Help me pick a college!!

College Search & Selection
1

Hi friends! I was unfortunately rejected at all my reaches, so it’s time for me to make a choice. My parents would like me to have this decision made by Thursday afternoon. Yes, this Thursday. Not ideal, I know.
I am considering the following colleges. They are very different, I am well aware. Bear with me here.
Basic stats:
GPA: 3.9 UW
SAT: 2230
From Massachusetts.
Money is not a concern in this ordeal. I have an inheritance that will cover my college costs.
Intended major- double major in computer and cognitive sciences. I had wanted to learn German as well, but I really don’t think any of my schools would give me the flexibility I want.

I am focused academically and a hard worker. I won “least likely to procrastinate” as my senior superlative. I am mature and I look towards the future. That being said, I am wary of getting in over my head academically. I am on the bohemian side. Not a huge partier but I’m not opposed to them. I LOVE travelling and going abroad. I’m a bit introverted and I’m a little worried about making friends in college. I’m also concerned about my ability to handle large classes in college, something that definitely concerns me about McGill. I’m not thrilled about a core program, but I’ll do it if need be.

McGill University:
The “best” or “most prestigious” college I was accepted to.
PROS:
-In another country- I love traveling.
-Stellar programs
-Beautiful Campus
-Prestige (sorry, I had to)
CONS:
-HUGE
-I’m a little worried about the bureaucracy.
-I would only be a number to the school.
-Grade deflation

COA: Approximately 25K/yr

Occidental College:
PROS:
-Small, close-knit
-Excellent weather
-Seemed to really want me
-The only college that gave me merit aid.
CONS:
-In a very isolated area
-My stats are above their averages. I’m a little wary of being a big fish in a small pond.
-I’m not sure if their degree holds weight outside of the Los Angeles area/CA
-weak career services
-Doesn’t have the course variety I was looking for, and I’m not sure I want to rely on dual enrollment at Caltech for my tech requirements, seeing as I’m hardly Caltech material.

COA: $45,500/Yr

UC San Diego:
PROS:
-amazing department for what I’m interested in
-beautiful location
-good connections
CONS:
-It’s big
-UCs suffered tremendous budget cuts this year
-Placed in a residential college (ERC) with prereqs so tremendous that I’m not sure I could graduate in 4 yrs.

COA: $55,000/yr

Northeastern University:
PROS:
-Co-op…duh
-Stellar career services
-Right in the middle of the city

CONS:
-By far and away the most expensive- I got zero merit aid, and no honors college, which was very disappointing.
-Most people career-focused
-I felt like I wasn’t welcome when I went to visit- people were not friendly/kind to me
-Worried about a “caste system” between people accepted to the honors program and those not in the honors program
-People going for co-op all the time made it seem like it would be hard to maintain friendships.

COA: $57,000/yr

Additionally, I have a conditional offer in place at the University of Edinburgh. If I get a 4+ on my AP Calculus exam, I’m in. Can anyone shed some light on how they think I would fit here?

My mother votes for going to Northeastern for two years and then trying to transfer to Tufts. My father likes Occidental. I…feel very lost. I’m still not quite over my rejections, but I fully acknowledge that I need to grow up and make a decision. I really appreciate any insight you can give me.
Sorry, this is super long

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Funny, I would put Northeastern at the bottom of the list unless you really want to be in Boston. It just shows how much their profile and reputation have improved in recent years. If you aren’t satisfied with your college at UCSD, then you should probably pass it up, but they have terrific departments in your fields of interest. McGill is a fabulous place. I certainly wouldn’t pass it up on the basis of size against UCSD or Northeastern - they’re both big, too. Don’t sell Oxy short. They might be perfect for you. I had to laugh at your concern about prospects for success: it didn’t hurt Barack Obama. You can transfer from any of those colleges, but don’t choose your school for that. It’s like selecting a wife on the basis of how you think she’ll help you find a second wife. My hunch is that your choice should come down to UCSD vs. McGill.

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If money is no object, UCSD with out of state tuition could be a great option for your major. Have you visited? It is in a beautiful location where you can be outside every day of the year (good for your fitness and health goals). Do you like the idea of Canadian winters? You have some good choices!

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@woogzmama‌ Thank you! UCSD indeed has very good departments. My main concern is the number of things I would probably have to give up- double major, study abroad, etc- in order to complete my requirements. I do really like Oxy, but I’m worried that choosing it over a more tech-heavy school is a mistake.
@windbehindwings‌ I have not visited UCSD. The thing that worries me about UCSD is that I had wanted to double major/study abroad and that would be impossible in four years. I’ve heard of people switching colleges but I know it would be difficult. The weather is very tempting. I don’t mind the winter :slight_smile: No, I do not want to transfer. Once I’m at my college I’m there to stay.

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@collegeparentnew‌ Sure! My favorite school was Tufts. That rejection was lethal. I really should have applied ED II. I was also rejected from Rice, Brown, Johns Hopkins, and Berkeley.

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Bump :slight_smile:

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I would gravitate to UCSD or NEU. NEU would be more attractive if you got the honors college though. UCSD has different colleges to make it feel more connected and intimate. It is in a great location and has many opportunities wrt research.

