Vandy/ND/UCLA/Cal/GW

Hello,
I was recently accepted to Vanderbilt, the University of Notre Dame, UCLA, Cal, and GW honors, and I’m having a lot of trouble deciding where to attend.

I plan on double majoring in Computer Science and Public Policy/Political Science, and eventually pursuing a career in programming/entrepreneurship, government, or consulting, and I know a lot of these schools have strong departments in both. However, I’m not sure what schools a double major across fields/schools like that would be possible.

Other factors that may come in to play are: I am an Asian Male and not catholic (but I participated in Notre Dame’s leadership seminar and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all), I do not plan on rushing (but I am a fan of partying casually), I would like to live in an urban city, I love being around people, and I plan on pursuing Model UN, Student Government, and most likely founding a start-up. I’m not certain about grad school yet, but if I do choose to attend, my dream would be Oxford for PPE (ideally as a Rhodes Scholar) or Cal/Stanford for computer science.

As far as money is concerned, Vandy/ND would cost the least, GW would cost about $10k more (I was awarded a Presidential scholarship), and UCLA/Cal would cost almost 40k more. I know Cal has extremely strong Poli-sci/Comp-sci departments, but I’m not sure that can justify such a large hike in price.

Any help on as to where I should attend would be appreciated, and I plan on posting this in the ND and Cal forums for more perspectives.

Thank You

If you mean 40k a year, you should not even be considering UCLA/Cal. That’s crazy considering the caliber of schools you’ve been accepted to. If it’s 40k over four years, well, that’s not so bad. Cal is a fantastic CS school and obviously in an excellent location for the industry, but to ask for an additional 160K is absurd for most families.

I would browse some other topics on this forum but Vanderbilt can certainly offer everything you’ve asked for. GW and Vandy both offer an urban city. Vandy is more highly regarded in both CS/Engineering, though I think GW is more highly regarded in Public Policy. These differences are probably mostly negligible as neither are leaders in the field.

For most of us, Vanderbilt’s allure is its balance across academics, social live, location, sports, etc. This is a school associated with the happiest students and high quality of life. If you are just seeking highly ranked programs in your area of study, there are better places to be.

As a parent of a Vandy Student from California, we found that the UC’s were not very accommodating of double majors or minors outside of your college or school. On the other hand, when we questioned Vanderbilt administration about the ability to major in Engineering and minor in music, they were very encouraging and said they had other students that had done it in the past. Another thing to consider with the UC’s, is that a lot of the students do not graduate in 4 years. The UC’s provide an excellent education.

If at all possible, visit the universities. They have very different cultures. There is a wide range of number of students in attendance.

In our case, we are paying more to send our Son to Vanderbilt than what it would have cost us to send him to Cal or UCLA. Vanderbilt was a much better fit for him and worth the increased cost.

I’m not sure what the problem is here. The best universities are also the least expensive with Vandy and ND. Urban campus, happy students, not Catholic, more diverse, and quality of life all tilt towards Vandy.

Vandy is a no Brainer. We have a wonderful synergy between campus and host city that is as good as it gets short of life in a major US city like Chicago, NY or Boston. My Non Greek Vandyson and his friends had a gazillion options of things to do on weekends rather than being stuck on a campus where Greek life is the only option for socially inclined students. Save your cash for the harsh realities of life post grad when you get set up in your first job somewhere…and for your post graduate degree. If you got into Vandy, you can succeed at Vandy-- which is one of the most selective schools in the nation.

I have been to ND and Vandy. Both are great schools. ND is cold. I mean holy crap cold. Five nice spring days and you go home for the summer. South Bend is yucky. Nashville is very nice. For your intended program of study, I know nothing. Nashville is growing some high tech jobs. It’s not California, but it is much better than South Bend.

bud123…agree! Makes you wonder how people bright enough for these schools can seem so clueless as to the blazingly obvious choice! Let’s see…the best school also costs the least for this applicant?? Now there is a dilemma. NOT!

Rhodes Scholar? Admirable ambition, but seems at odds with the current situation. First show clarity of thought in selecting the obvious college choice.

what Oliver said. and best to keep the Rhodes Scholar concept somewhere where it won’t cross your lips till you have a grasp of what such a nomination requires. Schools select their own nominees. Vanderbilt is a school of equals…all peers walk on with potential for merit dollars in graduate schools.

You have some very solid offers. Altho Vandy is not in DC, it has a very strong summer placement program in DC and a DC office for the university because it is one of the top employers in the state of TN and is a regional powerhouse for leadership in many fields including medicine. They take at least ten students a year and put them in good placements. Vandy-in-DC sublets apts in Arlington each summer and sometimes they run a Maymester in DC as well. Son lived with them twice and nailed down three strong DC summer internships…2 unpaid, and one paid.

That said if Public Policy is your 100% goal for immersion to the expense of your general education, and your parents can swing the extra 10 grand a year, I would at least visit GW and dig into what they can do for students re job placement with their hometown advantage in DC. GW is overpriced and doesn’t have a cohesive campus at all. The student body is not as selective and many people who lecture are experts who may not really be on faculty because of the DC wealth of experts situation.

Professors in DC colleges scatter to the four winds at night and are not around enriching your life after hours…the Four Winds would be places like the distant Maryland burbs, Fairfax County burbs in VA and other suburbs.

This always crosses my mind because after 9/11 we ran into a family whose son was residing at Georgetown. When the Pentagon was hit, few professors were on grounds and most went home, leaving the students with some Jesuits on campus to serve as support system.

This is very different from Vanderbilt, where the faculty is part of the warm and welcoming Nashville around campus…and likely living within ten minutes of campus themselves. Just a subtle difference and a trade off if you go to school in a major city like DC. I would not choose ND over Vandy or GW with your goals.

I would pick Vandy for the strength of the community and all over excellence as I think ages 18-22 are about more than climbing the ladder of success too soon.