How Do You Decide B/W 2 Good Schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>This is a "big picture" thread. DD has narrowed down her choices to 2 AWESOME schools, awesome translated to excellent fit for her specific needs and interests. How are those of you who are blessed with two good choices making the final decision? We have visited both, love both for slightly different reasons, and are trying to make a final choice. I know other people have talked about making pro/con lists and assigning weights to different factors. That in a nutshell is how we plan to do it after our second visit this weekend, but what factors do you weight? So far, I am thinking
-strength of desired program if you are somewhat decided on a major
-desireability of location
-perceived quality of teaching (using rate your professor)
-cost
-strength of alumni network where you predict you will land after graduation (in our case, one is in Chicago, one in Boston, so we are investigating the strength of the alumni in CA in case she returns)
-weather
-perceived involvement of student body
-perceived values of college in comparison to your own
-number of students living on campus </p>

<p>What else?? I hope others contribute, or can refer those of us lucky enough to be in this position to some great resources!</p>

2

<p>I decided on Penn over Dartmouth and brown because of penn’s flexible programs and the fact that there was amazing Indian food near the campus. And it’s a direct flight from where I live. And it’s strong for biz, premed, and engineering. I recommend you to visit. Very very important. I didn’t se myself at a city college. But it just feels right. Penn is the perfect school for me. Good luck</p>

3

<p>Man what profiles did you have to get in these colleges.</p>

<p>And don’t say murder</p>

4

<p>Visits should help a great deal, since they can give a picture of many of the things you’re thinking about and put them in context. (Visiting classes is a must.)</p>

<p>If that doesn’t do the trick, flip a coin :). No, but seriously–flip a coin, and let your DD sit with that decision for a few days. Once you pin a choice down, the pros and cons that she actually cares about will come into starker relief.</p>

5

<p>If you have visited each already and going back for 2nd visit; look at it from the perspective of actually attending…</p>

<p>FWIW, I think your Boston school will have more to offer after graduation in CA…name is more well known and possibly more alumni connections</p>

6

<p>I have no advice to give, but just wanted to ask that if you /do/ happen to figure it out, would you be sure to clue in the rest of us? ;)</p>

7

<p>Flipping a coin if they’re both the same.</p>

8

<p>Flipping a coin can be useful to decide. Not by going what it lands on but by what flashes through your head when it is in the air</p>

9

<p>Whenever you’re called on to make up your mind,
and you’re hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma, you’ll find,
is simply by spinning a penny.</p>

<p>No – not so that chance shall decide the affair
while you’re passively standing there moping;
but the moment the penny is up in the air,
you suddenly know what you’re hoping.</p>

10

<p>Love that, mtpaper! Thanks for the ideas - we are heading back this weekend for our second visit to the more expensive choice - I truly feel that CC is a huge reason why she is blessed with two such great choices remaining (she got into another, and is waitlisted on a fourth, but has narrowed it down to BU and DePaul. </p>

<p>When we started this process, I only knew the “big names,” which did not translate to best fit. I knew a bit about CA schools, but nearly zero about anywhere else. What did God give us? A kid who would barely consider CA schools. Welcome to zero to 100 learning. With this board, we diligently worked for two years of Sundays to find safe, reach, and good bet schools, and worked hard to present credentials effectively and honestly. I found the advice accurate at 95% rate, and just by reading other’s posts I think we avoided hundreds of pitfalls. </p>

<p>By the way, the sponsors of this board almost never promote themselves, but actually do college search counselling by email. We ended up requesting a mere 2 hours of advice from them by email, and Ann did a great job. </p>

<p>I have told hundreds of people what a great resource this board is, and it is because of people like Rodney that it remains such a go to place. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, and good luch in your future endeavors! (That sounds like a goodbye message, but it really isn’t - you can’t get rid of us yet!)</p>

11

<p>And by the way, Rodney, your opinion is worth A LOT. I did research it, and BU has exactly double the number of alums in CA than DePaul. Significant? Who can say. I would agree that there is much less name recognition here in OC for DePaul - perhaps because Boston has more schools, so even if you don’t go to BU, you might go to one of the other 65.</p>