<p>Thoughts on the three? Claremont McKenna was my dream school for a while but I think it's too far from home (New England). Northwestern is somewhere I applied to on a whim...and I'm in at Medill. Georgetown is all around awesome! I don't know what choose. I can only visit two of the schools. I don't want anywhere too high stress and nothing with an overwhelming Greek life (or similar social structure). </p>
<p>What do you think? </p>
<p>Tough call, I like all three - I’d probably pick Georgetown </p>
<p>what is the cost-to-you of each school? what might you major in?</p>
<p>I don’t qualify for aid, so it’s pretty much the same cost for all of them. I think i want to do math and history, but I also might do econ. Is it possible to transfer into Georgetown’s business school? </p>
<p>This is indeed a tough call, but CM, Georgetown, Northwestern, but my choices are based more on how I learn and the weather I like to learn in.</p>
<p>It sounds like Northwestern probably isn’t great for you. Claremont McKenna is great for econ and poli sci, but sort of weak otherwise. Georgetown is strong all-around. Georgetown is probably best.</p>
<p>I would go to Claremont McKenna, if it was me. But that’s because I like liberal arts colleges. CM is not “weak” in anything. It is an elite liberal arts college. Definitely worth a visit.</p>
<p>Tons of students go from California to New England for college. Half the reason for going to college is to leave home. Being the kind of student who is admitted to Northwestern and Georgetown means that you are the kind of person who can live on the opposite coast. Being “too far from home” is a wimpy excuse. 
</p>
<p>It’s such a difficult decision! What’s the social life like at all these colleges?</p>
<p>To answer the social life question, I recommend going to the individual college forums here at CC. Ask that question at each forum. A lot more specific there.</p>
<p>Georgetown is hugely influenced by being in Washington DC. If you love politics and/or international affairs, then that could make Georgetown most desirable. DC would definitely provide the most interesting activities, compared to Chicago or LA. Being in DC is like being at the center of the world.</p>
<p>Northwestern is in the Mid-West (suburban Chicago) and probably does not get the respect it deserves. Both Forbes magazine and USNewsWR rank NW higher than Georgetown. Academically it is clearly as good as, or better than, Georgetown. Still, lots of East Coast people believe that all the great schools are on the East Coast. Even in the Chicago area, the University of Chicago has a little more cache. But do not worry about that… NW is a truly world class university. However, winters in Chicago are terrible! Totally awful. Also, are you sure that you want Medill?</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna is in suburban LA, with all that wonderful weather. Everything that I have read indicates the the professors at CM are absolutely outstanding. Georgetown and Northwestern are great universities, but I doubt that they can equal the personal attention you would get at CM.</p>
<p>Both Georgetown and Northwestern are more than 12 times as large as Claremont McKenna… and so are there reputations. Each one will give you an equally good education. It is more a matter of how well you will enjoy any of them. Checking out the social life is a good idea.</p>
<p>Northwestern’s economics, history, and math are ranked significantly higher than Georgetown. So I wouldn’t consider Georgetown as “all-around strong”. CMU is a different animal but its economics is supposed to be very strong for a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>I disagree that “DC would provide the most interesting activities”. Having lived in all three places, DC is by far the smallest and the most boring of the three; that’s been my experience for just about everything, including dining scene, performing arts, bars & clubs, or shopping. As far as jobs go, LA and Chicago are big cities with diverse economy and industries. The job market in DC is strong but very Fed centric. </p>
<p>Claremont McKenna, like all liberal arts colleges, is best for people who are unclear about their career goals. Being unclear at this point is probably a good thing. Very, very, few high school students are certain about their career possibilities. Since you have mentioned math, history, and economics… plus have been accepted at Medill, and have spoken of Georgetown’s business school… I assume that you are somewhat unclear. Not to worry. A degree from Claremont McKenna will prepare you for anything, including graduate school.</p>
<p>So, I definitely can warn you against going to Northwestern, despite it being fantastic. An undergraduate degree in journalism is far too narrow for a person, like you, who is unsure about what you might want to do. A degree in math, however, prepares you for a ton of great possibilities. Indeed, a math degree is probably the most flexible degree for career purposes. An engineering firm can use you, but so can almost any business, and is hugely valuable for getting into a good MBA program as well as being successful at getting the MBA.</p>
<p>Consider majoring in math and minoring in history… or double majoring in those two. Claremont McKenna is an ideal place for discovering your true interests. If you decide that business is for your, then go get an MBA. Or if journalism becomes a clear goal, then get a master’s.</p>
<p>ChaChaanTeng makes some good points, but for college students I think DC is a better choice than Chicago. The best is better in Chicago, yes, but Chicago is not akin to being at “the center of the world.” LA is probably just as good as Chicago, even though Hollywood has an outsize presence there. Ignore Hollywood and Disneyland. Go to the beach instead.</p>
<p>In short, visit both Georgetown and Claremont McKenna, and make your choice based on where you think you would be happier. Since you say that you do not want stress, pay attention to any stressful feelings at these two schools.</p>
<p>Don’t assume the OP is locked into Medill. She/he can very easily transfer to other colleges within Northwestern or double-major across colleges.</p>
<p>I am not sure what you mean by “center of the world”. Yes, it’s the US capitol but it doesn’t change the fact that it is a lot less happening than places like LA or Chicago. It also does not mean it’s the center of the US, let alone the world. If it were, my friends in DC wouldn’t go to NYC so often during weekends. If it were, there wouldn’t be so many bus lines going from DC to NYC (the NYC to DC buses are mostly for DC residents returning from NYC). Two decades ago, DC was just a dangerous little town with significant white flight. The city has come a long way (still the white professionals would try their best to stay in only the NW quadrant), thanks to the bloated Federal government. By the way, there are reasons why the traffic is so much lighter during the summer in DC metro. If not for the tourists, the city would be dead during that time (the visitors tend to be first-timers; that is, once is enough!).</p>
