have met nobody who lives/lived in Utah or has been to the school your response was super helpful so thanks for taking the time.
These schools are all very different from each other, so I’d ask yourself the following questions: (1) What kind of campus do you want to be on—rural, city center, or suburban? (2) What kind of political environment do you see yourself comfortable in? Most of these schools tend to be liberal, but a few are more conservative. If you are comfortable in either, that’s not an issue, but if you are sensitive to more conservative environments, you should evaluate your schools again on this basis. (3) What kind of climate do you want to be in? (4) Are you allowed to have a car on campus? I realize none of these questions have anything to do with academics, but they all influence how you will feel in your day to day life, outside of academics.
I’d take a visit to Umass, Ithaca, Pitt, Vermont (you can wait until accepted to the last 2 but admission seems likely). I like both UO and Utah but I don’t see them adding much to that list except geography and Pac 12 sports. And there could be things about them you really don’t like.
Toured UVM and Ithaca liked them a lot. Will be sure to check out Umass and Pitt. You are completely right about UT and OR. They are difficult to make a decision on since all I know about them is geography and pac12 sports.