<p>I'm interested in economics, business, entrepreneurship, marketing, and psychology. I've looked mostly at business school rankings so far, but also others which cater to my other interests. Unfortunately, the list is rather long, and I'm going to have to cut down a few of the choices.</p>
<p>UPenn, Yale, Northwestern, UChicago, University of Illinois, University of Virginia, USC, WashU, NYU, Cornell, MIT, UMichigan, Notre Dame, Stanford, London School of Economics</p>
<p>So, any advice about how to narrow down college choices, or your own perspective on the schools offered, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Please understand that I’m not wanting to insult you. The schools you mention are all very difficult to get into and routinely reject applicants with PERFECT scores, grades, rank, and everything else. So…
First thing you should do is add schools that are not this super-selective.<br>
Second, go visit them if at all possible. Cornell, ND, UVA, and UICU are located in small towns, but the others are in large vibrant cities. Where could you see yourself living for 4 years?<br>
What about the weather? Winters in Ithaca are quite different from winters in California and central Virginia. Just something you need to consider honestly.
Money can be an issue. Ivies and others on your list do not give any merit aid whatsoever; it’s all need-based. If your family makes what THEY consider a decent income, you won’t get much, if any, free money unless you’re a recruited athlete (at Notre Dame they told us that.)</p>
<p>These are far from everything that one considers when looking at colleges, but it’s a good starting point for you. Depending on where you live, you could go on a road trip and see many of these places at one time. Fly into Chicago, see UChicago and NW, drive to ND, Michigan, head south to UIUC and WashU and fly out of St. Louis. </p>
<p>GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!</p>
<p>If you are at the point where you have a chance at Stanford, your current list of schools should be fine (I’d think you’d get into at least UofI). Unless you need merit aid, in which case you should add some lesser-caliber schools. And 15 schools isn’t unheard of. If you really like all of those schools when it’s all said and done, I’d try to apply to all of them.</p>
<p>You might want to consider adding a place like Babson. Are you instate for any of the schools on your list?</p>
<p>BTW, on the aid front, don’t forget that the schools with big endowments tend to be more generous with aid. As we all know, some Ivies have stated that the student’s family will not be expected to contribute more than 10% of income up to something around $180K. Don’t make blanket assumptions: check out each one individually.</p>