<p>I have been talking to the coaches at Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan, William & Mary, Georgetown, UPenn, Columbia, and UC Berkeley. They are all interested in having me run cross country/track & field for their programs. Academically, they are all very strong. I am interested in studying either Business, Engineering, or Economics. I am just curious which school(s) you think I should consider the most, taking academics, athletics, and location into perspective for each.</p>
<p>Wow! those are some nice schools to choose from. Are these full head athletic scholarships from any of these schools?</p>
<p>Have you visited any of these schools?</p>
<p>I would choose Columbia…but that’s just my opinion…others will differ. :)</p>
<p>hmmm…I’m thinking that the ivies probably aren’t athletic scholarships…right?</p>
<p>So, is money going to be an issue at any of these schools?</p>
<p>I am allowed to take 5 official visits. I already took one to Virginia Tech back in October and I plan on taking 4 in January/February which will definitely help me decide. Scholarships for running are pretty rare, but a few have hinted at partial scholarships. Ivies cannot give out athletic scholarships, but their financial aid is very nice and Columbia actually gave me a pre-scan to tell me how much money they expect they would be able to give me and all other Ivies must match that if I am interested in attending there as well. UC Berkeley told me upfront they would not be able to give me a scholarship because they do not have a lot of money to toss around for out-of-state athletes, but money should not be a problem.</p>
<p>I really like the sound of Columbia in New York City and Berkeley in California, but I can’t wait to visit all the schools and see how I fit in.</p>
<p>Of your list, being an athlete at Penn would be the most enticing to me. Penn is much larger than Columbia. As a recruited athlete, you might be able to swing classes at Wharton, or even transfer into Wharton.</p>
<p>I would take Berkeley off the list. Not worth the $50K with no aid. Is Columbia like NYU where you’re bussed out of the city to practice? If yes, it may not be a great choice. Why not see if Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell are interested? Pretty places to run.</p>
<p>I also have to take in consideration the caliber of the running programs. Cornell and Dartmouth may be great places to run, but they don’t compare to Berkeley, Georgetown, and William & Mary who were all nationally ranked and made it to NCAA’s this year. As for Princeton, they ran very well this year and after talking to the coach it never seemed to branch off into anything promising.</p>
<p>Going to Berkeley out-of-state would be about $40K, but the coaches had me fill out a financial aid pre-read form and I’m sure that will bump down the price a good bit. Money is not really a major concern in my college decision.</p>
<p>Columbia is actually really close to Central Park where most practices are held, but they also bus the runners to Rockefeller State Park on weekends. And during the winter they have access to The Armory indoor track, which is one of the nicest indoor tracks in the nation.</p>
<p>I will have to take a visit to Penn. The location seems nice, but the team is not as competitive in cross country as some of the other schools I am looking at. But in the end, it is all about where I will feel the most comfortable.</p>
<p>I like the sound of California weather and the Berkeley campus seems very nice. Plus the overall athletic environment at Berkeley is amazing. They are very competitive in not only running, but in many other D1 sports, unlike a lot of the Ivy schools.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are taking the things important to you into consideration which is good. One thing to also consider is what kind of job you might want after graduation. It will be difficult to work in investment banking, for example, and continue your running, even on a “just-for-fun” basis. The California and Pennsylvania work environments are good ones for integrating an outside life with a work life, depending, of course, on which company you choose to work for. I think Berkeley and Penn have a better reputation in business and engineering than the other schools on your list, too. Berkeley would be a great place weather-wise to run, too. However, personally, I feel the class sizes at Berkeley rule against it. Academically, I’m leaning toward Penn.</p>