Making the FINAL College Decision?!

College Search & Selection
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Hello All!

After all was said and done, my applying to 25 colleges & universities went decently. The results are as follows:

rejected:
-Brown
-Duke
-Georgetown
-Harvard
-Stanford
-Tulane
-University of Virginia (out-of-state)
-Yale

waitlisted:
-College of William and Mary
-Pomona College
-Rice University
-Vanderbilt University
-Washington University in St. Louis

accepted:
-American University ($13k annual merit)
-Colby College (Presidential Scholar)
-Duke Kunshan University
-Fordham University
-George Washington University ($22k annual merit)
-Macaulay Honors College at CUNY City College (Full tutition)
-McGill University
-SUNY University at Buffalo
-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Global Gap Year Fellow!)
-University of Oklahoma
-University of Toronto
-Yale NUS College

This decision is really difficult for me, and decision day is rapidly approaching (9 days away!). I am seeking to do a dual major in International Relations (and similar names) and Native American Studies. This ultimately crossed off all of my acceptances besides UNC Chapel Hill, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Toronto. As an international relations major, Iā€™m feeling a little bad about rejected two schools in Washington DC (American & George Washington), but I donā€™t wish to give up the ability to also do a major in Native American Studies. That said, Iā€™m now deciding between U Toronto, OU, and UNC Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill has ultimately kicked Toronto out of the ranking, as it costs the same price but they have offered me their Global Gap Year Fellowship, strongly tipping the scales southwards (I live in the north, as my screen-name indicates). The fellowship is one year of service abroad accompanied by a modest monetary stipend from the University. Iā€™ve sent some emails and found some really relevant, awesome internships that may be available for me next year (everything is taking a chance). After, I would attend UNC and graduate with the class of 2023 rather than that of 2024.

The issues holding me back from hitting ā€˜commitā€™ are the monetary and opportunity differences. The University of Oklahoma has offered me an extremely large merit aid package, while UNC has offered me none. UNC is somewhat affordable by my family, but Iā€™ll leave with a medium amount of debt. University of Oklahoma will be almost free to me, as the cost is truly so low my family could afford it paid over four years with little trouble. OU has offered me first dibs on class selection, admission into their honors college, and many other perks. I visited a few weeks ago, and they were all SO kind to me. I can really see myself at their College of International Studies doing very well and receiving a lot of academic help and attention, helping me to succeed.

I also visited UNC Chapel Hill recently and was really in love. I adore the campus and its culture, and I got the vibe it was a bit more challenging than Oklahoma. This can be good and bad, as it means more competition for internships and grad school applications. How can these weigh out?

Essentially, Iā€™m deciding between a really solid flagship state school thatā€™s being very generous (University of Oklahoma) and a highly esteemed flagship state school (UNC) offering me fewer personal resources but an amazing gap year opportunity and community I think Iā€™d be silly to pass up. The staff and students at both have been so kind to me, and the idea of ā€˜breaking upā€™ with either is truly painful to me. Both early application schools, theyā€™re been there since the start.

Does any have ideas of how to go about making this decision? I know UNC has a higher ā€˜ratingā€™ than OU, but I got the impression OU is on the uptick and is investing tons in its honors-level students to increase their reputation. Even so, does its reputation compare with that of UNC? Would being a ā€˜bigger fishā€™ in their smaller pond benefit me more than being a medium fish among many other extremely intelligent, and some not, students at UNC?

Thank you, and please help!!

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OP - you should post this in the college search and selection thread as you are no longer considering AU. You will get a broader perspective and input from others who have better knowledge of the schools you are comparing. FWIW the best employee at our company is an Oklahoma Grad. Another company recently tried to hire him away from us and we countered to keep him. We have grads from much higher rated colleges working for us that we would not counter to keep. So you will find peers at OU and college will be what you make of it.

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Good to know, @sahmkc And sorry, I didnā€™t mean to post in the American University thread!! Sorry about that.

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Hopefully you will get better advice now that the post has been moved. Best of luck to you!

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How did you come to want to study Native Americans? And does that fit into some future career in International Relations? What is your ultimate future career and where do you see yourself living after college?

Would Oklahoma offer you proximity to Native American reservations? Do you plan to work with the native american population?

Could you study native americans without majoring in this area? Spend time volunteering during summers and getting first hand experience instead?

I am just pushing you to consider whether your cutting your possible colleges out for lack of native american major is a wise choice.

