We are a California, SF Bay area family. Our kid is trying to decide between Northwestern, Upenn or USC.
All schools will be full tuition so the finances will not influence the decision.
Our kid does not know what he wants to do, he is undeclared.
He is very quantitative with great Math and Physics background. He is not a nerd though.
USC is very familiar to him as he has a sister there. He visits USC about three times a year and he even helped his sister move to the dorms as a freshman and junior and to off campus leaving in her Junior year.
We love the trojan family and it would be awesome to add another member. He likes the Viterbi school of engineering as a potential move from undeclared to Industrial Engineering with Business as a minor.
USC does not have a wind ensemble for non music majors and that bothers him. He plays the clarinet at a high level and belongs to some prestigious wind ensemble. Hard to believe that the school from the entertainment capital of the world limits the Music to only music majors.
USC will be an easy transition and he will remain and develop his network in CA.
He loved Chicago and Northwestern. He sees himself in Chicago and thinks that the weather is not a factor for him. Hard to image from a kid who wears T shirts and shorts almost all year round in CA. He loved Northwestern and loves the fact that he could study Engineering and play Music. Northwestern has a wind ensemble for non-music majors and they travel overseas, awesome! . A big plus for him. He visited the school during the fall so he has never experienced the inclement weather 6 months out of the year. At Northwestern his network may end up in the midwest. I guess with the cost of housing in the Bay Area he may never come back. Unless he really hates the 'great" weather in Chicago.
He has never visited UPenn but it has the cache and prestige of being and Ivy and he thinks that if he chooses Upenn he may end up studying economics and Physics. They also have a wind ensemble.
He likes the bragging rights of going to UPenn
Going out of State to IL or PA can be a big change and a big character building.
Hard to decide… He is all over the place…
Northwestern University has a substantial network in California. I suspect that Penn does as well. In fact, Northwestern & Penn are well represented on both coasts. NU probably adds Chicago because of its location.
USC is home, but he will have to sacrifice his substantial music ability & passion.
I agree that going away from home is a plus.
P.S. It is very easy to switch majors & schools at Northwestern University according to NU students who have posted within the last several months on CC.
He can’t go wrong as you already know but I would go with UPenn for the school itself, the name recognition, the music opportunity, and to have his own adventure. If he can visit when school is in session that would make it easier to decide
Northwestern has two unique programs that are tailor-made for people that love math and business at the same time. One is MMSS and another is Kellogg certification programs. You should check it out. Its econ and industrial engineering are ranked higher than those other two. Its music school is also the best among the three but at the same time supports opportunities for non majors, as you already found out.
If you have acceptances on hand, and you truly have no real money issues and are happy to be full pay, I have to ask why he isn’t visiting U Penn to check it out right now? Plan the trip right, and you could slip in a winter visit to Northwestern as well.
How could you already have early acceptances already from UPenn and Northwestern which have early decision only (you would only be able to hang on to one of those acceptances…actually you should not have applied ED to two schools)? USC has NO ED or EA programs.
So…what year in high school is your student? And if a senior who applied regular decision to all three of these…I would suggest you wait for an acceptance letter before you try to decide where to attend.
If he is a junior…again…wait to see where he gets accepted. These schools are not a slam dunk for admissions.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
If your son is a junior, I would suggest you visit Northwestern and Penn during the dead of winter. Like maybe about now.
From your other thread it sounds like your son is a senior. If he hasn’t been accepted to these schools it’s probably not helpful to spend time debating which one to choose. What if he makes a choice but isn’t accepted? I think that would make the rejection more difficult to accept. High stats and full pay are a boost, but they’re not a guarantee of acceptance.
Personally I think Northwestern’s quarter system is perfect for an undecided student because there are more opportunities for more classes. The opportunities available for music are amazing.
That said, it was near 50 yesterday and this morning it’s in the single digits with a windchill of -6. The weather in winter is not for the faint of heart.
It is premature to worry about this until he is accepted. After he gets his acceptances, he should try to visit on the admitted student days. Penn and NU have different environments (urban/suburban) and college visits are very important before making the decision. Chicago is much more colder/windier than Philly.
I must dispel the rumor of nice April weather in Chicago----certainly ‘nicer’ relative to the winter months, but still not commonly lovely in April (on average cold, gray, and windy), especially on the lakefront like NU
My son decided to go with Northwestern. He loved the place and thinks it is the best fit.
He will be pursuing Industrial Engineering and Economics. Double majoring at NU is very easy. Furthermore, he will be joining the NU wind ensemble. We are starting to drink the purple Kool-Aid. Go Wild Cats!
He was accepted at Upenn, UCLA, Berkeley, and Sophomore admit as a Trojan Legacy transfer plan at USC. Disappointed about USC.
Hopefully, he will stay at NU all four years
I’d go to Northwestern. You’re getting everything you could possibly ask for - elite academics (NU is ranked #10, ahead of 3 of the Ivies), gorgeous setting, upscale location, Big Ten sports, Chicago right in your backyard, thriving social atmosphere. Penn is nice but it is not in the safest area. USC is also in a tough area of South Central LA and besides, does’t close to the same ranking/reputation as NU.