Which colleges would you remove from my list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm currently planning to apply to fourteen colleges, and filling out the applications is a huge pain. Below, I've listed my prospective colleges (ordered by preference) with my reasons for choosing them. Could you suggest a few that you think I should remove from my list?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Brown University (ED) - Brown's focus on independent, self-motivated learning (i.e., the open curriculum) really appeals to me. Everyone in my classes would actually want to be in them...and that's just amazing. The ability to explore in the open curriculum also appeals to me since I don't really know what STEM field I want to concentrate in. Finally, the undergraduate focus makes Brown seem less intimidating than, say, Caltech. I also love the RISD connection. The one thing that worries me is that Brown's academics may not be on par with MIT/Caltech; I've also noticed that only 26% of students go on to graduate school.</p></li>
<li><p>California Institute of Technology - Caltech is on my list for one reason: academics. Nothing else about it (besides the appearance) really appeals to me, but taking quantum mechanics freshman year would be amazing. I've been bored by so many of my classes (including highest-level math/physics dual enrollment classes), so Caltech's rigor would be nice, too. Also, I love studying theoretical subjects (e.g., pure math, theoretical computer science, quantum physics), so Caltech's academic focus is also a good fit for me. Also, Feynman is my hero. Not a fan of food/houses, graduate focus, location, or weather, though.</p></li>
<li><p>Massachusetts Institute of Technology - I fell in love with this school when I visited in eighth grade. The "mind and hand" motto is a bit too applied for me, but the engineering stuff can be pretty interesting (e.g., robotics). My second visit to campus reminded me how much I love the surrounding area, with awesome bookstores (MIT Press!), cool buildings, and an awesome city that could watch me play building-tetris. I've taken a lot of MIT OCW courses in high school, and most (but not all) of the lecturers seem pretty good.</p></li>
<li><p>University of Chicago - Love the city and campus, especially the nearby coffee shops and bookstores. Everyone seems friendly and intellectual, and the theoretical approach (evidenced by no non-molecular engineering) is, again, very appealing. They also sent me a lot of quirky postcards, and I really want to participate in ScavHunt. The school has a "vibe" that really attracts me. To me, the Core Curriculum is a major negative, though, and the UChicago presenters have been subpar.</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford University - Incredible math/cs/physics departments, with some of my favourite professors in the whole wide world (e.g., Michio Kaku). The campus is beautiful, and I love the proximity to Silicon Valley. I wasn't a big fan when I visited (everyone looked miserable/bad tour guide), and they focus too much on entrepreneurship, but the "intellectual vitality" appeals to me. Plus, Stanford is very homeschool-friendly, so I think I've got a decent shot at being admitted.</p></li>
<li><p>University of California at Berkeley (OoS) - I love the location/campus, and the academics are extremely strong, especially relative to the acceptance rate. They are world-class in all of my favourite fields, but I've never been a fan of public colleges (somehow, they feel different), and they don't sound very flexible. I've got a couple of incredibly intelligent friends who go here, and it'd be cool to see them again.</p></li>
<li><p>Harvey Mudd College - Everyone seemed quirky, interesting, and friendly (except our tour guide). I love the Claremont Consortium structure. Mudd seems to have a really strong mathematics program, and the "Clinic" also looks interesting. I like the undergraduate focus, but I'm afraid the lack of graduate-level courses would be hard to swallow. Also, the warts are hideous.</p></li>
<li><p>Pomona College - The Claremont Consortium gives me access to Mudd, but Pomona seemed to have a nicer campus, happier students, and better food. Also, I'm really interested in the 3-2 programs with Caltech and Columbia as they seem like a nice way to double major across campuses.</p></li>
<li><p>Wesleyan College - I haven't visited yet (unfortunately, I won't be able to until after applications are due), but I've heard that it's a lot like a smaller Brown, and Wesleyan students have done quite well in physics competitions. I also like the four-year film series, as well as the potential for a five-year double-degree, and they seem to be relatively homeschool-friendly. Again, they have the awesome 3-2 programs with Caltech and Columbia. I'm not a big fan of the small-town location, though.</p></li>
<li><p>Oberlin College - Haven't visited yet, but I will soon. More opportunities for 3-2 programs, a cool campus, and an interesting, offbeat student body put Oberlin on my list. I haven't had much experience with art or music in high school, but I'd like to explore them at Oberlin. The science department seems relatively strong. Cons: not very homeschool-friendly, Cleveland sucks (from what I've heard/seen on Google StreetView), and my parents think it's too liberal. </p></li>
<li><p>Reed College - Going to Reed for a 3-2 program sounds really cool. They have more flexibility with their 3-2 programs, and the difficult/grade-deflated classes seem like a good foundation for a graduate education. I also like that Reed has a huge percentage of students going to grad school, and the location is cool. I've heard drugs are rampant on campus, which <em>might</em> make me uncomfortable (only because it's illegal) and would <em>definitely</em> drive my parents crazy. Portland is cool, though.</p></li>
<li><p>University of Southern California - I like cities. USC feels like a city. They've got cool egg drops, and they build driver-less cars. The tour guide at USC was the best ever, and he made school spirit (something I dread) sound fun. The film program is so amazing that I might opt for a film minor if I choose to attend. Also, I get the NMS half-tuition scholarship. On the negative side, they don't seem very academically flexible, and they like sports too much.</p></li>
<li><p>University of Washington - Applying to UW as a homeschooler is a pain, but it has extremely strong academics (esp. in my fields of study) for its acceptance rate. I like the location, but I don't like that UW is a massive public school. I consider UW a semi-safety.</p></li>
<li><p>Case Western Reserve University (EA) - CWRU is my true safety. They offer good merit scholarships, and applying early action will allow me to choose a less selective safety (i.e., guaranteed admission) if I am rejected or deferred. The location isn't my favorite, but the academics seem fairly strong. I'll be visiting soon.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>By the way, I'm planning to single- or double-major in some combination of mathematics, computer science, and physics. In the future, I'm hoping to go into some field like quantum computing or quantum loop gravity, but I might wind up in the computer science industry. You can find my stats here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1688121-chances-for-brown-caltech-mit-uchicago-stanford-etc-will-chance-back-w-detailed-comments.html#latest"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1688121-chances-for-brown-caltech-mit-uchicago-stanford-etc-will-chance-back-w-detailed-comments.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Sorry for the word vomit and typos. :)</p>

