<p>I've narrowed my college list to 6 definites: NYU, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, U of So Cal, UChicago, and Furman (just b/c it's in my city and the app is free). I'm also thinking about Johns Hopkins, WUStL, and Boston College. I don't want to apply to all of them, so I need to pick ONE of those three. Taking merit scholarhips into consideration, and caliber of the schools, which should it be?</p>
<p>erikjc, don't be afraid to apply to 8 colleges. Your main consideration should not be prestige but fit. We have no idea how you'd fit in Johns Hopkins, Washington University, or Boston College. You have to decide on your own. But don't take someone's advice when they say, "Oh, apply to Johns Hopkins because it's more prestigious."</p>
<p>When it comes down to it, fit is the most important thing. Apply to the colleges you really want to go, and after you get your acceptance letters, you can factor in prestige, once you factor in fit.</p>
<p>Also, think about how competitive an atmosphere you want. If you want to go into sciences without having lots of intense competition over everything, you may want to take away Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>So, what fits you? Narrow your list based on that. Stop thinking about prestige and think about fit.</p>
<p>Well I don't really know where I'd fit. I've never visited any of the 3. I guess I'd fit in a more liberal atmosphere, and I like urban locations, so they all fit that.</p>
<p>Hopkins is not known for giving good aid. WUSTL offers many people 15K in merit aid. Boston College gives good aid. If aid is the issue, and if you really need to eliminate schools, maybe you should eliminate Hopkins. Make it clear to WUSTL that you are really interested and are not using it as a safety school. Maybe I am wrong, but to me Boston College seems conservative, not liberal.</p>
<p>I would easily dump NYU. Its probably the worst college experience in America in my opinion. I know 5 unhappy students for every satisfied one. It sounds exciting, but I think few 18 year olds are ready for a school with no campus in a concrete jungle. Grad school is a different story, at that stage of life NYU is much more fun.</p>
<p>It's hard to tell without your stats, but...</p>
<p>...assuming you're at the top of the pool for both UChicago and Duke, NYU and USC will probably be showering you in merit money. I say that from relative experience from friends who have applied to similar schools as you.</p>
<p>Another strong merit aid school, assuming you're a top top student, is Rice, which fits in well personality-wise with the rest of the schools on your list. Other merit-aidy suggestions, especially if you don't think that you're a top candidate for Duke and Chicago, could be Case Western, Rochester, and Pitt. </p>
<p>That doesn't help you cut your list in the slightest, but you might want to restructure your list a bit to reflect merit aid considerations.</p>
<p>NYU is aggressively a "not for everybody" school but I don't think it's a bad choice if you thrive in an urban environment. I know it's not slipper's cup of tea.</p>
<p>OneMom, what aid from BV are you talking about? Are you talking about need-based? The only merit aid they give is the Presidential Scholars, 15 people a year.</p>