Help me select my final college choice!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>All my college decisions have come, and to my great shock and amazement, I've been offered acceptances to Columbia, Cornell, UPenn, Brown, Yale, Chicago, JHU, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Barnard College, among others. I've been trying to narrow down my college choices to two or three, and then visit.</p>

<p>I would appreciate help in making such a huge decision! I want to major in Chemistry and minor in Arabic (or just take it as a language) I have plans to go on the premed track during college, but I also love Chemistry - so much so that I am greatly considering becoming a Chemist or going into Chemistry research. As such, I want to attend a college that has a strong/solid chemistry department that offers many opportunities for research and that has a good record with helping its undergrads make it into med schools. I'd like some degree of flexibility and a change of mind. I also want a college that has a strong Arabic language program that would ultimately result in fluency.</p>

<p>I'd also like to have a friendly student body that has many interests. At this point, since I've not received final financial aid decisions from all my colleges (I'm still waiting on a few), I'd like to begin identifying those colleges that have much of what I'd like in a college until I have all the finaid offers. The offers that have come in have been very similar, so there's not much of a distinction there.</p>

<p>Additionally, some of these schools have offered me certain programs.
Johns Hopkins offered me the Woodrow Wilson Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
Penn offered me entrance into the Vagelos Scholars program, where I can get my masters degree in Chemistry by the time I graduate and where I get paid opportunities to research (7k a summer, I believe)
Cornell offered me the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholar. I'm a bit unsure on the specifics, but it seems to me a program concerned with leadership and helping facilitate change in the Cornell community.</p>

<p>I'd love any input and suggestions!! I really need to find some way to start. Thank you :)</p>

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<p>Edit
The college at Cornell I've been accepted to is Human Ecology.
For Penn, its just the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as with JHU.</p>

2

<p>bump
anyone?</p>

3

<p>Make note of the net cost after aid for each school, and wait until all financial aid offers are available before making your final decision.</p>

<p>Note that getting a good career in chemistry is extremely competitive.</p>

4

<p>thank you ucbalumnus. hm, I didn’t know that about chemistry. I always figured that if I couldn’t get a solid job in chemistry after graduation, that I’d just go to med school. I’ve always leaned towards going to med school.</p>

5

<p>MD medical school admissions in the US are very competitive, so they should not be counted on as a backup or safety choice.</p>

6

<p>It’ll be a goal, then, that may change as I go through undergrad.</p>

7

<p>honestly go to yale and call it a day. whats to debate?</p>