<p>My definition of “center of the world” is a city full of foreign embassies when that city is the capital of the most powerful country in the world. And when the local news is national news, or international news, in other cities.</p>
<p>I am sure that all those buses are full of college students coming back from dinner and opera in NYC. </p>
<p>You seem to have some kind of romanticized idea of DC. The truth is nobody in London or NYC cares about the gunfights in various parts of DC. The foreign embassies operate like they are foreign territories and off limit. You don’t know more or less about what Obama just said in front of the media and Fox, CNN, and MSNBC don’t have special channels for DC residents.</p>
<p>Regarding the buses, you missed the point, which is to dispute what you said about DC being the most interesting. Plenty of people find DC kinda boring and they get away when they can. Have you even lived in any of those three places? I don’t think you know what you are talking about.</p>
<p>If you want to argue that DC is the friendliest to student budget, please note that an average one-bedroom apartment in Georgetown or Dupont Circle is running for at least $2000 a month, thanks to the restrictive building code in DC that artificially suppresses the supply of apartment units. Evanston/Chicago’s North Side (where Northwestern is close to) and east LA (where CMC is) have significantly more affordable apartments. Also, please try Yelp and see for yourself that “cheap eats” in Georgetown or NW DC are pretty much limited to boring fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Potbelly, instead of variety of mom and pop ethnic places in much greater numbers in Chicago or LA. The joke for the overpriced yet mediocre restaurants in DC is that they are full of customers on expense accounts!</p>
<p>shnn227,
From time to time somebody on CC decides that this is a good place to get into an argument with another person posting on the site. If you will pardon me, I plan to avoid doing that this time. ChaChaanTeng just joined CC less than six hours ago, and apparently is in a grumpy mood this evening.</p>
<p>Often this is a good time to simply ask the same question again, BUT under a different thread. Many people have done this with good success. Also, do go to the individual college forums to ask about the social life at Georgetown, Northwestern, and Claremont McKenna. Those forums can be quite helpful.</p>
<p>You are obviously a bright person with a great future. Each of these colleges will give you the best education you can find. It just depends on which one fits you best. Good luck.</p>
<p>It’s unfortunate that you chose to attack the messenger, instead of the messages. My goal wasn’t to get into an argument with you; you gave useful info regarding liberal arts vs business but you gave a very wrong idea about DC vs other places, which could significantly skew the OP to the wrong choice. I was just trying to intervene to stop that. Perhaps I could sound a little less “grumpy” (I was far from being such) but please don’t take it personally.</p>
<p>If price isn’t too much of an issue, I would choose Northwestern! I think it’s better than the other colleges all-around. I think Georgetown may be better for pre-law…</p>
<p>Wow!!! What replies. Thanks for all the input so far. I do agree that CMC being a liberal arts college may give me more opportunities to try different academic paths, but I’m also scared that CMC is too focused on economics/government, and if I wanted to do something totally different it wouldn’t be as good for it. Georgetown is probably near the top now, because it is all around solid and though Northwestern is too, I think I’d be more comfortable in DC (maybe?) I’m going to try to visit all three, but if that doesn’t work, I think that Georgetown and CMC are the top two to see.</p>
<p>Couple of corrections. NROTC, I suspect, is not very familiar with a number of the schools here. </p>
<p>Northwestern’s Math and Econ departments are top ranked, significantly better reputed than Georgetown, with Certificate programs through Kellogg top draws for Consulting and IB recruiters. You could start at Medill on a Monday and transfer to Arts and Sciences on a Tuesday. School now encourages for-credit internships during the school year - great resume builders when time comes to job hunt - and Chicago offers many more opportunities with top companies than DC. For politics, govt - certainly can’t trump DC opportunities. </p>
<p>CMC is in Claremont, pretty sleepy suburban town. LA is down the road but this being LA, everything is much less accessible than Chicago to NU or certainly DC to Georgetown.
CMC is all about Econ, govt, business. Smattering of science kids, math kids, pre meds, but what they do best totally dominates the academic scene there unlike most general LACs (including Pomona next door). </p>
<p>All are great schools. CMC the most niche/ specialized, NU the most broad academically and socially, Georgetown the most city centric. </p>
<p>to go back to the original post: S went to CMC. One thing that does not come out in this thread is that CMC is part of the five college Claremont consortium (with Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Scripps). Thus, while it is a very small college, it’s also to a degree part of a nice, 5000-student university. The schools are literally right next to one another, so it’s not like Amherst to Smith or Bryn Mawr to Haverford (i.e., buses) - one minute you’re walking in Pomona and the next in CMC. The impact of that is that it opens many worlds that might not be available if you were at just one of those schools. For my S, he wound up taking lots of comptuer science classes at Mudd and got a very nice Silicon Valley job. It is, then, literally the best of both worlds: all the attention of a classic, top-rated LAC, but with substantiallly wide horizons. As to how that stacks up against Georgetown or Northwestern, there is no right answer, but you do seem lucky in that they are each sharply different than the other. I wouldn’t be swayed one bit by which school is “better” or more “prestigious” - they are all great and an A average at any of them would be great and better than a B+ average at any other. At the end of the day, you need to decide if you want urban, or Big 10 with great sports, or LA weather in a small university. Focus hard on what kind of setting you think would make you most happy, and cut out a lot of the noise about academic quality (indistinguishable) and majors (highly subject to change). </p>