Hi! I’m having a really hard time deciding/narrowing down where I want to go. I was accepted into these schools either undecided or arts and sciences. I’m not sure exactly what career path I’m looking to go into.
Waitlisted at UVA and UMich, trying not to get my hopes up but really loved both of these schools.
I’m pretty academically focused (4.0 GPA, 5 on AP Calc AB exam, on the board for honors society, 1450 SAT) but am also looking for a cool experience.
First of all, I can see why you are undecided. This is a very good list of very good universities. It is hard to go wrong with any of them as long as you are going to work hard in university.
What is your budget? What would each of them cost you? Would you need to take on debt to attend any of them? Are you in-state for any of them (or in-province or Canadian or French for McGill)?
@DadTwoGirls Thank you so much for the quick response! I live in New York State but while I’m taking the cost of these schools into account, I’m very lucky that money isn’t too much of a concern.
@4gsmom@DadTwoGirls I’m definitely leaning toward McGill, but I am a little sad to be missing out on the classic college experience (football, sororities, etc.). Is that silly?
Syracuse, Rutgers, UMass for sports, Bing in state but I’m not at all familiar with McGill. Lots of great acceptances and UVA was top 3 for my sons 2 years ago but a no.
Not looking for something super rural. I like the opportunities a city provides. At the same time, I’ve grown up in NYC and will probably move back here after I graduate, so I would love to try living outside of a huge city. I’m looking for something in a smaller city or near a city.
Like I mentioned before, I’m not sure what career path I intend to pursue, which means comparing specific majors at these schools doesn’t mean much to me. I enjoy my math and sciences classes the most in school (AP Calc BC and AP Physics) but also love a good debate. I suspect that most math and science classes will be similar in these schools. I know that I will need some help deciding what career I’m interested in and have had 5 guidance counselors in my 4 years of high school so the proper support system and resources are really important to me. I’ve never had a problem speaking up in class and usually sit at the front, so while I’d prefer a smaller class size, I’m not sure how much it would really affect me. The reputation of the school does matter to me. I’ve worked really hard in high school and would like to go to a college that shows that.
I’ve ridden horses for 15+ years and would really like to continue in college. It doesn’t have to be competitively and not necessarily through the school, though I would prefer it to be.
Thank you for the response! Your questions were really helpful!
Based on my knowledge of Canadian higher education, you’re not going to get that at McGill. I don’t know how much you will get at the other schools on your list.
“I am a little sad to be missing out on the classic college experience (football, sororities, etc.).”
It is Montreal. You will get hockey. The drinking age is 18, so the drinking will be moved into the clubs and bars, in many cases with music. There will be two cultures in large numbers (French Canadian, English Canadian) with blends, and many more cultures in smaller numbers.
I think of McGill as an academically great school in a very interesting city. However, I do not think of it as a place with strong support.
McGill’s main campus and Northeastern are not likely to have horses. I am not sure about McGill’s second campus in Ste Anne de Bellevue – it is an agricultural campus but is some distance away. I thought that someone I knew who was on an equestrian team rode against a team from U.Mass Amherst at some point but I might be misremembering this.
I agree that McGill is not exactly the same college experience as a US school.
University of Massachusetts Amherst originally started as Massachusetts Agricultural College. Yes our very own Mass Aggie.
The Stockbridge School within the university is a renowned school in horticulture, farming, husbandry and ag management. The have their own orchards and run a student run Apple business that supplies local stores.
