<p>Although I am grateful that I got off the waiting list, I still do not know whether Columbia is right for me. I've read through a lot of the forums and I've gotten a load of opinions here and there. The only problem is that i have never been to Columbia (or the East Coast, let alone NYC) so by going to Columbia, everything will be new to me. Is it wise for me to attend a school that I have never visited before but only read about? </p>
<p>The positive side of UCLA is that I've visited there and live in the LA area so nothing new or shocking for me that would otherwise deter me from going there.</p>
<p>I want to visit Columbia but the waitlist only gives me until Friday to make up my mind.</p>
<p>"The positive side of UCLA is that I've visited there and live in the LA area so nothing new or shocking for me that would otherwise deter me from going there."</p>
<p>oh please, people travel across the world to study at columbia without ever having visited, college is anything but a chance to strengthen a comfort zone. You'll be fine, just be enthusiastic and open minded, and you'll fit right in. There are tons of kids from the west coast here; it's different but the adrenaline will keep you on your toes. you're coming to new york, one of the most diverse cities in the world, or as i like to call it - the capital of the universe yet not even the capital of new york state :p. there's no such thing as an outsider, if they exist, they take a week or so to adapt.</p>
<p>Oh man, I'd consider going across the country a <em>strong</em> point. Even though I feel UChicago is almost a perfect match for me (I live 30 mins. from campus and went to their Laboratory School for 5 years), I'm working my arse off so that I can get into equally good schools in places I haven't yet explored.</p>
<p>You have an opportunity to study at one of the world's greatest universities in a city that just happens to be the nerve center of the Western world--take it.</p>
<p>They couldn't have paid me enough to attend college at a school in what was basically my hometown (boston). This is your absolute best chance to get out and see the world, with relative freedom, on your own terms. It sounds like some of the realities of city life would not be foreign to you (coming from LA), and you at least had Columbia on your mind when applying.</p>
<p>My advice is to accept their offer, make your deposit, and then visit ASAP. During the summer if necessary. If you visit and stay with some kids doing summer stuff and bum around for a weekend, you may love it or hate it. If you hate it, and you take care of this during the summer, you can still go back to them and say "listen, I know I accepted your offer, but I think I would be miserable here and would just try to transfer in the fall. Can you refund my deposit and let me go back to Cali?". 90%+ chance they'd say ok. So it's low-risk to accept the offer.</p>
<p>And of course if you love it, or even just like it and want to see what it'll be like when the full undergraduate student body is there, you'll stick around for the fall and probably be very happy. What I'm saying is, unless you're also admitted to a university that you're very very interested in attending, just as much as Columbia, there's no downside to accepting Columbia's offer. If the concern really is just about the distance and the culture, that's a risk worth taking. </p>
<p>If the concern is that you don't want to turn down this other great school, we can get into a more nuanced comparison. But for strictly geographical reasons, I'd urge you not to let that be a factor. It takes guts to get on the airplane with a few bags and a new life ahead of you and not look back. But most people do that eventually, and with a far less cool destination on the other end of that plane.</p>
<p>i attended UC santa cruz for my first two years of undergrad because i felt COMFORTABLE in the city. i was accepted to a few schools on the east coast and didn't attend because i had never been there and i liked what i knew about santa cruz. i ultimately regretted my decision for this very reason. if you've been accepted to CU, take the chance! pay the deposit for both schools and then decide after you've had the opportunity to visit CU.</p>