Hello!
May 1 is just around the corner and I’m having a hard time coming to a decision about where I want to go. I want to be a chemistry major and maybe go the medical route but I’m not too sure yet. I have been accepted to USC (Southern California), UW Seattle, Colorado College, and URochester. I was rejected from Tufts and Columbia and wait listed at Brown. When I found out my options, I was leaning towards USC as my number one, followed by URochester, Colorado College, and UW Seattle. However, I have now received financial aid packets and everything is just so much more confusing.
USC was my first choice for a really long time but I’m not sure that I will be able to afford the school. As it stands, I have $12,000 as my estimated net cost. I would have $2,500 in work study, $3500 in subsidized loans, and $2000 in unsubsidized loans. The remaining $4,000 is not covered in my package. I feel like there would be more opportunities for me at USC, giving me more room to grow and learn about myself and all that. I plan on applying to the Thematic Option program.
UW Seattle is in-state so it would cost at most $5,000 for me to go here. Cost is not the issue. I was accepted into the honors program as well. I am unsure about UW because I don’t think the quality of education will be as high and the undergraduate population is very large. UW Seattle is very close to home though and many of my friends will be going there in the fall. I did not get direct admission into their chemistry program (I’m not sure if they do direct admission with chemistry or if direct admission is only engineering, if someone could let me know, that would be great too) and am worried that I will not be admitted into my desired major when it is time.
CC gave me the best financial aid packet but unfortunately, I think my visit there made me fall out of love with the school. I’m not so sure that the block plan is the best thing for me. I’m thinking that it’s not a great fit. Everyone was crazy athletic and involved in sports and a lot of people kept to themselves. The campus seemed so…lifeless. The one class I visited in my major seemed pretty mediocre, a lot of kids were griping out the how hard a test was and it just reminded me of freshman health, especially after I took a look at the test. I know that I should base my impression of the block plan off of that one class but that was honestly all I got to see and the other prospies didn’t have anything great to say about their classes either. I really really liked how dedicated they were to Questbridge students though.
URochester is the perfect size but incredibly expensive and very far from home. Their financial aid packet, while generous, is still very out of reach for me. Basically, if I could go afford to go to URochester, I would be at USC.
Financial aid is probably one of the biggest factors in my decision. I’m trying to have some kind of idea sometime this week so I can get ready to make my decision next week.
I am a Gates Millennium Finalist but I will not know until late April (I’m assuming next Friday?) and if I get it, I will definitely choose USC. If not, then I have very little time to decide. I have also not heard back from other outside scholarships. I got an interview for the NTSAF at USC but I think my chances of getting it are highly unlikely.
I guess I’m just full of questions right now. Would USC be worth the cost? How difficult would it be to get into my major at UW Seattle? How is each school in terms of research and classes? Should I take “prestige” into consideration? What would be the wisest decision financially? The wisest if I want to get into grad school, possibly med school? Does anyone know if USC drastically reduces financial aid in subsequent years? I have heard that some private schools in Washington do that.
That’s all I have to say for now. My mind’s been all over the place. Sorry that this post is so long. Any advice on classes, dorms, or comments on campus life would be great too! Thanks! (: