Hello,
I’m in need of help making an admissions decision. If you wouldn’t mind, could you please rank the above schools in order that you would accept their decisions in with a brief explanation why? I don’t have the opportunity to visit all of them, so it would help a lot. Thank you very much.
So different! What are costs?
Everyone’s criteria is different. I may decide I don’t like UChicago because it’s cold. That says nothing about the quality of the schools. Help us in knowing what you are looking for in a school? What areas of study? Why are you transferring and what you don’t like about your current school?
^agree with the post above. What is your potential major? If it’s Bio/BME with a pre-med emphasis then WashU/Vandy and perhaps Tulane are the best choices.
Yeah, sorry. I was in a hurry so my details were sparse. I’m kind of undecided but geared towards a political science degree with some form of media studies. I’m also, however, thinking about doing some sort of physics/nbb study, but that’s kind of a pipe dream.
As for important factors, a great city and good student quality of life are the most important to me. I’m not a particularly avid partier, but I need some sort of soul to a campus with a student body that’s friendly and open. As for why I’m transferring it’s mostly the previously described reasoning. I just haven’t felt a super strong vein of a community at my current institute. An important part of the college experience, in my opinion, is being able to build yourself as a person in an environment that is optimal to do so.
As far as costs go, they should all be about the same. I qualify for similar need-based financial aid packages from each, plus or minus about 2k. Tulane offered me a merit-based scholarship of 16,000 per year, so that’s a pretty big plus and would allow me to graduate virtually debt free. But the other universities would allow me to graduate with manageable debt anyway. I chose those four primarily for their relatively low cost of attendance.
I don’t know if any of that cleared anything up. If you still have more questions I will answer asap. I’m currently just trying to get an aggregate of opinions and figure out mostly what people’s opinions are towards the schools if they have experience with them because I have none as I couldn’t visit any. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out.
I think it comes down to Chicago and Tulane.
Chicago has one of the best political science departments in the world, and
Tulane gave you a significant merit scholarship so that you can graduate with no debt.
Vandy/Wash are great, but not worth going into debt vs. Tulane.
It would help to know your current school so that comparisons can be made.
My current school is Emory University in Atlanta
Okay. I know Emory fairly well & I think that I understand your concern.
Socially, you will find what you are seeking at Vanderbilt more so than at your other options. Chicago is quirky & WashUStL is somewhat similar to Emory in that there is little available with respect to enthusiasm for school sports teams.
Have you been accepted to all ? Also, did you apply elsewhere ?
P.S. Forgot about Tulane. Great financial option, but still not Vanderbilt with elite academics & SEC pride.
Also, Northwestern University might have been a good option for you. I just read your earlier thread in which you expressed interest in journalism. Northwestern University is what you are seeking both academically & socially.
Unfortunately, so far I have only been accepted into Tulane because I applied for their early transfer option. The other schools said they’ll let me know by April, I just want to get an idea into my head as to what I plan on doing as early as possible. Thank you for your advice, I’ll keep all that in mind. I’ll also check into Northwestern, they haven’t really been on my radar so thank you for pointing them out to me.
I strongly second this. The transfer deadline is March 15, so get cracking.
Boston College and Tufts (deadline 3/15) might be worth an app too, especially if Chicago/Wash U/Vandy don’t pan out.
Awesome! I’ll get to work. I’ll also check out those other schools!
I’ll try to share some Mom thoughts. I transferred, too, so can relate to what you’re experiencing.
My neice went to UChic. It’s very quirky and “where fun goes to die” which is a cheeky sarcastic phrase the students use. Neice loved the school, but she’s definitely something out of the Big Bang Theory (as are her friends, who we have had at our house for Thankgiving the past few years). Hard to beat their Poli Sci Dept. Guru Nate Silver came out of there.
My D is in love with Tulane and just committed. It is a very social and sociable school, but has some excellent programs.The other kids from our HS who attend are super smart and not partiers, but note Tulane just got #1 party school from Princeton Review. I question that rating… did not pick up on this during our visit/tour. (We’re in PAC12 country, and there are some schools that are crazy party schools…) D is not a big party girl, but will be in honors dorm. We loved Tulane. It has a community service/social justice attitude that is contagious. I loved the balanced life and the cultural experience the school and its location offers. It has a good poli sci dept, fyi. James Carville teaches a seminar there every year. And the Breitbart founder is an alum. Two completely different political minds!
For WashU, everyone I’ve known from there is a cool person (work colleagues, friends). Great school. I love midwest schools. There is a different vibe and heartfelt goodness in the heartland. My S went to school in MN, and opted to stay there after graduation. He loves it. Some best & brightest from our town have gone to WashU, mostly health sciences people. I hear it’s pretty intense academically. I know St. Louis people are proud of their city, but it’s not the same as Chicago, Nashville (on every “hot” list for the past few years) or New Orleans (culturally iconic). (Yes, I’ve been to St. Louis, Chicago and NOLA).
