Hi all,
I guess I should be happy that I’m in this position! I’ve been accepted to quite a few great schools, 5 of which I’m considering very seriously. (Brandeis, Connecticut College, Wellesley, Smith, and Mount Holyoke, if you’re curious). Anyway, I’m having a really hard time deciding. I’ve visited all of the schools, but I’m hoping to do overnights at at least 2 or 3 of them. It’s difficult because I can’t get out of school for more than a day or two this month, and I only have a month to make my decision.
I’ve made up a spreadsheet to rank the schools in various categories, but I’m wondering why you chose the school you currently attend. What factors were most important when you made your decision?
Thanks for your help!
I haven’t made a decision, but I’ll give you a list of where I have been accepted and go through the reasons of why I will not go to several of them.
SUNY Albany- Not going because I want to go OOS.
SUNY Stony Brook- Not going because I want to go OOS.
SUNY Buffalo- Not going because I want to go OOS.
UMinnesota:TC- Not going because they are way too cold, no merit aid.
UAlabama- Students are too politically inclined. I don’t want politics to be a big part of my experience.
UMiami- Not going because they gave me an $11,000 grant and would still be too expensive.
Northeastern- Not going because they want me to be full pay
UFlorida
Syracuse- Not going because I want to go OOS AND they only gave me $4,000, leaving $58,000 per year for me.
Northwestern
So, that has been my though process. so far. I am down to two schools and I have not chosen between them yet, but when I do, I will tell you.
I applied to 15…way too many. Honestly, I picked the school I did because it was A. Close to home, and B. Really well-ranked. Looking back, I would have paid more attention to the less reputable (but still good) schools that I received scholarships to, because I took out loans for my undergrad and don’t like having the debt on me as I start my first job.
Honestly, just visit the campuses that you can on a non admitted students day, to really get the feel for the campus. Trust your gut…if a school has a better reputation, but isn’t strong in the areas you could see yourself pursuing, pay attention still to the strength of their programs or “schools.” i.e. business, comm…
A big factor is size too…if you’ve been going to huge schools all your life, it won’t be as big a shift to be one of 16k students, but if you’re not used to having to fend for yourself, sign yourself up for classes, never meeting with your professors face-to-face, you may be more comfortable in a smaller school.
Sometimes it comes down to having amazing choices. That is where you are. Any of your schools would be great experiences. Lucky you.