Help!! USC, UMiami, GTown, Amherst, Haverford!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>I was accepted at USC, UMiami (Florida), and Haverford....waitlisted at Amherst and Georgetown. I am going to be getting a full-tuition scholarship at UMiami, and decent grant money at USC and Haverford, but obviously not as much as at Miami. </p>

<p>I was really hoping to get into a few of the Ivies I applied to, but at the same time, they don't offer many of the areas I am interested in. I like the breadth that USC and Miami offer, in terms of top academics, spirited sports schools, sports management and film programs. I'm a bit worried about the reputation of USC and Miami though. Will they be challenging enough academically? Is there reputation 'good' enough? Obviously the Ivy League's are the top of the top, but is a diploma from USC or Miami too far below, or are they getting closer as the years go by?</p>

<p>I am going to be taking a gap year, so I always have the option of reapplying next year. I have the full-ride at Miami this year, but I could reapply to try and get a better scholarship at USC, and also to try and get in to Yale or Columbia. Any suggestions regarding reapplying, in terms of increased/decreased chances, etc?</p>

<p>I have no clue where I will go, and I cannot even decide between the schools I got into this year. I originally was set on Ivies, because of rigor, reputation, facilities, etc, but am now reconsidering, as they don't offer the more fun and creative classes/atmosphere that USC/Miami provide.</p>

<p>Any help/advice regarding these schools would be greatly appreciated!</p>

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<p>Go to Miami. Don't bother with the gap year. Forget the reputation thing.</p>

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<p>What? First off, if USC is giving you good money and U Miami is, they have the programs, atmospheres, and spirit you're looking for, why are you concerned about prestige over your own enjoyment?</p>

<p>We all breathe the same air and get buried in the same dirt, in the end, your reputation is going to be based on what YOU did, whether you were in Harvard, princeton, community college, or no school. People who succeed don't do so because of reputation or prestige, they succeed because they have what it takes.</p>

<p>If you know you have what it takes, then go where you will most be happy and your path will make itself clear from there.</p>