<p>This is a decision I feel I may have to make. I've already gotten into USC, UVA should be close to a sure thing in-state, I'm relatively confident about UNC (based on who from my school has gotten in in the past), and Harvey Mudd I don't really know, but I figure I have the best shot at it of my reaches.</p>
<p>I'm leaning toward chemistry as a major right now. Where would you go and why? Money may make affect my decision, but I want to get an idea regardless of price right now. </p>
<p>Sports and size seem to make Harvey Mudd the odd one out of that group, but sports are more something I would take advantage of if available, but aren't crucial to my decision, and the surrounding Claremont colleges make me much more comfortable about being in a tiny school. So I don't really want to use either of those as eliminating factors. </p>
<p>If you get into Harvey Mudd, I would go there.</p>
<p>Otherwise I would go to USC because of the individual support you can receive at a private university as well as the fact that it's on the opposite coast and college is a good time to try something new. It's also slightly more selective than the others. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>You really haven't provided enough information on exactly what you want out of a school. If you care most about academics, then choose Harvey Mudd. It's academics are exceptional. But, only choose Harvey Mudd if you are absolutely sure you want to go into Chemistry (or Biology, Physics, CS, Math, Mathematical Biology, or Engineering). </p>
<p>UNC, USC, and UVA all do have exceptional sports. HMC by itself would have terrible sports, but we are part of CMS (Claremont Mckenna, Mudd, and Scripps). CMS is pretty good for D3 and if you want to hang around with a lot of jocks you can go to CMC.</p>
<p>I wouldn't consider getting into Mudd a sure bet for anyone, so you might not want to really get your heart set on it until you get the thick envelope. USC is a pretty selective school and it's a good sign that you got in, but Mudd is more selective.</p>
<p>Well I certainly don't consider HMC a sure bet, I just think that of my reaches (HMC, Brown, Penn) it's the one I'm most likely to get into, so I might as well throw it into the debate.</p>
<p>I'm not certain about chemistry, but I am certain about math/science (or HMC wouldn't be on the radar at all), but outside of that I don't really know what I want. I don't think I'll be a huge partier, but I haven't been to college yet so I don't know about that one. As far as whether or not it's in a city, again I'm sure I'd visit frequently if I was near one (as in USC and HMC), but it's certainly not an absolute necessity. Same with the coast; being at UVA or UNC would mean I could visit home a lot, but being on the west coast means I could see my relatives much more than I do now, and would be more of an adventure. I understand that every one of these schools has its upsides and downsides, I'm just wondering if there's any sort of general consensus over which school to go (or not go) to.</p>
<p>UNC, UVA and USC are all pretty equal and similar. I'd say UVa, followed by UNC and then USC. HMC is completely different. If you get into HMC, you will have to decide what sort of environment you want and pick your college based on that.</p>
<p>Which, if any, of these schools have you visited? Have any of your visits been post-acceptance (or will/can they be)?</p>
<p>For me, visiting schools after I knew I'd been accepted made everything much more clear. I was able to shift my focus a little bit from "Could I go to school here?" to "Could I live here?" In my mind, the questions are not far apart in terms of their importance. </p>
<p>Not sure if visiting CA (again?) would be a possibility, but perhaps you could go back to UVA, UNC, and local reaches that might happen to accept you. Just a suggestion.</p>
<p>Let me see if I can help you. I went to UNC; my son goes to USC; and, I lived in Virginia for 15 years and my son was accepted to UVA. I know nothing about Harvey Mudd. </p>
<p>I'm a parent so I see it from a financial point of view. If money is an issue clearly UVA is your best bet unless you receive one of USC's large scholarships. We had the Virginia prepaid tuition plan and with that I figured that the cost of 1.5 to 2 years at USC equals 4 years at UVA. OOS tuition at UNC is constantly increasing, but it's a great school. I met my wife there and our son was accepted. We would have gladly paid the OOS tuition, but it didn't have the program he wanted.</p>
<p>It's a hard choice, but I don't think you can make a mistake here. UNC and UVA are large, research institutions with strong undergraduate programs. USC is a medium to large private research university with lots and lots of money. The campus is immaculate; nothing run down. The weather there is warm. It has a number of world class programs. UNC and USC are pretty much equal in the rankings. USC is on the rise. UVA is slightly ahead. I don't see many differences there. </p>
<p>I think it may come down to the elusive "feel" thing or what you want to study recognizing of course that there is a high likelihood that you will change your mind on that once you get to college.</p>
<p>tsdad, with 17,000 undergrads, USC is larger than UVa (13,500 undergrads) and about the same size as UNC (16,500 undergrads). Overal, USC is larger than both because it has a huge graduate school. </p>
<p>In terms of money, UVa, with an endowment of $3.6 billion, is actually wealthier than USC, which has a 3.1 billion. UNC isn't quite as wealthy as either, but with an endowment of 2.1 billion, UNC isn't exactly hurting.</p>
<p>I think it boils down to preference. Academically, UVA and UNC are generally considered better than USC. However, the difference is only marginal. If one likes a big city campus, where the city dwarfs the campus, USC is an ideal choice. If one prefers a college town environment where the city caters to the university, UVa and UNC are hard to match.</p>
<p>True as to the number of students but the USC's University Park Campus, where undergraduates are located, is much smaller in physical size than UNC, UVA, and especially UCLA. It has a small campus feel. As to the difference in money--UVA has been at it longer than USC and, as with its academics, it ability to raise money is clearly on the rise under President Sample. </p>
<p>I wasn't trying to push USC. I have strong loyalties to Carolina. Too bad the OP isn't interested in my employer, UW-Madison, I would be more than happy to push its virtues. </p>
<p>But tsdad, like all state universities, UVa did not start developing its endowment until the 1990s. Do you realize that in 1992, USC's endowment stood at $600 million, compated to UVa's which stood at $550 million? Over the last 15 years, UVa's endowment has grown at a more rapid rate than USC's.</p>
<p>I surrender. You win. I think we both agree that the difference between the schools is fairly minimal, and the choice is where the student thinks he/she would be happiest.</p>
<p>Hehe! Yes, that we can agree on. I think UVa and UNC are better but the difference is marginal. I would definitely go for fit...and financial sense.</p>