Vanderbuilt is probably the most spirited sports and big-school experience. Tail gating, fraternities, etc. BUT, it’s a powerhouse academically. Wouldn’t Nashville be fun? I know some posters have talked about prestige, but look at your personality and decide what kind of environment you want. All of these schools are good, regardless of rankings.
For Poli Sci, all the schools you’ve listed are strong. Have you considered Georgetown, Duke or Davidson? G’Town had a 3/1 due date but keep the application open till “mid March.” Duke is March 19. Davidson is March 15, but you’ll need to scramble to get a peer to write a recommendation, too. The other schools I thought of have earlier deadlines (UNC, Wisconsin already passed). BC and Northwestern are good suggestions from other posts. But, mainly think about what you want from a college, the experience you want, the kind of student body you want to be a part of.
Each school is different and has its own subculture, so research a bit more online (or visit) to gain some insider information. To answer your question in rather simplistic/stereotypical terms: If you want a “big school/rah rah” experience, then Vandy might be a best match. If you want a more intense academic but heartland experience, then look at WashU. If you want a more intellectual academic experience with cold weather, look at Chicago. If you want to blend an academic experience with community service, look at Tulane.
Good luck!
^Just wanted to chime in and say that @proudmama2016 gave some of the most thoughtful advice based on some actual experiences.
Here’s why you might choose each of these schools. Really it comes down to your preferences:
UChicago:
Vanderbilt:
Wash U:
Tulane:
These are all good schools. That said, and this will vary by major, but… in terms of overall academic strength, I would rank them thus:
UChicago > Vandy = Wash U > Tulane
And read that like this: UChicago is a little bit stronger than Wash U and Vandy, which are a little bit stronger than Tulane. But I would choose on academic, social and environmental fit first. And if there are large differences in cost and you have a tight budget, take that into account as well.
You are in an enviable position and if you make an educated choice, you’ll pick the right school.
@TeddyBear12345667, If you qualify for financial aid at Tulane and Emory, you might want to consider a potential socioeconomic disparity at schools such as Vanderbilt and WUSTL which are known to attract many wealthy families. That is not to say that you could not fit in, but it may be a consideration. Tulane seems to also attract some wealth, but may be more balanced in terms of the student body.
If it comes down to Tulane vs. U Chicago, climate might be a big factor if used to the warmer weather at Emory. U Chicago would possibly be more rigorous academically than Tulane.
A big consideration might be conservation of funds, since a degree in political science will likely lead to graduate school at some point. The least debt the better in my view. Based on many factors you have reported and with the caveat that there are some issues that we may not know, if it were me, I would lean towards Tulane, especially given that option leaves you with no debt and may provide more fun/social life/soul than what you reported that you currently experience at Emory. That being said, it is up to the student to build their social life, so it may not be the school alone that leads to a feeling of not being the best fit. What does your family think? Good luck!
Thank you all for your input, it will all help me make the decision that is right for me so I appreciate it. I’ll check out all the other recommended schools and take them into consideration through this process as well. I’ll keep doing my own external research because this is obviously a big decision, and so if anyone has additional thoughts I’ll gladly take those as well.
As it stands, I’m leaning towards Tulane because, as was stated above, I’ve heard really good things about its wholesome community. The lack of debt will be nice as well.
WashU is closer to home (Kansas City), but I still harbor worries about another pre-med heavy school, but I’ve also heard the social life (by which I mean not parties, but just a general feeling of inclusiveness and community) is still good.
Vandy is Vandy. An absolutely beautiful campus and consistently ranked well on QoL. We’ll see how that pans out.
UChicago is a phenomenal school with a great city near-by. I’m kind of a, let’s say quirky, kid myself so I feel I could fit in as long as there is a willingness to have a sort of campus community.
I’m excited to explore these new schools brought to my attention, so I’ll get back to crackin’ on that!
I second the idea of Northwestern though my sense is it may be a bit more of a pressure cooker than Emory but not as big of a grind as U of Chicago which has notoriously ( and possibly unfairly) been pegged as “the school where fun goes to die”
@chemmchimney Could you elaborate on Northwestern being more of a pressure cooker than Emory?
My daughter now at Emory (full disclosure) was deferred ED from Northwestern and she did not get the same vibe I did re pressure but this was my impression based on reading the school paper and seeing what the kids concerns were plus some student reviews I read. One thing that impressed me was NW’s connection to Chicago - there was lots of creative collaboration between students and various causes. I forget the science behind it but some students had created 3D prosthetics for the zoo’s penguins. Chicago is amazing. Lived there for 5 years and loved it.