<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>This is my first post/thread on College Confidential. May 1st is looming, and I still can't decide where to go. The major I applied to was Biomedical Engineering/ Bioengineering. However, I am considering changing this to Computer Science. I've narrowed my choices down to the President's Scholarship at Georgia Tech and the Trustees Distinguished Scholarship at Rice. I live about an hour away from Houston, so Rice is practically in my back yard. I've visited both schools and honestly, I liked both of them and can see myself going to either. The question basically boils down to which program would be better for my future. I plan on going onto grad school and earning at least a Masters. I may get a Ph.D or go off into the industry, work for a few years, and later get an MBA. First, I'll highlight some of the things that attract me to each program:</p>
<p>President's Scholarship at Georgia Tech:
*Full Ride
*In Atlanta (I like big cities)
*Surrounded by other amazing people in the program
*#5 Engineering School in the Country and ranked higher in both Biomedical and Computer Science
*Program stresses leadership and personal development
*Personal Mentoring and career advice
*Stresses study abroad (practically free and almost every President's Scholar goes on at least one trip)
*Fall Retreats (Basically camping with other scholars in remote locations for a few days before school starts)
*Priority Class Registration
*Can always put President's Scholar at Georgia Tech on my resume</p>
<p>Trustees Distinguished Scholarship:
*Half Ride
*In Houston
*Extremely close to home( I like this even though some people may not. This is actually a big thing for me.)
*Small School
*Did research here last summer
*Prestigious and has name recognition
*Everyone is very laid back and relaxed. Not extremely competitive.
*Can always put Trustees Distinguished Scholarship at Rice on my resume</p>
<p>A few things I don't like about each school:</p>
<p>Georgia Tech:
*Really big (don't get as much attention from professors)
*Far from home
*Extremely competitive from what I've heard</p>
<p>Rice:
*Student life is centered around drinking (I don't have anything against drinking; I just don't drink myself)
*Most of the students don't go off campus. Many students haven't even heard of a town 15 minutes away.</p>
<p>Please give me advice on which school I should go to. Trustees Distinguished Scholars don't really get any special treatment; just money. President Scholars do get special treatment. Money should not really be a consideration when giving me advice as both school have been reduced to an affordable price. I just want to know which one is best for my goals. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading through my long first post and any advice!</p>