Hi everyone,
I’m having trouble choosing a school. I was lucky enough to be accepted to the ones mentioned in the title. I was given the Trustee scholarship at usc which is full tuition (I would be left with about $12,000 per year to pay, but I plan to appeal that), I was accepted at Dartmouth and would have to pay $4,500 per year, Vandy for $2,200 per year, and I’m not sure about Georgetown yet.
I am from a big city and I love cities, but I don’t think that a rural school would kill me. I want to study something business/economics related with the idea of going into finance or consulting in the future (and maybe something entertainment related if I went to USC). I am very social and I absolutely love USC, but hey aren’t giving me as much money as the others and I am not sure about turning down a school as good as Dartmouth.
I’m just looking for any suggestions as to which schools present a good student life and good career opportunities after graduation.
Thank you for any input!
Well for Wall Street, Dartmouth is the best choice.
You could work in music business in Nashville or in entertainment in LA.
Georgetown is great for gov’t and IR placement, but there must also be Finance/business jobs in DC.
You have three urban campuses and one that is quite rural – Dartmouth is the outlier here.
Socially, Dartmouth is known for having a large Greek scene and a robust party scene overall. Things are a bit more low-key at Vandy, but there is plenty to do in Nashville and the school also has a strong Greek presence.
You have big-time sports at USC and Vandy (especially USC football), while Georgetown and Dartmouth are D1 in some sports and 1AA in others. Georgetown has quite a proud men’s basketball program.
I would say, paying $10000ish more fur USC than Dartmouth or Vanderbilt doesn’t make much sense to me unless you feel that USC fits you much better. For academics I think Dartmouth, Vandy and Georgetown are probably all a bit stronger than USC overall, though USC is thought by many to be improving. I might give Dartmouth a very slight edge over Vandy and Georgetown, and those two are a bit stronger than USC.
Think about weather, campus size and layout, and try to get info on dorms and food – those things can enhance or make your experience more difficult.
So far the cost edge goes to Dartmouth and Vandy, with Georgetown pending. They may all end up being affordable for you, but you could use cost as a tiebreaker.