<p>May 1 is approaching, and I don't know where to go. :confused: Chicago and Brown were always my top picks. (Different I know, but both had good Jewish connections, a passionate student body, and I'd taken classes on both campuses.) By the end of the year, I had decided Brown was the best fit. I got into Chicago EA and was waitlisted at Brown. I am staying on the Brown waitlist, but I can't count on it. </p>
<p>I always assumed I'd end up at Chicago. I took classes last summer, liked the feel of the campus, the kids in the program (RIBS-research in the biological sciences), and the city. I knew about the core and how academic Chicago was. I went there this week expecting to like it enough to put down a deposit, but came away more uncertain than ever. </p>
<p>I spoke with kids I met through this forum who were happy with their school and active in EC's. I spoke with others who focused only on studying (some happy....others sounded more tense). A few said the academic life was great but the social life was not strong. None of that was new to me.</p>
<p>What bothered me more was the "feel" of the Chicago campus. I had never seen the university during the school year but it felt different than it did last summer. It felt very intense, grad students everywhere, somehow less of a "collegiate" feel that I had hoped for. A lively student body with many EC's is important to me (theater, jazz flute, creative writing, Hillel) as well as strong academics. And, to be truthful, I am a little nervous about the Chicago workload. </p>
<p>Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that I feel differently about Chicago. I have gone through so much change this year. I started out as bio/premed on my applications and have since shifted my interests out of the sciences into history, classics, middle eastern studies, or possibly IR.</p>
<p>Tufts and Emory are the two other schools I'm considering. I am especially looking at Tufts, visiting there this week. When my mom (cami215) and I saw Tufts last summer, I immediately told her I liked the feel of the campus. My impression is that the school is focused on undergrads and has more student life than Chicago. Tufts also has required classes, but there is more flexibility about what you can use to fulfill the requirements, which I also like. Still, for most of the year, I didn't even think about Tufts. </p>
<p>I go to a small private school that can sometimes be a fishbowl. With one or two exceptions, ** everyone ** assumes I should go to Chicago--my friends, the guidance counselor, the principal. etc. They think it's a match because I am a quirky, intellectual kid so they assume I'd be happiest at Chicago. (The school urged me to apply to Harvard. I didn't get in, but wasn't too upset about it.) Plus Chicago is more highly ranked and they can't understand why someone would turn down a school ranked more highly for one lower on the list. Even I feel that pressure to choose by rankings. I know what each of these schools is like, but am still having trouble picking. My parents say I can choose what I want. </p>
<p>Why is it so hard to make this decision? I've made lists of pros and cons till I'm going in circles. Money is not an issue. Should I just go on feel when I visit the campuses? Am I getting cold feet about Chicago because of my image of its daunting workload? How can I tell if Tufts (or maybe even Emory?) is closer to the kind of college experience I want? If I want to go to a good law or grad school, will it make a difference which of these schools I attend? Any help you can give me in sorting this out or mentioning something I've overlooked about these schools would be appreciated. </p>
<p>p.s. sorry this is so long....it just reflects the confused state of my mind.</p>