Hi all,
I am a new member on CC and I will be attending one of thee five universities above in the fall. I have done lots of research and calculated financial stuff, but I am a bit of an indecisive person and am really struggling to narrow things down for myself! Some context:
I am planning on double majoring in some variation of political science and journalism /communications and I know that all of the schools above have amazing or at least pretty good programs for these fields. I haven’t visited UNC or Northwestern yet, but I will be soon, and based on my visits of the other three and virtual campus tours of those two I feel like I like the social / physical environment of all five!
In terms of finances, i am instate at University of Maryland and got a partial scholarship so it would be very cheap, but Fordham and Tulane both gave me decent sized merit scholarship so those would be pretty accessible. UNC and Northwestern (Northwestern more so than UNC) are a bit of a financial stretch, but my family might be able to make it work without taking out too many loans and my parents are potentially willing to do this. Essentially my only question is: to those of you who have attended / have children or friends who have attended or have any other means of forming a personal perception about these schools what are your thoughts about which one I should potentially attend? I understand that ultimately I will have to make a decision for myself, but as part of that process I'd like to hear what other people with more direct experience with these schools have to say! I will be posting this in the thread for each school!
Thank you so much :)) !!
Congrats on having some great options! Northwestern has one of the best journalism departments in the country. But there’s more to the schools, too. UNC & Northwestern have big sports. Forham is in NYC but it’s not quite in the same academic league as NW, UNC and Tulane. Tulane has excellent Poli Sci and NOLA is a very cool city (and on the rise after Katrina). Note, each school has a different personality, so I highly suggest you visit if you can. Princeton Review might be a good place to get a feel for each school, too. Again, if journalism is a major interest for you, then Northwestern is the strongest in that area.
Congrats! That is quite a list! Since you are new to this site (as am I) I will caution you that most people will tell you to follow the money. And they’re not wrong! ESPECIALLY if grad school or a 5th year is in your future…or if you have to go into debt to make this work. However, if you have received enough aid to make any of them work, Northwestern is in a different league (IMO!) and it does have a top rated journalism school. I you like the cold and aren’t afraid of a pretty competitive environment with super smart kids, Northwestern would be an awesome place to get a J degree.
The others are all good schools, although I know the least about your state school and if you can get a great deal there, save the money and have more for maybe study abroad, a masters, or a little help starting out post grad. My D might be going to Tulane (still deciding) but everyone seems to love it. Good luck!
Don’t let the smart kids at Northwedtern scare you. Your Medill courses should have pretty good grade inflation. Unless your courses are heavy in econ, science or engineering, you shouldn’t have to stress too much for grades.
Thank you for responding! I still have to visit UNC & Northwestern and I do think those visits will help 
If you don’t mind, could you potentially elaborate on Fordham not being in the “same academic league?”
Thank you for responding! I still have to visit UNC & Northwestern and I do think those visits will help If you don’t mind, could you potentially elaborate on Fordham not being in the “same academic league?”
Thank you! What are your thoughts on how “competitive” Northwestern is? I know it’s obviously very high-ranked but would you perceive it to be more of a pressure cooker cutthroat place or a collaborative environment?
Thanks for responding! Since it seems you are familiar with the Medill courseload, would you happen to know subjectively “how difficult” it is to double major at Medill (considering a dub major in political science). Also how does the quarter system effect things. I understand what it is, but does it make things too stressful?
I think Fordham is a pretty good school. Vince Lombardi attended. And Fordham is, I believe, a member of the Patriot League, and chump schools do not play in that conference. (it’s a football-only member with Georgetown, no less)
Certainly if you favored the NYC location, there would be no problem with choosing it.
The best academically is Northwestern – both overall and for what you are considering. But all of the schools on your list are more than adequate academically, so I would choose on fit and finances. If Northwestern wins, so be it, but don’t feel weird about saving $XX,XXX to go to Fordham, UNC, Tulane or Maryland, as long as you like that school the best.
Of all the schools on your list, nobody who knows anything about colleges (and isn’t a jerk…) will say, “You went to _______? That school stinks!”
They’re all top-70ish universities – using rankings to unite, not to divide – which to me means they are all good. We are blessed to have such an abundance, and such a variety, of good schools.