2

<p>You have checked all of the schools’ net price calculators to make sure that they are affordable? Berkeley won’t offer financial aid for the out-of-state additional tuition.</p>

<p>Also note that many majors at Washington are impacted, so it may be difficult to enter or change to those majors if you enter the school in a different major or undeclared.</p>

<p>3+2 programs appear to be only rarely completed by transfer, perhaps because the students do not want to leave their “3” schools, or are not admitted or do not get enough financial aid at the “2” schools.</p>

3

<p>Students rarely use 3-2 options, it isn’t a great reason to pick a school. They tend to be settled in by junior year and don’t want to leave their school, or change their major anyway. So all those schools you are admiring for their 3-2 program – consider dropping some of those.</p>

<p>And the idea that you would be bored at Harvey Mudd is laughable. I do not think there has EVER been a student at Mudd who has been bored.</p>

<p>One thing about applying to 14 schools is that not only are the apps a pain, but all the financial aid paperwork is a nightmare. Especially if there is any complexity to your parents finances. Every school wants different forms via a different method of providing them on different dates. That would be another good reason to drop a few schools.</p>

4

<p>I would get rid of two schools-- 12 and 13. They seem like outliers compared to the other schools on your list in terms of size,
campus life, and local atmosphere.</p>

5

<p>@ucbalumnus @intparent‌ </p>

<p>On the other hand, if I am happy enough to stay at the “3” school for another year, then I would consider my education a success. I am planning to attend graduate school, so going to a lesser-known undergraduate school (e.g., Oberlin) wouldn’t hurt me if I decided to enter the computer science industry. If I feel that the “3” school will sufficiently prepare me for graduate school, and I don’t have a burning desire to attend Caltech or Columbia for two years, then I might not participate in the 3-2 program. It’s a nice option to have, though, especially at Reed, which does not have a computer science major.</p>

6

<p>One school that seems to be missing is CMU. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about doing 3 + 2 if I went to any of these 3+2 programs since you’re going to go to grad school anyway. Major in math or physics and go to grad school for some engineering. </p>

<p>Numbers 9, 10, 12, and 13 could go because they won’t have many of the kinds of students you’d like to tetris with. If you could convince Reed you want to go there, all of these and Case could be disposed of.</p>

