@OHIvyCA: Actually, it’s probably easier in STEM with 3-2 engineering partnerships and masters programs (if you can pull off a high GPA). And the only planning required is doing well in undergrad.
@PurpleTitan yes, a high GPA solves every problem vis-a-vis grad school Ivy League admission. Easier said than done.
Thanks @OHIvyCA , @PurpleTitan and all other folks! Up until now I have always maintained GPA 4.0 or close to it and remained top of my class …but college is different so I heard and will try to keep my focus on highest grades and GPA.
I thought if I can push one more time with all I have and some more to change the outcome at undergraduate level and not wait till grad school… if all fails I am prepared for doing all I can to further my once in a lifetime chance to get in Ivy or equivalent school for Masters and possibly doctorate.
It’s not a once in a lifetime chance.
People get degrees from Ivies/equivalents in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, etc.
@PurpleTitan why do people obsesses over Ivy League admissions?
@OHIvyCA: Good question. You tell me.
I have observed that in the US, there are many paths to success (however you define success).
@PurpleTitan yes I agree. You don’t need an Ivy League education to accomplish anything. It is, however, a once in a lifetime chance. For what? God only knows.
@OHIvyCA: traditional undergrad, you mean? Though there isn’t one unique “Ivy” undergrad experience.
In terms of getting a prestigious degree, as I’d mentioned, various people have gotten them years after undergrad. Some multiple times. So it’s hard for me to characterize that as once in a lifetime.
You know that more than 90% of applicants do not,get accepted to Ivy League schools…and the very very very vast majority move on. In that 90% of Ivy rejected students are a ton of well qualified students.
You didn’t get accepted to an Ivy. But you did get accepted to some great schools. Pick one…and get your bachelors degree.
You have two rides. Pick one. And love it.
Once in a lifetime? Give me a break. I know students who didn’t go to Ivies for undergrad or masters who got their doctorates at Ivy schools…or work there.
Pick one of the free rides and go. You’ll be glad you did.
Do not reapply to the Ivies that you applied to before; you will be rejected.
You could consider applying to the Ivies that you did not apply to this year. Keep in mind that your stats are extremely run-of-the-mill for an Ivy, so what differentiates you from the other applicants? (Don’t tell me, but just think about it.). Improving your scores won’t help; only improving your uniqueness will help.
Be very careful and ask the college about scholarship money should you decide to take a GAP year.
If you decline the school and scholarship, you will not get another one from them.
I’m not positive, but wouldn’t a CS major be very good and similar at all of the colleges (except RPI where it would be stellar. But you have to think about the girl-guy ratio and incorporate that into your college life goals)?
Transferring to an Ivy is harder than being accepted out of high school.
Thanks all for the brutal but very helpful facts and info. It changes the dynamics and I can think of more options.
Now that I will pick one of the admitted college should I try to transfer or that is not worth or helpful?
Also what should I do if I want to try for grad school @ Ivy’s and does a Rutgers Honors vs RPI makes any difference?
If I were you, and the difference of COA between Rutgers Honors and RPI was $220K over 4 years, I would go to Rutgers. I would throw myself into my education and try to do my best in classes and internships and other opportunities. IF–and that’s a big if–after two years you find that Rutgers is genuinely going to be inadequate to your needs, THEN your excellent record will be an enormous aid in transferring, IF your family and you can genuinely afford the tuition elsewhere.
Do not enter college planning to transfer. It is irrational. Enter college planning to bloom where you are planted, and wring every drop of value out of your school.
The weird thing about Rutgers is that it has a much better rep out of NJ. Kids in NJ have an irrational scorn for it. Why, I don’t know. It has puzzled just about everyone who pays attention to these things for decades.
Take the scholarship at Rutgers and don’t look back. RPI is a great school, but unless your parents have the money put aside, probably not worth the extra cost. If you do well at Rutgers in comp sci, you can do anything you like. By the way, Rutgers Comp Sci is ranked higher than RPI on USNWR. Rutgers is definitely seen as a consolation prize for many kids that live in comfortable NJ suburbs, but most kids that enroll end up learning a lot and loving their time there. I would not pick NJIT, unless you want to live at home.
Pick a college with the intention go getting your bachelors there.
If you really intend to transfer…then take a gap year, and retool your application list. I’m not suggesting applying to all,the Ivies, but if you are not happy with the acceptances you got this year…you COULD take a gap year, and apply as an incoming freshman next year.
You need to matriculate with the feeling and idea that you will be successful, and will like your college. Every year, many students don’t end up at their top choices for a variety of reasons…and the vast majority end up being happy where they matriculate. That should be your goal.
Why are you set on an Ivy for grad school? Depending on what you study, it is often better to go to a big research university which might have a prof who is doing the exact research you are interested in. Grad school is very discipline specific.
Go to Rutgers. DON’T plan on transferring to an Ivy League school. Heed the advice of the other posters here because they have given good advice.
Echoing what others have said: if you go to any school planning to transfer, you will be miserable there because you won’t plug in the way you must in order to succeed. And your GPA might suffer, which will affect your options for graduate study. So pick a full ride school, work very hard, don’t forget to make friends and have fun, and then, in four years, come back here and tell us where you’re going to grad school.