HELP ME CHOOSE: WashU v. UMich v. Carnegie Mellon

College Search & Selection
1

Help Me Choose: WashU v. UMich v. CMU

Note: I mostly care about what opportunities I can get from the college I go to since that’s important for the industry I am thinking about- if all else is equal, fit is a tiebreaker.

Intended major: econ/stats/finance, might be interested in comp sci for a minor or something

WashU (College of Arts & Sciences):

Pros:

I like St. Louis generally.

I EDd here because I liked the collaborative atmosphere and general feel of the campus and was accepted RD after being deferred.

Excellent financial aid, my most affordable private option

It’s a T20, which is hard to turn down for me

I can transfer into their Engineering School to double major in comp sci or to their business school for finance

I like mid-sized schools :slight_smile:

Cons:

Kind of fell out of love with the school after I EDd there

Not a big fan of Missouri

It isn’t really known for finance or econ- I’m worried about the opportunities I could get

Reputation for being preppy- I realized this after I EDd there and it made me kind of relieved that I wasn’t bound to it anymore when I got deferred

It doesn’t really have prestige outside of the midwest

University of Michigan LSA:

Pros:

A bit cheaper, though that isn’t a major factor

I’ve spent a lot of time on the campus so I know it the best out of these 3

Great school spirit and alumni network

Very well-known for stats and econ, generally all programs there are good if I change my mind

I think Ann Arbor is a great college town

I applied to the Residential College so I get a smaller experience there too

Cons:

I might be interested in consulting but didn’t get into Ross- even if I transferred, I heard that dual degrees are tough and I don’t think I want to just get a BBA

It’s huge and even though I don’t love liberal arts colleges, I want something in between

I am not big into parties or sports and that seems to be a BIG part of the culture there

The Residential College has a lot of different requirements so I don’t know if I’ll stay there

Could never major in comp sci since that’s in a separate college

Carnegie Mellon Dietrich College (Social Sciences and Humanities):

Pros:

I can major in Econ at Dietrich, which is a joint degree between Dietrich and the Tepper School of Business so I can use the resources there

I really like Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania in general

I think I’d fit in with the atmosphere there the most- not big on parties, academic-focused

There’s a specific Econ and Stats major

Based on my research, I could minor in CS there, which would be a big plus

Lots of internships and opportunities on campus itself

Mid-sized school

Cons:

Haven’t visited and probably can’t but I have done virtual tours and stuff and talked to friends who visited

Not sure how well-known the econ and stats program is

I think humanities is less known there so if I did decide to do something else then it would be tough (I don’t think I will though)

2

CMU seems to be the best fit based on your interests.

3

Hello, so I am a senior in high school right now and I have been accepted into CMU and Umich also! I am so torn. here’s the insight/thoughts I have come up with.

The 2 schools have exactly the same rankings for just about everything. However, CM is slightly more selective since it’s a private school and also seems to have more intellectual and nerdy people. I am also in Dietrich and I think that being in this particular school at CM is amazing. My friend told me that there is a lot of flexibility in taking courses outside of your school which makes me feel good. I can’t decide wether I am willing to give up the full college experience that umich has to offer (in terms of parties, football games, etc) for the more academically focused experience at CM. At the same time, I keep thinking who’s to say that I can’t have an absolute blast at CM (in terms of social life and parties)! Pittsburgh is known to be lively and an amazing city. My only concern with CM is not being able to find enough people like myself. I really want to find real friends who are “normal” and not socially awkward.

Let me know what you end up choosing or any more info you find out.

4

You indicate that there are differences in costs after aid. What do your parents (or whoever else is helping you pay for your education) have to say about that? Where would the money for the various costs come from?

Here is a handy calculator. Run your numbers, and see if there is a difference that matters: https://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml

5

A few corrections about UMich.

  1. If you can meet the minimum transfer requirements, and they’re not that extraordinary, then you can transfer to the CoE.
  2. You can major in CS in either the CoE or LSA. The programs are similar.

https://cse.engin.umich.edu/academics/undergraduate/computer-science-lsa-vs-computer-science-engineering/

  1. While transferring into Ross BBA is difficult, they only accept about 100-150 inter-school transfers each year, you can also apply and earn, if accepted, a Ross Business **minor**.

https://michiganross.umich.edu/undergraduate/business-minor/curriculum

  1. Dual degrees within LSA are not difficult at all. It’s just a matter of how long you want to spend as an undergraduate and/or how many units you want to take each semester. Also, possibly how long your parents want to pay the UG tuition. As I mentioned above, you can get a degree in LSA and the CoE, assuming you applied and were accepted as a transfer into the CoE (not that hard) of Ross (hard).

Three wonderful schools. You obviously worked hard. Good luck. ?