Which college to go to?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi guys, </p>

<p>My university (RSM Erasmus in Holland) is offering me to opportunity to study abroad for 6 months and I've decided that I want to to go the US. I have never been to the US so I don't really know what the cities are like. My question is what do you think is the best university and how do you feel about the city/town where the university is located?
These are the universities I can go to: </p>

<p>Emory University, Druid Hills
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ohio State, Columbus
UNC, Chapel Hill
USC, LA
University of Texas, Austin
University of Washington, Seattle</p>

<p>Thanks in advance</p>

2

<p>Those are all outstanding universities and excellent locations. I’d personally like Ann Arbor, Chapel Hill and Austin and Seattle. Since you won’t own your own vehicle, you’ll want to consider the availability of public transportation (I’ve heard it can be difficult in LA) or the need for transportation (may not be essential in Chapel Hill). Druid Hills is a suburb of Atlanta, about 7 miles from the city center, so cheap transportation there might be hard.</p>

3

<p>i have a west coast bias so i would vote for USC or UW. it’s true that public transportation isn’t the best in LA but… you’re in LA. there are just so many things to do. also seattle is a really beautiful city with lots of cool things to do and see as well.</p>

4

<p>Those are such great options!
What do you like to do for fun? How important is weather to you?</p>

5

<p>Excellent choices. I personally go to UNC-Chapel Hill and absolutely love it here, but the other schools you have listed are great as well. I’ll be happy to post some details about Chapel Hill a bit later though when I’m not so busy.</p>

6

<p>USA is BIG, and as an ambassador, I want you to pick one that gives you a well-rounded “taste” of the USA. First, they are all great schools. Lifestyle, population, and culture are dramatically different each place:</p>

<p>UW/Seattle is beautiful. Purple mountains majesty. Lakes, rivers, and sea. Kinda gray and wet climate-wise. Techy area. Casual. Probably the most “European” of your choices as far as flavor. Nice people. A safe comfortable choice.</p>

<p>USC/LA: Beautiful weather almost everyday. It’s LA! It’s congested and an expensive place to live. But it’s Hollywood dreams & glamour at its best, and people laid to waste at its worst. Not what I would call a “Taste of the Real America”, but you will have a ton of stories to tell when you get home, leaving your listeners wide-eyed with their mouths agape.</p>

<p>UT/Austin: Texas thinks it’s its own country, and it kind of is. You will meet only Texans. Texans generally don’t leave Texas, and when they do, they are sent home. GW Bush is from Connecticut, but thinks he’s a Texan. You are more likely to meet people from Mexico or Central America than you are to meet someone from the North or East or West. If you believe that part of the college experience should be an honest, intellectual exchange of ideas and cultures, this place is NOT for you. They really don’t care about your ideas or your culture. Many might not even pretend to be. If you ask a philosophical question, you’ll get a folksy response, normally a Biblical quote combined with “if ya ain’t cheatin’, ya ain’t tryin’.” Texans are smug in their ignorance. Next.</p>

<p>Emory is near Atlanta, or Hot-lanta as it’s called. Unique place. In Atlanta, there are corporate centers staffed by transplants from all over the country. The natives of the region are known for Southern politeness, hospitality, pride, and warmth. Just outside the region are Proud Rednecks. Look up “Rednecks” or Jeff Goldsworthy on youtube before you come here. Or picture this: in Europe, it’s Formula I auto racing. In Atlanta, it’s NASCAR stock car racing. Outside Atlanta, it’s Tractor Pulls and Demolition Derby. At Emory, they act like they are above it all, but inside, they bleed it. One possible downside of Emory is the lack of competitive sports. Sports as well as academics are HUGE at the other schools on your list. Heck, many students attend the other schools BECAUSE they rooted for their football or basketball or baseball teams.</p>

<p>NC Chapel Hill is nice. Moderate climate, 4 seasons. The beach is a drive away. Decidedly Southern (see Emory below), but many Northerners and Midwesterners travel there as well. Part of the Research Triangle, formerly known as Tobacco Road. Great educational area. Nice diversity. You’ll learn to hate the rich kids from Duke. Basketball and soccer (mens and womens) are a big part of campus life. </p>

<p>That leaves Ohio State and Michigan. Two Major Rivals in everything. Both of which are “Middle America”. You will experience all four seasons: Cold to bitterly cold snowy winters and hot summers, changing leaves in Spring and Fall. Both campuses pull from all over the country. Both are from proud industrial regions that have fallen on hard knocks recently. Both highly diverse campuses from all segments of America. Between the two, if you were my kid, I’d pick Michigan although it’s colder. I’ve been to both places , and I can’t tell you why, but I get warmer & fuzzier with Michigan. Maybe because my alleries are worse in Ohio. Football (American football, that is) games at these schools have 100,000+ in attendance.</p>

<p>By the way, in Ohio they have the Amish, sometimes called the “Pennsylvania Dutch”. They are not “Dutch” at all; they are “Deutsch”, or Germans who have for generations traditionally foresaken a modern life (no autos or television). They farm and travel by horse and buggy.</p>

<p>My final tallies (again, the main criteria is shariing with you the Taste for the “Real America”, whatever that is, and expanding your horizons):</p>

<p>Michigan
NC Chapel Hill
Washington
Emory</p>

<p>USC</p>

<p>Texas</p>

<p>Good luck! Sterkte en Succes! Enjoy your stay in the USA! Try to get to Chicago, a great American City as well as NYC and DC, just to say you were there.</p>

7

<p>Thanks all for your replies. The comparison has made it somewhat easier to narrow down the list. From what I’ve learned so far I’ll probably drop Emory, as I really want to experience the whole “college sport” vibe, Austin, I’d like to meet some other people, who are more open minded, than just Texans and Ohio State (somehow doesn’t attract me at all).</p>