I donā€™t see how IR and AN areas could combine for a career? Could you give more info on your passions?

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Your first year experience abroad through UNC has the potential to be life changing, or possibly not so exciting, depending on where you end up and what kind of work you do. Possibility of travel to other countries too, while you are abroad, and this could sharpen your desire for International Relations, or serve to steer you in a different direction.

Depending on your personality and willingness to explore and embrace new cultures and languages, this could be great or you could feel lonely and isolated.

Starting out at Oklahoma, you will immerse yourself and make friends and dig right in to academic life. You will bound with classmates right away.

Does a break from academics seem like a good thing? Or are you the type to be scared of getting rusty being away from academics for a year? Will a hands on experience give you more determination to come home and work hard for the IR degree?

Lots of thinking for you to do this week! Good luck!

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What, exactly, are the numbers for UNC and U of OK? Are you talking graduating with the standard federal loans, or more debt than that? Most recent college graduates find that they can handle the standard federal loans, but some donā€™t find it easy to keep up with those payments depending on what they end up doing next with their lives. If the debt would be more than the standard federal loans, then choose the cheaper place.

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Both terrific opportunities. What stood out to me as I was reading your post was that OU is setting you up for significant leadership opportunities. These could have big payoffs after you graduate. In addition, the money saved will give you options to pursue prestigious post-graduate fellowships and international internships.

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Iā€™d go for Oklahoma, personally, but you may want to think more about what exactly youā€™d like to study.

UNC Chapel Hill has a top-notch anthropology program, and over the last 20 years or so it has become a hot spot for Mesoamerican studies (particularly Maya studies). Itā€™s not yet on par with places like UT Austin or Tulane, but itā€™s quite good nonetheless. Translators for the indigenous languages of Central America like Nahuatl, Mixtec, and the Maya languages are in high demand due to the influx of refugees and immigrants who canā€™t speak English or Spanish.

On the other hand, Oklahoma is obviously great for Native American studies and offers several languages (Cherokee, Choctaw, Kiowa). Of the three, Carolina offers only Cherokee.

Oklahoma has more Native Americans than any state except California, but North Carolina is also in the top 10 and has one of the fastest growing Native American populations in the US. Both states have plenty of opportunities for working with indigenous communities.

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I wouldnā€™t hesitate to pick Oklahoma. I visited it last year. Beautiful campus, nice town, great people. Those rankings are not such a big deal. All major flagship universities are going to have professors with doctorates from top universitiesā€¦undergraduates will only scratch the surface of what the faculty knows. Itā€™s not like professors at UNC know something the ones at OU donā€™t.

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Our D received the NMF merit package at OU and is majoring in International Studies with minors in Arabic and Spanish. Her experience has been amazing and she has found her professors to be both personable and excellent teachers. The honors college has also provided many unique opportunities including the 3 week summer program ā€œHonors at Oxfordā€ in England. OU also offers an accelerated 5 yr bachelors/masters program in International Studies that our D is pursuing as well. I wouldnā€™t get hung up on rankings. Truly most of what you get out of the specific college you choose is what you make of the opportunities once you get there. Good luck with your decision!

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@powercropper hello! I came to my desire to dual major in International Relations and Native American Studies for several reasons. Basically, Iā€™ve learned lots about IR through Model UN and found a passion for it, but I also have a passion for NAS. My maternal family is First Nations, so Iā€™ve personally seen disturbing amounts of inequality on reservations, and Iā€™m seeking to begin making a difference in the issue. The dual degree in IR and NAS will give me the political theory I need to approach a career in diplomacy in Latin America or in Native Affairs in the US or Canada, especially given the movement towards a ā€˜nation-to-nationā€™ approach rather than one of colonial dominance. Visiting both schools, the majority of kids in the NAS programs are also Native, and I feel I could fit in at either. That said, Oklahoma had lots more Oklahoma tribes, and had never heard of my nation. UNC had lots of NC tribes, but others as well, and I found them more similar to me just because of the cultural parallels between many Eastern seaboard nations.

OUā€™s native community wasnā€™t unwelcoming by any means, they were REALLY great and awesome, but there were fewer mixed kids so I didnā€™t quite feel reflected by the student body in that way. Anyways, both groups were very kind and welcoming to me. UNC definitely supports its Native students more by giving them a space (in a historic home) to meet, while OUā€™s Native community centers around the NAS building.

