First Choice Yale...but where else should I apply?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>Hey guys, I'm assuming that most of the people on a Yale forum would be fans of Yale (duh)...so suppose this would be the best place to ask my question.</p>

<p>Yale is my first choice for college because of the location (I lean towards more urban/suburban...definitely not super-rural...but I think I could make due in a college town). I also like Yale because all the people seem super friendly.</p>

<p>Other details about me: </p>

<p>I don't have too many 'must haves' as I am filling out my application....Thus, I am very open to suggestions.
I intend to go to college for something in the 'soft sciences' and pre-med.
I like the 'mid-sized' schools (like, 5,000 to 20,000) -- definitely not anything huge or super tiny.
I have great grades, recs, EC's...ect...so I think I have at least a fighting chance at any school...
School location is not super important...I live in the Northeast and would not like to go too far west or south (California or Texas)...but as you will see on my list below, some of the colleges are quite the drive from my house.
Basically, I'm looking for a school with a 'good undergrad experience' </p>

<p>I'm wondering where else you would suggest applying to. I will include my current list of schools being considered. Please let me know your opinion of these schools. Ideally, with your suggestions and my current list...I would like to narrow this down a few.</p>

<p>(In order of preference -- as of now)
Yale (like -everything)
UPenn (like - everything)
Duke (like - everything)
Northwestern (like - everything)
Dartmouth - (like - school, people, academics. Dislike - location, rural-ness)
Tufts - (like - location, academics. Dislike - I don't really know...I just like the other ones more :)
Boston College - (Very similar to Tufts, however, probably not as good of a rep. Reputation isn't a deciding factor...but it certainly helps)
Vanderbilt - (I like Duke a lot more, but I think Vandy would be a great 'consolation' prize. Plus, Nashville would be super fun)
Notre Dame - (Like - Academics. Dislike - Indiana. Also, I feel that such a 'small college town' wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as Boston)Cornell - (Like - Academics. Dislike - Maybe a little big...also, I have family in Ithica...and I don't know how much I would like to spend four solid years in such a little town)</p>

<p>Again...if you could tell me which schools you would take off this list or offer other suggestions, that would be great.</p>

<p>Any suggestions you could give me would be great!</p>

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<p>Have you looked into Brown?</p>

<p>They are just “outside” a city (Providence) yet have a very nice and green campus, so I think the setting is sub-urban; they have an excellent reputation in terms of the education they provide (very undergrad focused), and I believe they have quite good bio-related majors. </p>

<p>You should definitely consider it I think!</p>

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<p>I’m assuming you’re a very strong candidate. Still, your list appears to have no safeties. Are you applying to your state flagship as a safety? If not, here are several mid-sized research universities to consider that are not as selective as most of the schools your list: American U, Syracuse U, Lehigh, Case Western, GWU, U of Miami, U of Rochester, Tulane.</p>

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<p>I’m surprised you don’t have Harvard on that list, or Columbia for that matter. Location-wise both are relatively urban. If you were willing to go out farther I loved Stanford for its environment - it was next to Silicon Valley, but didn’t feel like a busy city and at the same time it didn’t feel like a rural school either (then I got rejected lol -__-)</p>

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<p>For starters, based on your somewhat vague criteria, pretty much any Ivy League school you haven’t already listed (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton) might suit well for you. Personally I believe in visiting each school to get a feel for its location and fit rather than using criteria based on hard data, but at this point I suppose it’s a bit late for all that.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all of your responses!</p>

<p>Charleh - Good suggestion with Brown…but it’s not the best for me.
wjb - Great point. I was looking at safety school…but decided not to add them into this mix because I feel that that is a whole other discussion. BTW though…I will be applying to Rochester as a safety school…I don’t know if I need another one? Some of my closest teachers feel that I can get into BC “comfortably”…but I don’t know if I want to add another shoe-in…
Sheppard - Columbia was considered…but I’ve been around NYC a little too much to want to attend college there.
monstor - you’re totally right - great advice!</p>

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<p>

Why not? If you give us more specifics, we can help you out better.</p>

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<p>BC doesn’t have a supplemental essay so… if you’re ready to pay the application fee, it’s a great “backup”.</p>

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<p>quomodo – Great point, and thanks for your concern. The reason that I will not be applying to Brown is because I’m applying for anthropology. My uncle (who is an Ivy league professor himself) has a friend who works closely with brown anthropology; this friend is disgusted by many of the personalities in the anthro department…Basically, I have been advised to stay away :)</p>

<p>Does anyone have opinions on any of the schools I have listed? I honestly really like all of them…but definitely need to narrow it down some more…?</p>

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<p>I know you said you don’t want to go to Texas, but in my opinion anybody whose first choice is Yale should take a serious look at Rice. Maybe Johns Hopkins?</p>

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<p>whoa - D plans to apply to Brown - really likes it after visit. She’s also planning to apply to PLME and study Anthropology and Biology. Can you give me more specifics about departmental personalities and the advice to stay away?</p>

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<p>Have you considered Washington University in St. Louis? It is mid-sized, has the “good undergrad experience” you say you want, lots of undergrad research opportunities and is located in a beautiful suburb outside of St. Louis. You say that you are interested in pre-med. There is a program which guarantees admission to their top-3 medical school if a certain GPA is maintained. Getting into that med school program is super-competetive, but if you have the qualifications, it’s something to think about. And even without that, it’s the kind of school where you can get a top education in a nice atmosphere.</p>