<p>HELP! I have been accepted to various schools and have ONE WEEK to decide where to go! I have narrowed it down to Providence College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I plan to major in physics with a concentration in premed and possibly engineering. WPI has the technological factor on its side, but PC has the liberal arts factor. I live in Middletown, RI, which is about 45 min from PC and an hour and a half from WPI. With finaid, WPI is about $23,000 and PC is about $26,000 yearly. I seriously have no idea how to choose. Any insights or anything will be GREATLY appreciated in my time of desperation! Thanks!</p>
<p>Anything else that would differentiate these two schools? Campus visit, class sizes, student body size, male/female ratio, extracurricular activities, dorms, etc?</p>
<p>You sound quite undecided about your major. If you aren't committed to engineering, what are your options at both schools? About half of the students who start in engineering end up majoring in something else, so it's definitely something to consider. When I was an engineering undergrad, I was astounded at the dedication of some of my peers. They would take a workable model and tear it apart to get a better one, something that I didn't have the drive to do. Needless to say, these type of students wound up on top of the class rankings and I took my modest GPA over to the liberal arts college. </p>
<p>My other question for you is, how much of your financial aid package is in loans? Does one school have an advantage in that area? If you are considering medical school, you'll need to have a long-term financial plan.</p>
<p>My Daughter had the same problem. Find out if they have overnight stay (if you have not already stayed over) they typically match you up with another student in your major and you go to there classes. The decision was very easy for her. Good luck. John G.</p>