I think the cool thing about UNCā€™s gap year is what I could do with itā€¦Iā€™ve applied for and reached out to ton of Indigenous advocacy groups and similar and I think I could do great things with the time. As far as school goes, Iā€™m FOR SURE a little worried that I will lose my academic sharpness. That said, Iā€™ve grown up for 18 years in a very rigorous school environment, and I think it will be good for my well being and future drive to get away from the rigid get-to-the-next-goal mindset. I can see myself doing really well during the gap year, and if I donā€™t, there are 13 other freshmen going on a gap year and a large Global Gap Year Fellow support network at UNC to fall back on if I face difficulties. This community also would help me to have an aim rather than just go.

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@happymomof1 I canā€™t be sure, as my family is in a unique financial situation, but it looks like I would leave UNC with the federal loan amount (roughly), not too much over. My parents told me to make the decision regardless of the money and act like I would leave either school with the same amount of debt. They donā€™t tell me much financial information, but itā€™s pretty clear that I wonā€™t be drowning in $200,000 in debt, as we have some amount however large or small saved up.

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@warblersrule thatā€™s really interesting what youā€™re writing about. I have some Mayan family, so itā€™s intriguing for sure. Iā€™ve actually thought about anthropology in the past, and definitely could lean that way in replacing IR with either that or political science. Iā€™m not 100% sure at this point how I want it to play out, but what i DO know is that I love learning about cultures around the world and history. I also enjoy debate and politics, and I feel driven to major in Native American Studies to better Indian Country and the abuse that we suffer at the hands of colonial governments.

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@Wlmom94 Has she enjoyed it so far? Does she feel that it is challenging? One thing I did notice about OU is sitting in on a lecture, I could easily answer in class questions from my knowledge of Comparative Politics. The other students in the class seems resistant to participate or didnā€™t know the material, and seemed impressed by my knowledge (just from AP Comparative and reading the news). That said, this couldā€™ve well been unique to this class. How has her experience been so far in IR at OU?

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Something else that might be applicable, Iā€™m LGBTQ+ and people know that within a little bit after they meet me. I tend to dress in clothes that arenā€™t typical of other guys, not really feminine just with a sense of style that makes my sexuality obvious. I didnā€™t feel out of place at either campus, but gay culture at OU seemed to be less subtle than at UNC, where it was a facet of identity that has already been accepted such that it doesnā€™t need to be shown so much. Iā€™m not sure if this should be part of my decision or not, but students seemed more worldly at UNC, too.

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You have well thought out goals, so my next concern is lack of transparency about how your family will pay for your college education.

To make sure there is no confusion, i suggest you walk them through the costs of each school. Deduct scholarship money, and student loans, add in travel expenses, books, etc. Your final number gets divided into two semesters and that amount is normally due before classes begin each semester.

You want to look your parents in the eye and ask them "do you have $Xxx for each semester? " Ask if they have the money in savings, or if they are going to take it from current income. The worst case scenario is when parents want the best college for their child and can not admit they canā€™t come up with the money. Students can get locked out of college if the bills donā€™t get paid. You would have student loans come due, but you would not have a degree to get a good job.

So, before you give up OU, ask for specifics about where the money is coming from. Also, if you have younger siblings, ask if there will be money for them to sttend college too.

You sound like a smart, responsible student who cares deeply and wants to make a difference. You will make a great choice and I am sure you will have a great college experience.

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Hi @syracusejg99! Our D has very much enjoyed her experience at OU. She finds the IR program is challenging, especially with the amount of reading required, but she really enjoys the content, her professors and the texts/readings that are discussed. One of her professors invited her to join a global security research project he is doing that eventually will be published. Really great experience to have as an undergraduate. The perception that you had of OU from your visit related to the kindness and the genuine interest in your success is accurate.

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I donā€™t know too much about the International Relations field of careers or even finding a job, but if I can, Iā€™d like to add that, without knowing UNCā€™s, OU does have a good Native American studies program. Pretty much statewide thereā€™s a lot to learn. Iā€™ve talked to a student in OUā€™s international relations program, and he seemed to be happy there as well. However, take my opinion with a grain of salt because I donā€™t know much at all about UNC. Just commenting on the Native American Studies aspect of OU!

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UNC is an overall really good school with an active campus culture and diverse student population as it is an incredibly big school. Not too sure about their Native American studies program, but they generally rank high in their quality of teaching

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