May 1st is quickly approaching and I am still virtually clueless in my college decision. I was have narrowed down my list of schools to Rhodes College, Oberlin College, University of Wisconsin, Fordham. I got 27.5K from Fordham, 21K from Rhodes, and 10K from Oberlin. Wisconsin is significantly cheaper because it is a state school. I come from a rigorous private school, but I am very sick of being surrounded by “snobby” people. I am very liberal, outgoing, and friendly. However, I want to make sure that I am going to school that has a high social atmosphere with parties and a lot of social gatherings. I have heard that Oberlin is not very social…Also I am not religious in any sense which scares me about Fordham. If anyone would shield some light on any of these schools or offer their opinion I would really appreciate it. I also will get some finical aid package with any of these schools.
I also am not involved in the arts. I enjoy and appreciate all forms of the arts and spend a lot of my time watching slam poetry or enjoying music. I am more sporty.
I am interested in Greek life because I am very social and am aware that Oberlin and Fordham do not have Greek life.
Sounds like University of Wisconsin would be perfect for you! Greek life. Social. Liberal, for the most part. Financially advantageous. Not “snobby.” Have you visited? It’s a great place.
Rather than tell us how much financial aid you got from each school, it is more useful to list how much each one will cost. You should either include the amount that you need to borrow for each one, or add that as another column in the comparison. Debt is something best avoided if at all possible.
That being said, I agree with @brantly. It seems like you were describing the U. of Wisconsin in your OP when you listed what you want in a university.
I visited a few weekends ago! The campus was a little overwhelming. I am slightly concerned because only 20% of sophomore and up live in campus. That doesn’t feel like a close knit community. Overall I didn’t get that AHA moment that I knew I belonged there. But I haven’t gotten that anywhere. I am also wait listed from BC, Grinnell, Boston University, NYU, and Wesleyan.
Oberlin : 69,372
Wisconsin: 47,000
Fordham: 47,000
Rhodes: 43,000
Thank you for your opinion! I posted the cost of the schools in a comment above. I am unable to say for sure how much finical aid I will receive but I think it should be a far amount. My father said he will pay 40,000 a year and the rest I will have to take out loans myself to cover.
My kid and I were at Admitted Students Day over the weekend…honestly, it sounds completely right for you…i belive you would love it there. And it makes the most sense financially.
At Wisconsin’s?
I assume the quality of the education at these college won’t differ too much. Right?
Yes, Wisconsin…it’s not the right place for my kid but, honestly, there were tons of happy kids there & everything you said, I saw during the day.
Thank you! My parents aren’t very involved in my process. It is reassuring to hear from an adult that I will probably be happy there!
There are no frats or sororities at Fordam.
Yes I know. Greek like is not necessarily a deal breaker. If there is no Greek life I just want to make sure the campus is very social.
Wisonsin honestly sounds like the perfect fit for you
UW-Madison is the best fit based on your stated preferences.
Some pros (for you):
- It’s very strong in a large variety of fields
- Its party scene is diverse and developed. You will have loads of fun. There are dorm parties, house parties, the Union and Terrace, and the State Street scene just for starters. There are also very many clubs to check out.
- There is good variety in the student body: there are all kinds of kids, so you’ll find your people. Most are nice and down to earth.
- It leans left politically (but there is variety here too)
- The sports scene is awesome – another type of social event. The football games are especially cool because of the student section traditions (keys, Jump Around, Buttercup, section rivalries), the awesome band and its 5th Quarter, etc. The team is pretty good too. And everyone sings Varsity.
- The Greek system is there for those who are interested. Langdon Street is where most of the houses are.
My son is at UW, and it is phenomenal experience. He is part of greek life, and has really enjoyed that smaller community (I think its about 3000 undergrads out of the entire undergraduate student body). There seems to be a sorority for everyone, as we know some young women who were not stereotypical sorority types, who love their sororities.
Most students move “off campus” after freshman year, but that just means you are living in an apartment with friends, surrounded by friends. My son didn’t experience any “drop” in community or connection after he moved into an apartment, but he did appreciate the flexibility and freedom. He still ate in the dining halls most of the time because it was convenient and cheaper. He lived “in-house” at his fraternity one year and, his final year, is in an apartment building which is mostly greek life friends.
There are ways to “shrink” the UW experience for freshman, from choosing a “residential learning community” for your dorm to taking a “FIG” – first year interest group – which is a cluster of 2-3 classes, thematically linked, that you take with the same 20 or so students. Those “fig mates” became the core of my kid’s freshman social life, especially in the early weeks, as there were 20 other freshman he had 3 out of his 4 classes with, and they had the shared interest in the subject matter.
My daughter is currently considering Rhodes College as one of her choices. She liked the campus, classes she attended and the students a lot. She like that there is Greek life that is very inclusive of everyone. She does love a good party! She thought all the students were friendly and liked that there was a different mix of kids. She also likes the city of Memphis a lot. We visited Oberlin. She enjoyed the class she attended there and thought they had a lot of different good educational opportunities and liked the food. She was not a fan of the location, found the students nice but not extremely social. She ended up not applying because the social fit was not right for her. I had 2 kids that attended two different Catholic universities and they have always said there was plenty of nonreligious students that attended and found the student communities very inclusive and close- knit along with a great social life. You have great schools to choose from.
Thank you! This really helped!