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@1203southview‌ Okay. My guidance counselor told me that I could try to appeal the honors college decision, since it doesn’t really make sense that I’m not in it.

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I also do not speak French- so would it be impossible for me to find internships in Montreal? I understand that it’s impossible to find off-campus jobs in Montreal if you can’t speak French; can the same be said for internships.

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Bump whoo!!

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@Qwerty568‌ Being in ERC at UCSD doesn’t mean you have to give up studying abroad or really any of the other opportunities you mentioned. ERC offers a lot of opportunities for fulfilling GE requirements by studying abroad, as its theme is International Education. If UCSD is that much cheaper, and it’s strong in your desired department, then you shouldn’t discount it by any means.

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@groverrohan‌ While I understand that ERC is focused on international education, that doesn’t change the fact that the four year plans I looked at for Cognitive science and computer science show that it would take me about 5.5 years to graduate, and that’s assuming I’ll get whatever classes I want when I want, which I’m aware is rather hard at times. Seeing as it’s $55,000 a year for me, it’s not exactly cheap.

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Also, I’ll be the first one to admit that my decision to apply to several large state schools was a mistake.

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Returning to this post, I feel like I should clarify. UCSD is an amazing place to get a cognitive science degree. However, I feel that it would be a much better place for graduate school than for an undergraduate education. When I visited, several of the classes I sat in on were very large and taught by TAs who spoke questionable English. The campus felt very ugly and people were very reserved and quiet. To me it did not seem like a happy place to spend four years of my life, and I do not believe that the quality of their undergraduate education, specifically is as strong as I would like it to be. I also really, really dislike the idea of the quarter system. Thinking about taking the AP classes I took this year over the span of nine months in two and a half to three months makes me want to cry! If I was a California resident paying in-state tuition, it would be one thing. I’m sorry if it came across as if I was being narrow-minded or if I was neglecting to acknowledge UCSD’s strength in my field of interest.

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If anyone’s wondering, if my gap year plan doesn’t work out, I’m headed to Northeastern next year.

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Northeastern is a really popular school right now. I recommend you don’t even think about transferring until you experience for yourself what it is like. (That is, if you don’t take a gap year.) Congratulations!

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@merc81‌ It is indeed very popular but I’m not a fan of huge schools and to me, coming from a small town, 20K students is huge. I had personally wanted a more intimate experience, but the “intimate” schools that offer the major I’m looking for are very, very competitive (think like Rice, Brown, Tufts, Yale), so it was hard for me to find a balance I could be accepted to. I should have done ED to Tufts. At least I’m used to Boston because I live nearby. I’ve been thinking about a gap year from a long time because I’m abnormally young for my grade (I wont be 18 for long after I graduate from HS) and I think taking a break from the normal hierarchy of education would be a positive experience. That being said, I’m going to the open house this weekend and I’m trying to keep an open mind. Thank you so much!

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Want some advice? Don’t decide by Thursday.

View this as a special time in your life. Take the time during spring break to visit some of your choices. Use this as an opportunity to learn about YOURSELF. It’s one of the most important parts of your education. It’s your first opportunity to make your own decision.

Go visit UCSD and Occidental. Go up this weekend and visit McGill.

You have some interesting and wonderful choices. You should be able to figure out which one you prefer because they are very different.

Edinburgh is a very interesting option if you are absolutely confident that this is the area you want to study. Studying in the UK is much more focused, and you would be well prepared for grad school, but you won’t have the liberal arts.

McGill is more focused too.

Don’t focus on transferring, few people actually do it. You will go to college and build a life. Few people want to uproot that.

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@ClassicRockerDad‌ Perhaps you did not see the time stamp on my first post- I had to decide by last Thursday! I really would not have time to visit all of those schools as my mother is currently moving to Colorado and I need to spend my break helping her move. I picked Northeastern and I am now currently deciding between attending this fall and deferring my acceptance for a year and taking a gap year.

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I’m following some good advice …

@Qwerty568‌:

I relate to your situation! You appear both to have genuine academic interests and to have brought your sincerest efforts to the application process. You understandably must be discouraged that your likely college, though very popular to other students, is not really what you were looking for. To top it off, they weren’t very welcoming. I hope that is different at the open house.

A few points:

You were not confident that Tufts was your first choice school. By that meaningful standard, not applying ED was the right thing to do.

Taking a gap year in my opinion should be considered if you might have done so regardless of where you were accepted. If you go in this direction – along with whatever else you have planned – you can use it as an opportunity to do some great reading. I’d recommend you start with a reading list.

You defined an “intimate” college in a way I wouldn’t have. To me that means undergraduate-focused colleges with about 2000 students or less. If you do take a gap year, maybe you can consider colleges like this as well.

I can think of five colleges that are on your level and have open curricula that might make a triple major possible: Smith, Hamilton, Grinnell, Brown (didn’t work out for you) and Amherst. I checked one of these colleges (not Brown) for reference and found that they offer majors in computer science, neuroscience and German studies. My brief advice on this is that if you did follow through with a triple major, then you would actually leave college with an incomplete education.

I think you have some fantastic options. Enjoy the open house and see if Northeastern is one of them.