Not sure of what I want.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I applied to 11 colleges that in most respects, are pretty different from one another. I was worried about the possibility of rejection and I wanted to have a wide range of options. Now that I've been accepted, I'm not exactly sure what I want anymore. Inititally, I wanted an environment that allowed academic freedom, was close-knit, and relatively small. However, I'm worried now that I might outgrow that criteria and I'm thinking that a larger school (although it might feel overwhelming at first) would be better in the long run. Can someone offer any insight into these schools?</p>

<p>Here are the schools that I've been accepted to and am considering:</p>

<p>Morehouse College (full ride)- Pro: Free, small, and in a large city. Con: Lack of diversity, lack of prestige, might not be as "intellectual" as other schools ?</p>

<p>UCLA- Pro: Good location Con: Size, lack of geographic diversity.</p>

<p>UC Berkeley: Pro: Top public school in the nation, strong in nearly every major, less superficial than LA (?) Con: Size, location (?)</p>

<p>UC Irvine- Pro: Campuswide Honors Program has many benefits to it, nice campus Con: location, too many people from my schools going there, not as highly ranked as others</p>

<p>Grinnell- Pro: academic freedom, new location, progressive student body, large scholarship Con: small, rural town..maybe not the best environment for an African-American?</p>

<p>Wesleyan- Pro: College of Letters seems awesome, diversity, progressive student body Con: Location (?), too liberal (?), cost </p>

<p>Occidental- Pro: interesting majors, location, size, diversity Con: lack of prestige (?), scholarship, but still more expensive than UCLA or UC Berkeley, might not be as "intellectual" as other schools</p>

<p>Other schools: UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz</p>

<p>I'm still waiting on Brown and Columbia, but I'm pretty sure those will be rejections. I think I need to narrow down my options and start to visit/make a decision. Any input would be helpful!</p>

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<p>A college’s level of prestige may be a less important consideration if it’s not the last stop in your career as a student. If you could see yourself applying to a different school for a Master’s or Ph.D. program, you shouldn’t be too worried about the school you attend for your undergrad being the most prestigious.</p>

3

<p>Grinnell’s new president, Raynard S. Kington, is African American. I doubt he would have accepted the position if he felt that the atmosphere was anything but welcoming. I can’t speak to the other schools, but S is attending Grinnell and loves it-literally can’t wait to get back to school (it’s spring break right now) because he misses his friends and all the activities. It may be small town, but there is so much to do that he is never bored. He also loves the access to faculty and has developed several close relationships in less than 2 years. His experience is typical in that respect-and atypical of a UC, where budget cuts means class sizes are getting larger and the 4 year graduation rate is suffering.</p>

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<p>What would the cost be for each one?</p>