Sorry to fill your feed with another “help me decide” post, but I am utterly unsure of what school to go to and would appreciate any input. I know many people get upset by these post bc they are seen as humble bragging, but I don’t know how to choose. I have been dead set on attending USC for a while but they won’t offer me any aid so it doesn’t make much sense financially.
I am very lucky to have 3 great options, being Rice (45k), U Penn (55k), and Duke (55k). I have planned on majoring in chemical engineering but was accepted as biomedical at Duke because they don’t have a chemical engineering program. I have also strongly considered business, which Duke also doesn’t have.
After visiting all of the schools, I felt a much stronger connection at Duke. However, I have some major concerns. The main one being the lack of my major and my discovery this year that I don’t love biology, eliminating my excitement for biomedical engineering. I am also slightly worried by the strong Greek life/SLG’s and have heard that they dominate social life.
I also liked Rice and enjoy its Residential living style and the great community. I am less excited by Penn but think it may just be to a bad visit and circumstances. It’s hard to ignore its opportunities and “Ivy connections.” It is definitely nice that Rice is cheaper but money is not a deciding factor.
I know that not a ton of information to work with but I would be grateful for any opinions on my situation or experiences/information on schools. Thanks!
It sounds like Rice might be the ideal choice because it most aligns with what you need: major (check), you like the school (check), it’s 10K cheaper per year (check).
You like Duke, but it may not have your major (majors can change, of course), and you’re concerned about its more traditional college culture. Penn struck you as blah, but the brand name and connections are appealing.
Ultimately, yeah, you’ll have to go with your gut. Is there a school where you most see yourself? Is there a school that, if it were suddenly eliminated, you would feel most bummed? Although it seems like a difficult choice, I am telling you that it really isn’t; it just seems so at the time. You will be fine no matter which school you attend. Believe me.
sorry this is kind of random but what was your efc/ family income rangw
@DecisionTime28, Great choices to have! S got into USC and loves it but not enough to blow most of his college fund in four years. He attended a U Penn orientation and found the speakers to be arrogant and they bragged about how intense it is, was a big turn off and he did not apply. I wouldn’t rule out Penn from one orientation or one visit you made, but it did not seem a good fit for our S and maybe not for you either? You will have to decide about that.
Drove to Duke last year and took a tour and found that students in general did not seem happy and we did not like that freshman dorms are separated from other upperclassmen. And yes, strong Greek life at Duke can be a turn off for some. Across town, UNC had an opposite impression, happy students and way less intense.
Rice is also going to be rigorous but it has your major and is $10k a year less expensive. $40k saved and invested will be nice to have at the end of four years whether for grad school or something else, even if it cost is not the deciding factor per se. Have you visited Rice? Houston has some very hot/humid weather in the summers and will be unpleasant at the beginning of the school year through October. Houston also will likely have internship opportunities in your field and sounds like it resonated with you. I personally would lean towards Rice unless you feel you want to go with Penn for the Ivy connections along with the potential downside of an Ivy school or what you did not care for on your visit. At Rice, by the way, you can major in biochem engineering and minor in business, perhaps the best of both worlds. Go Owls!
Sounds like Rice is your best choice in terms of fit, academics, and value.
Congratulations!
All three are terrific schools. Of course I am a bit biased because my daughter goes to Rice, but we also visited all 3 schools. My daughter felt the same as you did. My husband has a degree from Duke, and my in laws live in Durham. They are very much into Duke basketball. Rice has Division 1 sports but the students pretty much ignore them and do not attend the games in large numbers. My daughter went to a few soccer games this year because one of her friends was on the team. If you want to be a Cameron Crazy, Duke is for you.
My husband’s brother lives in Philly. Philly is a very different town from Houston. Philly is northern and intense while Houston is more southern and laid back. There is not as much to do off campus in Durham as there is in Philly and Houston. Philly and Houston have professional sports teams, great museums, etc. Penn is in a fairly gritty part of Philly while Rice is in the center of the Houston museum district and near the medical center. The Greek presence is strong at Penn and Duke. The social life at Rice revolves around the residential colleges.
At Rice, you do not have to declare your major until the end of your sophomore year. Many students at Rice change majors, double major, and minor in fields very different from their major. Rice has a great Chem E program. If you are really into business Penn’s Wharton school is tops.
How did you feel after your visit to Rice? While it is true it is hot and humid in Houston at the beginning of the school year, all of the buildings are air conditioned. There are Rice buses that go around the campus loop all the time so you can cool off and ride to a class or a parking lot across the campus. It is a gorgeous campus, and Rice has terrific weather from October on (except for a few cold days in January). While Penn and Duke are cold and snowy, you will be wearing shorts and flip flops at Rice.
The residential college system is a hallmark of Rice. The freshmen are integrated into all of the dorms/residential colleges, and there is a great O Week orientation program. Each dorm/residential college has a mix of majors, ethnic groups, athletes, theater kids, etc.
Why not save the $ and go to Rice?
I am a graduate of Penn and my daughter attends Rice. Just want to point out that at Penn if you want to major in business at Wharton you have to apply to Wharton as if it were a separate university, and acceptance is far from automatic. It is much harder to duel major at Penn then at Rice. Wharton school, the college of arts and sciences and the engineering school are like three separate universities and each one takes a separate application. You can take some classes across schools but not necessarily major across schools. And there are a lot of business classes you can’t get into if you are not in Wharton. I suppose at Penn you were accepted at the engineering school? Back in the day that used to be basically a five year program.I don’t know how much of this has changed.
My daughter loves Rice and the weather there during the school year is great. Tee shirts and outside dinning in February (though they did cancel classes this year because they had snow flurries). I love Philly but the weather there can be just as hot and humid, and cold and damp in the winter. Philly has a lot of that 36• and raining weather…
I don’t think fraternities are as big a part of Penn as they are at Duke.If it came between Penn and Duke I’d choose Penn.
But I love what my daughter has found at Rice. Rice will give you much more personal attention. I don’t think I once spoke to a professor at Penn outside of class. All great schools. Any choice will be the right one Congratulations and you can brag all you want
As someone who has spent a lot of time as a student at both Penn and Duke, I’d recommend Duke for undergrad because of its superior intangibles (admittedly quite subjective).
Rice doesn’t have an undergrad business major (it has a business minor) but it does have Chem E. And from what you’ve said, you had some concerns about the Greek presence and the absence of your major areas of interest. . So move Duke down and put Penn and Rice head to head. Did you get into Wharton? If you aren’t really a new poster, it would be helpful to see your post history so we could see what was important to you during this process.