Hey guys! I’m a freshman at Vanderbilt. I’ve recently got accepted into both UChicago and Columbia as a transfer student. While I’m incredibly grateful for those are really great schools, I’m having a really hard time deciding between them.
I decided to apply for transfer because 1) I didn’t like the dominant Greek life culture at Vandy 2) didn’t feel challenged or inspired intellectually 3) wasn’t a big fan of Nashville: I wanted to be in a bigger city with more and better international cuisines etc…
I applied as a math and philosophy major, but I’m more undecided than anything else in reality. I’m thinking of double majoring in CS (not sure which track) & English/Philosophy/Film. I know it would be hard to double major at both schools due to the Core, but I’m okay with that as I really like the Core… As for future plans, I have thought about 1)going to grad school for data science 2) law school 3) journalism school 4)becoming a therapist perhaps? (I’m really interested in Irvin D. Yalom’s notion of existential psychotherapy: like a more philosophical approach I guess). My dream is to make indie films—but I want to make sure that I can support myself financially and have interesting stories to tell first. Of course, if I find something that I truly love, I will consider going down the PhD route again even if it involves more financial instabilities.
UChicago was my dream school when I was applying to college as I was set on pursuing a PhD in pure math or philosophy then. Yet now I’m less sure about everything. I loved and still love its emphasis on “the life of the mind”: the debate culture, the wonderfully weird uncommon essay prompts, and the idea of learning for the sake of learning etc. (I especially loved the fundamentals program!) And I think there are perhaps more classes that really interest me. However, I’m not sure if I can handle the intensity any more or what it would mean for me; as much as I value academics, I do want to “have a life”, which means running (really hoping to train for a marathon), playing the guitar, dining out and going to movies with friends etc. Also, UChicago doesn’t really accept transfer credits…
As for Columbia, I absolutely love the idea of going to school in NYC!!! They have an amazing film department as well. And I love how diverse the school is and how there are so many vegan options! I guess I’m just more worried about whether I will fit in—I’m an introvert through and through and Columbia is definitely more out of my comfort zone than is UChicago socially. But then maybe I should try to be more extroverted and that attending Columbia will help me do so? Also, I’m intimidated by the large class size for all the CS classes; the last time I checked, UChicago had much smaller class size…
This decision is kind of painful for me to make. And yet I have 12 days. To be honest, I kind of want to just pick one and get it over with and move on with my life. But which one?.. Please help!
Uh, Columbia would be as intense as the U of C.
It’s not like they are lacking in stress culture.
Columbia does seem to have large class sizes (not counting seminars).
Congratulations on your acceptances!
Are you saying that U Chicago won’t accept any transfer credits at all? How many years/quarters will you have to attend UC? How does that compare to Columbia?
Besides the number of terms required to go, how do the costs compare?
I don’t know about relative class sizes, but you can see this info in each school’s course catalog, which I believe is fully online.
Each school is large enough that you will be able to find plenty of like-minded people.
I can understand your uncertainty, particularly since your earliest affinity was for UChicago. Based on your entire post, though, I think Columbia would suit you better in this close call.
Btw, you’re one of several OP’s to have more than one choice from this Forbes article, not bad . . .
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2017/04/26/10-expensive-colleges-worth-every-penny-2017/amp/
@Mwfan1921 UChicago only allows you to transfer/place out of four classes in total and that you have to take at least 38 classes at UChi. They have a quarter system and I’ve heard many students say that most would take 4 classes/quarter. So that means I will have to either take 2 classes during the summer or go through 2 quarters taking 5 classes (kind of really warned against)… I don’t think UChi specifies within how many terms I would have to finish my degree. But considering that both schools are extremely expensive, with Columbia being slightly more expensive, I would really like to graduate on time. Columbia kind of forces me to graduate on time lol…
@PurpleTitan Oh I know Columbia is also hard for sure. But I do think UChi is being known as more academically focused than Columbia? And I think part of it is due to the fact that they have a quarter system. So people would go through midterms and finals 3 times a year instead of 2. And from what I’ve heard, professors would try to cram what is normally taught within a semester at other schools into 10 weeks…
@merc81 Hh thank you! Can I ask why you think that Columbia might suit me better in this tough call? I mean for me, it has kind of been back and forth… Also I guess I do need to consider the COVID situation. I mean I won’t able to be on campus and in NYC for a while, which is really sad…
At both the U of C and Northwestern, yes, in many cases, you would cover in a quarter what regular schools would take a semester to cover. Though students at semester schools may often take 5 classes instead of 4.
@Severus2013: If I could analyze a bit, I think you see yourself as “the UC type,” which you probably are, and which would obviously draw you toward UC at times. For another perspective, however, consider that it would be perfectly OK to be the UC type at Columbia, which could offer you your best blend of experiences based on some of your broader criteria and preferences. I’m sorry that you (rationally) need to consider COVID in your decision, though.
Hello,
First of all, congrats on getting in, they are both fantastic schools!
I am interested in applying as a Junior transfer next year to both schools! Do you think I could PM you to ask about your application process?
Let us know which school you end up choosing. You cannot go wrong either way. Congrats again! 
You sound more like the Columbia type. IMHO having been around both UC and CU students a lot, BOTH schools are very academic, but UC tends to pull people who are more academically competitive with each other and more sort of “on the spectrum” i terms of their single-minded focus. CU students tend to have more of a social side, and are also academically quick. As you also pointed out CU has a great film department and it’s in NYC with a thriving film scene (when not covid-y).