<p>Hi, so I was recently matched with Princeton through QuestBridge. I am about 99.9% sure I want to go there, but I haven't visited yet, so I'm not 100% sure. On paper, it has absolutely everything I want. My question is this, since being matched with Princeton is not binding, my application is still continuing regular decision at Yale, Columbia, and Notre Dame. I am sure that if it came down to Yale, Columbia, or Princeton, Princeton would win hands down for me. With Notre Dame I am a little less sure. Do you think I should withdraw my applications, at least from Yale and Columbia? The only way Notre Dame could get me to consider them is if I won the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholarship (a $100,000 scholarship with a plethora of other perks like summer trips around the globe for which I am in the running), and even then, I would probably still go to Princeton.</p>
<p>I am sure that I would take Princeton over Yale, Columbia, even Harvard, and I would probably take Notre Dame over Yale and Columbia. Should I withdraw my Yale and Columbia applications? My concern is that I will be unfairly taking someone else's spot if I am admitted. The only reason to go through with those applications is just to see if I get in (read: bragging rights), and I find that to be a bit of a detestable reason.</p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>What is your intended major/ career interest? That will help you clarify.</p>
<p>Since you know that you would choose Princeton over Columbia and Yale, withdraw those two applications. If Notre Dame is still in the running pending the scholarship decision, then it is OK to wait on that one.</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, getting a Questbridge Match is pretty big on the bragging rights scale. You don’t need any more admissions to show that you are “good enough” for anyone.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Questbridge is a fantastic organization and your future is so bright. Yes, withdraw from Yale & Columbia; I would do Princeton over ND any day of the week, but that’s just me… 
Full ride counts for something!</p>
<p>OP
Congrats on your match! I’m going to go against the tide and advise you not to with draw your applications to the other schools. My reasoning is that you may feel differently about your choices this spring once you see what all of your options are. I would wait and see where you have been accepted, narrow your choices down to the top 3, then do accepted students visits in April. I’m betting the schools will pay for your transportation if you ask admissions to do so.
Regarding taking a spot from someone else, all of the schools expect a certain amount of students not to accept their admissions offers. That is why they maintain a waitlist.
Again, congratulations! You should be proud.</p>
<p>I’ll agree with tuftsalum to not withdraw your applications until at least visiting Princeton - at least with the limited posted information. The accepted students visiting programs are helpful and usually can be coordinated so you only need to make one trip to New England. Do not stay in for bragging rights which mean nothing. If you could more clearly articulate why you are certain Princeton is a better choice for you than Columbia or Yale, we might be able to be more helpful. Congratulations on the early acceptance!</p>
<p>I don’t know anyone who has gone to Pinceton and been sorry! Congratulations.</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in Philosophy or possibly Politics (Princeton doesn’t allow double majors, so most likely philosophy).</p>
<p>I like Princeton several reasons. One, it has the James Madison Institute and Robert George. Though I am not conservative, I like the fact that, out of all the Ivies and nearly every other top institution, Princeton has a very strong conservative base to complement the typical liberal leanings of institutions of higher education. I know that college is a very impressionable time, and I want to be sure that I will be somewhere where I can hear the best arguments from both sides and then make my decisions.</p>
<p>Another (small) thing is that Princeton calls its political science major a “Politics” major. To me, calling the major politics recalls a certain traditional sense of the word, with a focus more on political theory than political science. It seems to focus more on looking at the system as a whole rather than working within the system to better it.</p>
<p>Another thing is that Princeton has more emphasis on undergraduates than any of the other top Ivies. Out of Harvard’s 21,000 students, nearly 15,000 are graduate students. Compare that to Princeton’s 7,000 students, only 2,000 of whom are graduate students. Similar comparisons can be made with Yale as well. Additionally, Princeton has more endowment per capita than Harvard and pretty much every other school on the planet (I’m sure about Harvard, but don’t quote me about the “every other school on the planet” part).</p>
<p>Yet another thing I like about Princeton is its location. I like that it is far enough away from the city to limit distractions, but close enough to still have fun.</p>
<p>There are a couple more things about Princeton that I like, but I think you get the gist of it. The only reason Notre Dame is in the running is because I am a Catholic, and I think it would be nice to go to a Catholic school. On pretty much every other point, however, Princeton wins out, and this holds true for any other school.</p>
<p>Oh, also, I want to be a college professor, and part of the reason I want to withdraw my applications from Yale and Columbia is to keep my pride in check; I’m deathly afraid of becoming an arrogant, pretentious prick, and by withdrawing my applications, I will be giving my ego one less temptation. However, I am a little afraid that, in my haste to keep my ego in check, I might make a stupid irrevocable mistake (i.e. unwisely withdraw my application).</p>