<p>Cuse, can you give me some info about the town and UNC, academic and athletic wise?</p>

8

<p>If you want “open-minded”, you will want to explore UT further…it’s a really great college town. I think UNC is great, too.</p>

9

<p>I would suggest rethinking UT-Austin as well. Austin is different than the stereotype of Texas given by SpacemanEd. It’s an interesting place (“Live Music Capital of the World”, “Keep Austin Weird” etc.) often described as the Texas city for people who don’t like Texas cities. The city and the school are a relatively liberal bastion in the state.</p>

10

<p>best combination of quality city/school for 6 months in ranking order:</p>

<p>UT - Austin - good school, good location, fun, nice weather for winter
USC - LA - good school, decent location, nice weather for winter
UM-Ann Arbor - good school, good location, fun, snow, cold witter
UW-Seattle - decent school, good location, fun, rain during winter
UNC -Chapel Hill - decent school, decent location, fun, moderate winter</p>

11

<p>It seems like everybody but SpacemanEd likes UT, I guess I’ll have to rethink it. I just have this image of Texas in my head of cowboys and shotguns, I blame tv. I also would like to know what do you feel is better/more fun, to study in a college town (ann arbor, unc) or in a city?</p>

12

<p>USC. You’re coming to the United States for a foreign experience! It would be a waste of time and money to come here when all there is to do is study. </p>

<p>UNC and Michigan are great schools in humdrum everday America (whatever that is) but they don’t offer the sights or attractions tourists want to see. </p>

<p>Los Angeles is a city pulsating with life and excitement! The night life is incredible. The parties are wild. The girls are beautiful. It’s everything a college student would ever hope for.</p>

<p>Los Angeles is an experience you can carry with you for the rest of your life.</p>

13

<p>UNC is more than just “decent”, it is a top 5 public and is very well known in the academic world.</p>

<p>As far as Chapel Hill goes, the city is small but it is a great college town. Lots of bars, restaurants, small shops, etc. owned by local residents. Huge sports town, with basketball usually being the most followed sport but football has been making a comeback lately. Like I said, Chapel Hill isn’t large, but it is close to everything you could want in a location. Raleigh, a large city, is just 25 minutes away and has been ranked as the top city in the US for jobs and economic growth. The beach is two hours to the east, and the mountains are two hours to the west. This may seem far at first glance, but plenty of student organizations take advantage of the location and go down to the shore on certain weekends. The climate is moderate, hot in the summer and cool in the winter, and it snows about one or two times per year. Honestly, I love it here, and couldn’t see myself going anywhere else.</p>

14

<p>What a fun post. All are super schools. I think Emory has the smallest number of students. All (incl Emory-?) are big rah-rah sports schools- that’ll be something to experience in the US, primarily our football and basketball . I mostly agree with everything said here, just a few adds: Seattle and our Pacific Northwest are known for the Microsofts and high-tech industry. Usually interesting folks. Can be a rainy area. Texas has it’s share of cowboys, sure, but the main cities can be rather cosmopolitan- wealthy, smart folks, lots of culture. Personally, would x-off Ohio; to expand your experience, you’re need to travel quite far. Really, take a look at maps/mapquest to get an idea of how far some of these places are from other sights you might like to see.
All that being said, of Europeans I knew who had studied in the US, the ones who were most excited had gone to NYC, WA or…LOS ANGELES! Imagine, 30 minutes from the beach, 2 hrs from Mexico, 7 hours from San Francisco, (perhaps our most beautiful city,) huge variety of cultures, palm trees, an occasional movie star. Ha. USC is not in a great neighborhood, LA has certain social and crime issues. Whichever you choose, you will enjoy. Thatnks for letting us all rave a bit.</p>

15

<p>All are very good schools. All offer active campuses with major sports.</p>

<p>My suggestion is that LA and Seattle are much larger cities than the others, with much more going on in addition to college life and much more cosmopolitan. From Seattle, Vancouver and Alaska are very accessible. From LA, Mexico, wine country, the Pacific Ocean, Hollywood, San Francisco, Las Vegas, the desert, national parks–I would place it first.</p>

<p>Enjoy your stay here and welcome!</p>

16

<p>I would recommend USC. </p>

<p>I was born in Europe and lived there, and now live in US. Traveled all over America and settled down in Southern California. The best “American” experience would be Los Angeles. Great school and great city.
Best of luck on your choice.</p>

17

<p>Thanks a lot for all your help and advice! I’m most attracted to USC, UW and UT, because they are in larger cities and are big in sports, unlike Emory. My first choice will probably be USC as, like some said, there is a lot to do in the city itself and I’ve also heard some good stories about SF.</p>

18

<p>You need to understand that the neighborhood right around USC is very urban.
We lived in downtown LA for a while and I love it, but you will need to be prepared for that. On the weekends, you can head out to the beach for fun.</p>

19

<p>DT LA is alright but not the most desirable CBD to live in. Most of the tourist attractions and fun hot spots are west of LA and the beach is still an hour away from DT. The USC college and campus is safe but the surrounding area is pretty desolate and semi industrial.</p>

<p>Realize that I rated the schools from the choices available and did not mean to intend that UNC was a ‘decent’ ie not so great college, just for clarification. Personally, I would choose UNC over UW for choice of schools but would choose Seattle over Chapel Hill for choice of cities to live in. I’m not a big Texas fan but UT is not your average Texas town. In the past ten years I’d say Austin has risen from big college town to college city now! UM and UT are still both TOP schools in FUN places to live.</p>

20

<p>Seattle - lots of rain, great music scene. The University District is a great area. There are many quirky aspects to Seattle, great places all over. I have been to LA, currently live there now, and prefer Seattle, hands down.</p>