Hi! So the deadline for choosing a college is coming up very soon and I am having a crisis because I cannot choose a school. I keep changing my mind and it’s scaring me because this is such a big decision. I was wondering if I could get some advice. I’m trying to decide between NYU, GWU, and the University of Richmond.
I want to major in Public Health, which is available at GWU and NYU. URichmond does not have it but has a Healthcare and Society major, which seems like a close alternative. I am planning to go on the pre-med track and am interested in studying abroad.
I have been wanting to go to NYU for a long time. I am attracted to the Global Public Health program and the opportunities of the city. I feel like I would be most comfortable in NYC because I love the diversity and liberal feel of the city. However, NYU is the farthest school from home and I’m concerned about the huge class sizes. I would have to pay 14k a year for NYU.
URichmond has small class sizes and I have heard good things about doing pre-med there. I would only have to pay for books and personal expenses - about 2k a year. However, the school doesn’t have Public Health and I’m nervous about the atmosphere. It’s a very small school located in an isolated area. I don’t really care for the city of Richmond, either. I’m scared I’ll feel like I’m suffocating in a college bubble if I attend this school. I graduated high school early because I couldn’t wait to leave and I don’t want a repeat of that situation. I haven’t visited yet (I will later this month) but I have a nagging feeling this atmosphere will be like high school and I’ll be unhappy. I’m not really looking for the “traditional” college campus feel.
GWU to me is a middle ground between both schools. It has the Public Health major and is located in an urban setting. It’s not as big as NYU, but it’s not as small as URichmond. I would have to pay 11k a year for GWU. I’m attracted to the opportunities offered at GWU and I also love Washington DC. It’s located between URichmond and NYU in terms of distance from home. I like GWU but tuition is only a little less than NYU and I feel like I should just go to NYU if I decide to take out loans.
I was previously leaning towards attending Richmond just because of the low cost - 2k would be fantastic for me because my family doesn’t make much income. At most I think my parents can contribute 2-3k a year max for my college, so Richmond is certainly manageable for them. Costs aside, I really want to go to NYU for the Global Institute of Public Health. I feel like I would be happiest in the city environment and I feel like the GIPH is most relevant to my interests. However, it’s a 48k difference. I don’t know if I should just stick to the money or go where I actually want to. I really didn’t think NYU would give me as much aid as it did and it just kinda sucks getting a full tuition scholarship and still not really being sure if I can afford to go!
Anyways thanks for reading all of that - any advice would be much appreciated. Sorry if anything doesn’t make sense - it’s 1:30 in the morning… Thanks! 