Princeton vs MIT vs Dartmouth vs Vanderbilt vs Williams vs Duke vs Amherst vs Penn...

College Search & Selection
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<p>Princeton vs. MIT vs. Dartmouth vs. Vanderbilt vs. Williams vs. Duke vs. Amherst vs. Penn vs. Brown vs. W&L (full ride through Johnson Scholarship) vs. Cornell (College of Arts & Sciences Pauline and Irving Tanner Dean's Scholar) vs. Swarthmore vs. WashU vs. Case Western ($30,000+ per year)</p>

<p>Can anyone help me? Which do you think I should choose?</p>

<p>Name recognition is slightly important--for my parents (who will be paying). When I visited, I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of the LACs like Amherst and Williams. However, MIT's uniqueness is attractive. I love the innovative spirit there, but the students there seem to have an unduly oppressive workload. I've also heard that it is hard to maintain a decent GPA without breaking your back. I like Princeton's campus and location, but the grade deflation as compared to other Ivies is spooking me a tad.</p>

<p>I have put my head down and have worked hard for my whole life; now I'm ready to relax a little bit and explore some new interests. I'm saying I'm a premed, but I'll probably change my mind like practically every other premed. Psychology and philosophy fascinate me, and I enjoy visual art and creative writing. But I also love higher-level math, although I will not likely go into engineering. I've never had the opportunity to try, but I think I would enjoy computer 2-D animation (purely based on my writing ability, computer literacy, and knack for drawing and painting). I love studying plants, but I probably won't make a career of that. I loved the new greenhouse and orchid collection at Dartmouth, and loved the trees at Swarthmore.</p>

<p>I appreciate diversity and differing viewpoints. I do not like elitists (<em>cough</em> Vanderbilt). I am not the sorority type, even though I come from a small Mississippi prep school. (I DID NOT ENJOY THE SOCIAL SCENE AT W&L, and I dislike the fraternity situation at Dartmouth.) I like to surround myself with a small group of very close friends rather than go to huge parties. I care nothing about the quality of the sports teams :), but I do love to ski (+1 to Dartmouth).</p>

<p>And I have the opportunity to compete for the Baker Scholarship at Davidson (full ride). Considering my other acceptances, should I try for that, even though they won't reimburse me for the plane ticket, and they only offer two scholarships?</p>

<p>What do the experts on this forum think? Which school would fit me best? I'm obviously clueless...</p>

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<p>Btw, I’m also a Monroe Scholar at William and Mary an an Echols at UVa, but I’m not very interested in either school at this point.</p>

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<p>wow…I don’t know if this is a ■■■■■ post or whether my jaw should hurt.</p>

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<p>What is your net, out-of-pocket cost to attend each school? It would be easier to advise you if you first presented that information in a well-organized, succinct list (assuming costs matter to you and your family.) Then we can proceed to the orchids at Dartmouth v. the trees at Swarthmore. :)</p>

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<p>TheGuru333
I also like hiding under the bridges at Cornell. Ha!
I’m not a ■■■■■ though. :D</p>

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<p>tk21769
Except for where I said I’m getting scholarship money, I’ll get no other financial aid, but my family will not suffer hardship to pay full tuition to any of these schools. It just twinges to see the savings melt away.</p>

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<p>You posted on keltoi’s thread a few minutes ago (who was debating between William and Mary Monroe Scholar and UVa’s Echols Scholar). Since you have also been accepted to both schools, I’m surprised you did not offer keltoi more of an opinion (since you say in post #2 that you are “not very interested in either school at this point.”). You certainly have quite a few acceptances that you have to sort through! Good luck.</p>

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<p>tk21769
Current favorites are:</p>

<p>Princeton
Pros: name recognition, size, undergraduate focus, broad education, architecture, climate, non-urban
Cons: grade deflation, uppity stereotype, no med school, competitive, stressful environment</p>

<p>MIT
Pros: hacks, ARCHITECTURE, collaborative environment, excellent math, Cambridge
Cons: lots of all-nighters, low GPAs, lacking in humanities, predominantly engineering</p>

<p>Dartmouth
Pros: Orchid collection (work opportunity there), skiing, D-Plan, med school resources
Cons: VERY cold, partying/drinking/hazing fraternities</p>

<p>Williams
Pros: LAC, small-town vibe, beautiful buildings, nice dorms, community feel, best-designed exhibit in art museum I have ever seen
Cons: LAC, the parents don’t like it, the parents had never heard of it!?, maybe lacking in research opportunities?</p>

