Hey CC! I’ve been a prowler of this site during the whole application process but just got around to making an account. As of yesterday, I have finally got all my decisions in, and have narrowed down my choices to these three schools (I’ve been admitted to all).
I’m going to try and visit them in the next month, but I just wanted to get a preliminary opinion from ya’ll of the pro/cons of each of the programs. I plan to major in Math/applied math, and try to get a minor or double major in Economics. Right after college, I see myself working in the finance sector for some time (hopefully with some application of data science or other quantitative tools), and then going to grad school (if the finance thing pans out, then MBA, if not, then Masters or JD).
If anyone knows about how those plans would fit into these schools, or about any other factors that could help differentiate these schools, that would be super cool.
Thanks,
-Excited Applicant
Stanford has the best overall reputation by a small margin, but the difference is not huge enough to make up for fit factors - and each of these schools is VERY different. If you are very pre-professional, Stanford or Columbia would probably make more sense than UChicago. Each of these campuses is VERY different than the other, so visit if you can and see what you think. The culture will also be very different at each of these schools. All three are target schools for high finance gigs, with Stanford having the small advantage.
Congratulations. All are outstanding options. Any significant difference in cost ?
Is there any difference with respect to their actual math programs?
Haha no i got no aid from any of them
What wonderful choices! Before you do your visits, contact the head of the math department at each one. My son is a math major (probably either double major or minor with C/S and economics - big data/quant type) at UChicago now, but when he was deciding between colleges, he found it very helpful to talk directly to the math heads at each one. The correspondence first via email and then in person during his visits was invaluable in making a choice and he still enjoys those relationships today. He is absolutely loving and thriving at UChicago so that was the right choice for him, but each person is different and you should try to see which one will fit you best.
As for which one will fit your plans best, from what we saw any one of those three will provide you a fantastic education with myriad opportunities in the finance sector or good chance at top notch grad school placement. Although I agree that for many degree concentrations UChicago is less pre-professional and more theoretical than Columbia and Stanford, this is not true for math and their econ department is always one of the best in the world. You will have zero problems working in the industry of your choice with a math degree from UChicago as its grads are in very hot demand. My son has more than one friend studying math that chose UChicago over MIT for the quality of the math department.
It all comes back to fit, though, since each of these colleges is so strong and provides its own great opportunities. Talk to the math department heads, visit the campuses, make your choice knowing that with these options it would be hard to go wrong.
No bad choice. They are going to have different vibes. Do you care about the weather, and do you want rah rah sports? Stanford. Want to be in a super intellectual and possibly nerdy environment? Chicago (nerds are cool, btw.) Want the urban glitz of a city? Columbia. Me personally, I would choose Stanford, but not because it’s Stanford. I would hate to live in either Chicago or NYC, no offense to those city lovers.
In your shoes, I’d consider the feel of the student body and campus. Use Niche to narrow down; it’s a good site for student opinions. You are going to be crazily rushed trying to visit all three in a month.