Help! What have I gotten myself into..?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Thinking that I simply wouldn't be accepted to many schools (not sure why, but oh well), I applied to thirteen schools. Somehow, I was accepted into eleven of them and waitlisted at one.</p>

<p>The problem is I am an incredibly indecisive person, and I have no idea which school I should go to. I assumed I would just go to my top choice or cheapest but I realized it's not that simple. I've visited some of them, but that hasn't really helped because I feel that I could adapt to fit any school.</p>

<p>I know that ultimately this is my decision, but some advice would be really helpful! I want to study international studies (preferably middle eastern studies).</p>

<p>Options:
UC SantaCruz
UC Davis
Mills
Willamette
Lewis and Clark
Mount Holyoke
Cal Poly SLO
University of the Pacific
Scripps (not financially feasible)
Brandeis (not financially feasible)
Waitlisted at Kenyon</p>

<p>Some of the schools have my major, others have something similar. Some have an equestrian team (I'm a horseback rider), others don't. Some are cheaper and others are more expensive. And then some are all girls schools, and I'm not sure if that's what I want.</p>

<p>Any input on how to at least narrow down the field would be GREATLY appreciated.</p>

2

<p>If you like all of these schools, why don’t you start narrowing the list by choosing the schools that have both your major and an equestrian team. What schools do you end up with? How much do these cost?</p>

3

<p>our family has researched some of your options and can offer some input. First I will offer this suggestion…find the best fit…almost like you are making a scientific selection…example: if you tend to get a little lonely or blue over the winters, decide on sunnier and friendlier destinations. </p>

<p>If travel m oney will be tight OR if holiday visits with familiy will be cherished, a location for quality transportation, etc…so when making your decision, I recommend selecting based upon YOU vs selecting based up the U (university)</p>

<p>Cal Poly SLO has admitted our son. It i a somewhat affordable option for out of staters and Very affordable for CA residents - much more so than UCSC - SLO is a 6000 acre campus that will have a lot of horse riding locales - the school focuses on egnineering and agriculture - that said, you will fit…</p>

<p>SLO is also known as the country’s happiest community - a happy student will be more apt to make better choices</p>

<p>as far as UC Santa Cruz - this is a much more mellow vibe community although there is a lot of protesting of something there - people tend to have and share meaning…perhaps a great campus to be on for someone who needs to find them-self…</p>

<p>UC Davis - Inland and Hot - good school but we felt it did not provide anything better than our son’s other options…</p>

<p>you have many more to sort through but honestly, if you can simply set the l;ist down and focus inward, your solution is more apt to be obvious…look for the ‘fit’</p>

<p>good luck!</p>

4

<p>Truthfully that would only leave Mount Holyoke and UC Davis (sigh… and Brandeis), but the other schools have variations of my major. And although an equestrian team would be preferred, it isn’t necessary.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input oodadoo! My brother actually went to Cal Poly and so I have certainly seen how beautiful it is. And when I visited UCSC I did get that sort of vibe. Concerning Davis, I only live about an hour away so I’d rather be a little further from home…</p>

5

<p>Mount Holyoke and Mills are the women’s colleges (not all-girls schools) on your list that are financially feasible. Mount Holyoke, in particular, is a very well-known and top-ranked liberal arts college. I am completely biased because I went to a women’s college, but I absolutely loved my experience and I would choose to attend a women’s college again, if I had to. This is your choice, though, so you can’t go by what I’d pick (and if I were faced with your list, I would pick MHC).</p>

<p>Since you have such a great list, I would certainly narrow it down to schools that had your major or only something very, very close to it. If you want to focus on Middle Eastern studies, and you have a range of affordable options, why not select a school that has that focus?</p>

6

<p>I was in the same boat as you… lots of choices, and terribly indecisive. They all have pros and cons! Here’s what I finally did that really helped a lot:</p>

<p>1) For each school, make a list of pros and cons. Include anything you think is a pro or a con, even if it seems trivial.</p>

<p>2) Next, go back and rate each pro and con 1-5, depending on how important it is to you. If “great weather” is on your pro list and that’s super important to you, give it a 5; if it’s a plus but not that big of a deal, give it a 2 or 3. Same with the cons: if “large class sizes” is a huge turnoff, it gets a 5; if it’s just a minor issue, score it lower.</p>

<p>Then you add up the pros and the cons, and see how much one side outweighs the other. It might look something like this:</p>

<p>Pros
Beautiful campus - 3
Lots of rah rah school spirit - 4
Small class sizes, accessible professors - 5
Good program for my major - 5
Has sport/club I want - 4
More prestigious than other choices - 2
Great food - 1
Total Pros: 24</p>

<p>Cons
Rotten weather - 5
Middle of nowhere, nothing to do off campus - 3
Difficult to travel to/from - 3
More expensive than other choices - 3
No Greek life - 1
Total Cons: 14</p>

<p>In this case, the pros outweigh the cons by pretty much. </p>

<p>3) Compare all the results, eliminate any where the cons outweigh the pros, where they’re about equal, or any with cons that are total deal breakers for you. Hopefully one or two will stand out as the best.</p>

<p>I actually did this the other day and narrowed it down from 9 schools to 2! Yay! Now I’ve gotta choose the one… ughh!! So hard! But it’s such a relief to have it down to two!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

7

<p>Of your choices UC Davis and Mount Holyoke (and the opportunity to take courses within the five colleges consortium - Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, UMASS) stand out. The choice (if affordable) should depend on cost (don’t forget to include travel costs back home) and what type of environment you want. It’s a tough call, but either choice works well.</p>

8

<p>All things being equal I would take the CA state schools off your list. They are all financial messes right now and will probably take more than 4 years to graduate. Personally, I’d head to MoHo. As a CA kid, it will expand your horizons.</p>