<p>W&L
Pros: FULL RIDE, amazing professors who already have shown an interest in me through continued email communication, small classes, warm climate
Cons: dumpy dorms, party scene and Greek life, didn’t like the campus vibe at all</p>

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<p>I’m not sure that we can give you any meaningful information about choosing between these schools. My first inclination is to say to go to Washington & Lee, since you have a full scholarship there, but you don’t seem enthusiastic about it, and it seems that your parents can afford any of your choices. That’s what college savings are for, so that shouldn’t hurt so much.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t attend a school just because it’s “unique.”</p>

<p>If you have a lot of varied interests, sometimes larger universities/colleges (Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Duke, Cornell, Wash U, maybe Case Western or Princeton) are good places because they have a wider range of fields and classes for you to choose from. A place like Brown will allow you to take any classes you want without any restrictions. That could be a blessing - or a curse for a student who has such widely ranging interests that she can’t settle and select.</p>

<p>If you like smaller, undergraduate focused atmospheres - Princeton, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Brown are obvious choices. Any school in the Northeast can lend itself to a skiing weekend, and you may even find a group of friends at Vanderbilt or Duke who love the ski and want to take a ski trip over a long weekend or something.</p>

<p>Princeton seems like a good compromise school - diversity, a smaller atmosphere, beautiful campus, nice location in the Northeast, a range of courses that you’ll enjoy in different areas with the ability to select from a variety of fiends for a major. You will definitely find elitists at Princeton, though. I wouldn’t worry about grade deflation because if you’re aware of it, that means that employers and grad schools are also aware of it.</p>

<p>Whether or not you should attend the Davidson weekend will depend. Let’s say that you got the full scholarship at Davidson. Would you seriously consider attending that college above all of the other schools you are currently admitted to?</p>

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<p>You sound like a Brown student. . . one of the more laid-back Ivies, and with no required courses other than for your concentration, plenty of room for experimenting.</p>

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<p>sevmom
I’m obviously indecisive and didn’t want to give keltoi bad advice. I’m not the biggest fan of UVa, but I’m weird, and I know most alumni love it. If I were keltoi, I’d go to W&M, but most would choose Echols at UVa in keltoi’s position for a reason: it’s a fantastic distinction at a renown public university.</p>

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<p>gettinin
My parents aren’t keen on Brown… Unfortunately, we visited during “Sex Week.”
But I have to agree with you. I liked Brown a lot. And RISD.
Brown seemed to know that I fit too–they sent me a “likely.”</p>

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<p>If those are your only “cons” about Williams, you should go to Dartmouth. Dartmouth has all the “pros” you list about Williams – “LAC, small-town vibe, beautiful buildings, nice dorms, community feel, best-designed exhibit in art museum I have ever seen” – and none of those cons.</p>

<p>My husband and my son went to Dartmouth and they both love the school. Really: l.o.v.e. the school.</p>

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<p>Brown seems like the best fit for you.</p>

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<p>san2chi, That makes sense. You have some great acceptances. It can’t be easy to decide. How many schools did you apply to get all of these wonderful acceptances?</p>

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<p>juillet
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I’m thinking I probably wouldn’t go to Davidson if I did get the scholarship. And the chances of me getting that scholarship are slim.
Skiing isn’t a priority at all. :slight_smile: It’s just a little fun.
I like MIT’s “uniqueness” because I feel like they aren’t feeding me a bunch of sugarcoated garbage. The students don’t take themselves so seriously, yet they are still hard-workers. Maybe a little too hard for me though.
You’re right, I really didn’t like student life at W&L, and my common sense is also telling me that Princeton might be the perfect compromise.</p>

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<p>sevmom
I applied to ALL OF THEM, of course. :wink:
But I maxed out my Common App, if that gives you any idea. And that’s not including state schools and others like MIT.</p>

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<p>Wow, You have been very industrious then and it has really paid off for you! Have fun making your final decision!</p>

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<p>VeryHappy
You seem Very Happy! I really like Dartmouth, and I felt welcomed when I visited. My interviewer from Dartmouth (amazing person) has been the only one to really keep up with me. Dartmouth alums are, all-in-all, very passionate about their school. I felt like I fit Dartmouth fairly well; they also sent me a likely, and I’m sure their admission people know their stuff.
But the alcohol… Williams isn’t nearly as bad in that category.</p>

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<p>Does anyone like MIT?</p>