Saying NO to a Top, Ivy League School?

<p>I'm not going to start this off by saying I'm in a dilemma. Rather, I was lucky enough to get accepted into many great schools, my top 4 including Yale, Cornell, UPenn, and Wesleyan, in no particular order.</p>

<p>Honestly, I'm tempted to send in my housing form to Yale today but many are telling me to think more about my decision because there's a chance I'd like another school better. They may be right.</p>

<p>I'm thinking about majoring in Bio (pre-med track) and I'm really interested in International Relations and studying abroad. Far from having a specific talent, I love volunteering and want to pursue that in college too. I really want to go to a college that can give me a great education while allowing me to meet interesting people and have a fun time. I come from a small school too, so having helpful professors is a must.</p>

<p>That being said, is it a good idea to visit the other schools? Would I even be able to say no to Yale? What do you think?</p>

<p>I, personally, would prefer both Wesleyan and UPenn to either Yale or Cornell.</p>

<p>I would pick upenn, but your heart is set in Yale!</p>

<p>Honestly, my heart isn’t 100% set on Yale. What I do not want to do is go to Yale just because it’s technically better ranked or because my family wants me to go. I really want to figure out what would be best for me. Still, my family won’t let me visit the 3 other schools. Maybe 1 or 2.</p>

<p>Can you guys tell me a few of the pros and cons of my schools? They’re all insanely different.</p>

<p>Why are you hesitating? Obviously Yale is the most prestigious of the four schools. So why not send in the deposit.</p>

<p>Are you thinking you want a smaller intimate school. Then Wesleyan. Maybe a bigger school w/ more choices? Then think Cornell. Want to study business? UPenn is the choice.</p>

<p>All four choices are great schools that offer an excellent education. Congratulation on acceptance into all four. You can not go wrong w/ any of them.</p>

<p>Things to consider:</p>

<p>1) Price
2) Urban vs. Suburban vs. Rural (Location)
3) Size of student body
4) Diversity of Student Body</p>

<p>“I really want to go to a college that can give me a great education while allowing me to meet interesting people and have a fun time.”</p>

<p>Well, that sure sounds like Yale! If you didn’t go there, might you be inclined to wonder for the rest of your life what it would have been like?</p>

<p>Visit two or three and chose which one you like best. Forget about the miniscule difference in the rankings. Honestly, they’re all amazing and no is better than the other.</p>

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<p>lol. That’s a terrible reason to enroll at one institution over another. We’re talking about the four most important years of one’s life here.</p>

<p>That being said, I personally recommend Yale because it’s so far ahead of the other schools you’ve mentioned in terms of academic quality and quality of life. The prestige, of course, is the cherry on top.</p>

<p>Please please please try to visit as many. I love Yale, but some hate the fact that New Haven is its neighbor. Go with what YOU want, instead of what’s most prestigous etc. </p>

<p>I have friends who went to Princeton and Cornell and absolutely hated their time there despite the “prestige” factor. Prestige does not automatically make you a happy person.</p>

<p>none of those other schools really have that much over Yale, at least not in your major. so academically, there’s no reason not to pull the trigger on Yale.</p>

<p>honestly, that Yale degree will go so far for you. i would definitely choose Yale and never look back.</p>

<p>Yale does not encourage study abroad.</p>

<p>^ this too. My alumni interviewer emphasized this when she interviewed me.</p>

<p>I feel ya. I’m considering turning down Yale and Cornell for a full ride at Texas. Honestly, I figure I’ll probably be happy no matter what I choose, but I’ll probably also regret it immediately afterwards. :P</p>

<p>I have toured the Yale campus, and a few friends that attend tell me the curriculum is absolutely spectacular. If you are looking for an excellent biology major school, I can guarantee you that Yale will not disappoint.</p>

<p>Wesleyan hasn’t turned into gated community yet – in fact, quite the opposite – but, the temptation is there. It’s pretty excellent in biology. It’s IR tends to be dispersed among various area studies programs (pretty easy to study abroad, though.) If you can visit Yale, you can certainly visit Wesleyan the same weekend.</p>

<p>I’m a bit puzzled as to why your parents say you cannot visit all 4 schools, given the fact that they are not all that far apart.</p>

<p>However, as already mentioned, Yale and Wesleyan are only about 1/2 hour apart. Then, you could take the train from New Haven to Philadelphia, easlily (just check the Amtrak schedule), and visit Penn as well. That would cover 3 of the 4.</p>

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That’s honestly the majority of top-tiered schools; visit a few and pick where you like! Dont know much about the ones you’re looking at, other than that a close friend was offered a professorship at Yale, but chose a midwestern elite instead because it had better research opportunities. I’ve also heard that New Haven is pretty sketch. So I’d definitely visit at least a couple and then see. They’re all great schools, so good luck!</p>

<p>it sounds like Wesleyan would be the best match. Yale a close second.</p>

<p>I’m choosing Williams over Brown and UPenn. Also Johns Hopkins, UChicago, and Emory. Prestige shouldn’t matter when the fit is perfect.</p>