<p>You’re looking at 3 schools that are more sensible than the others due to Net Cost: Drexel, Furman, and Wabash, as @MYOS1634 said.</p>
<p>Wabash College stands apart from both Drexel and Furman in that it has a very small, all-male population, and it’s not quite as academically selective. So Wabash is more or less self-selecting: are you really interested in attending an all-male school of less than 1000 students for 4 years? If you’re not psyched at that prospect, I don’t see why you’d choose Wabash over Furman, which is less costly, has a similar LAC (Liberal Arts College) philosophy, and several girls walking around. Yes, I realize that I’m over-simplifying Wabash and I’m sure that it has many outstanding attributes, but for that cost difference, it takes some convincing.</p>
<p>Drexel and Furman are very different schools, even though the academic selectivity is similar. Drexel is even more costly than Wabash (for you), but it offers larger research school advantages which might be important to you in CompSci. </p>
<p>Drexel: research uni with over 15K undergrads; probably more diverse than Furman; urban campus and environment; good access (airport); well-established Co-op program; Graphic Design major available; probably more CS courses available than Furman; arguably a more robust job market immediately available than at Furman.</p>
<p>Furman: Liberal Arts College with 2,700 undergrads (large for a LAC); pastoral/suburban campus and environment; more difficult access; good research opportunities for a LAC; much higher endowment per student than Drexel; better 4 year graduation rate than Drexel; CompSci major only; about 8K less expensive than Drexel (for at least year one).</p>
<p>I understand you’re an int’l that likely can’t visit, but the two schools are divergent and your preference must be fairly easy to come to grips with. </p>
<p>One of the biggest issues must be your academic preferences, and whether you see the Graphic Design major at Drexel as a deal-breaker. At Furman, you’ll study CS and maybe take a few courses in graphic design. I’m sure you realize that if you opt for GD, you’ll have a much better understanding of GD, but your employability in other CS disciplines will be more limited. The broader CS curriculum is probably going to give you more career options, and if you could add a one year grad program in GD then you might end up better off in the long run. At Drexel you have the option of both CS and GD, whereas at Furman it will be CS (unless you can do an Individual Study tailored toward GD). So if CS is a possibility for you, then both schools are still in the mix. The fact that you applied to PrattMWP tells me, however, that you have more of an artistic bent and that you might strongly prefer GD. I know you mentioned that preference, but maybe you could tell us whether a CS major is really feasible for you, quantitatively.</p>
<p>Other than that, it comes down to a number of issues. Are you more of a city person or would you rather immerse yourself in nature? (From what I understand, the Furman campus is gorgeous.) How much diversity do you require to feel comfortable? How do you feel about the smaller class sizes and better prof interaction typical at a LAC, and are these factors important in a CS degree? Is the CS curriculum at Furman sufficient for your needs and academic level (i.e. will you require grad courses)? How important to your family is the cost savings at Furman, and how likely is having your scholarship renewed for all 4 years?</p>
<p>You have an interesting choice, @yhd007. Let us know more about your preferences/needs, if you like.</p>
I’ll keep these points in mind. I’d like to hear some other people too. :)</p>