7

<p>If you like Reed, I’d recommend Grinnell. They are very similar to Reed in terms of intellectual vibe, “quirky” student body, pretty liberal. Plus, Grinnell also has a computer science major. Also, Grinnell also tops the list on the number of students it sends to PhD programs albeit not quite as many as Reed. A downside is that they are in a rural Iowa town - not exactly the most fun place to be.</p>

<p>Also, if your plans are in fact graduate school, I’d steer away from 2-3 programs. </p>

<p>Nonetheless your stats are near-perfect, you are competitive for just about every school. Just make sure you show interest at these semi-selective LACs (Reed, Wesleyan, Pomona, etc.) so they don’t reject you. You seem fairly knowledgeable on all how this works.</p>

<p>Another school I recently looked at was Brandeis. It’s got a liberal arts basis but it’s also a research university. Perhaps that’s another school you could look into.</p>

<p>USC really contrasts from all of the other schools on your list. I think you should take that one off imo/</p>

8

<p>I would drop 10 & 11.</p>

9

<p>If you apply to UCB add a couple UCs for safeties. No stress just a check mark and pay extra fees. A lot of reaches on your list.</p>

10

<p>Remember and extra year costs money. The only 3-2 I’ve looked at is Fordham and Columbia for engineering.</p>

11

<p>If you would only attend a school because of a 3 + 2 program, then you should consider dropping it. This goes double if you really are serious about graduate school. No point in getting two bachelors if you plan to get a master’s degree.</p>

<p>Why not a 3 + 2?

  • For only an additional year of work you can get a master’s degree, often at a financial discount. Having a master’s degree is substantially better than having two bachelors.
  • Transferring to the “+2” school is frequently more difficult than it appears.
  • You might eventually decide that you do not like the “+2” schools offered.
  • Socially, it is rather weird ( e.g. you don’t get to finish with your friends.)
  • Almost nobody actually follows through with a “3 + 2” program.</p>

<p>On a different subject… For what it is worth, USC is almost as massive as U.Washington. Also, the UW is surprisingly compact and easy to traverse. I was surprised to learn that it had so many students. It feels smaller than it is.</p>

12

<p>I’m also not a huge fan of the 3-2 programs so I’d take out the LACs where you need to do that. </p>

13

<p>I agree with the others - drop the 3-2 colleges.
Next, run the net price calc on each, and drop the ones that are unaffordable if they do not give merit aid.</p>

14

<p>i would remove U Chicago if the core curriculum is not your thing. I don’t think you should reject 3-2 options out of hand if you’re not positive you’d want engineering, but I’d remove one of either Wes, or Oberlin.or Reed. I wouldn’t apply to Pomona if your only reason is that it’s a back door to Mudd with better food and the campus. The two are virtually identical. </p>

15

<p>Not even a way to get better food than Mudd:</p>

<p><a href=“75 Best Colleges for Food in America for 2014”>Daily Meal | Cooking Tips, Restaurants, Food Reviews, Recipes; </p>

<p>Mudd is #46, don’t think Pomona made the list. :slight_smile: </p>

16

<p>Most of the criteria to be on that list seem to have very little to do with how the food actually tastes.</p>

17

<p>@intparent‌ Yeah, that list is horrible and has nothing to do with how the food tastes. Virginia Tech’s cafeteria is horrible, I know from experience.</p>

18

<p>My daughter thought U of Chicago was cool, something about nuclear at the school, but I suggested that she removed it because she didn’t like the core. So Columbia was also removed.</p>

19

<p>Yeap, my daughters school is number 19 but I have to supplement her food. She buys tons of fresh fruits and vegetables.</p>

20

<p>The reason that you have so many schools on your apply-list is that you’re pursuing four different categories: medium sized privates, large State universities, tech school and small liberal arts colleges. It’s certainly okay to have more than one category on your list, but have four indicates that you’re really unsure of the environment that you want – even though you’ve thoroughly thought through the type of education that you want.</p>

<p>First, you need to be clear on your financial situation. Make sure you can afford the need-based privates on your list. I</p>

<p>If Brown is your #1 choice, then Case-Western doesn’t sound like a good safety. Does your State U have an honors college? I’d consider Lafayette or Grinnell as safeties. If you are female look at Smith and Holyoke.</p>

<p>If you decide to go large-to-medium vs medium-to-small (which it sounds like you’re leaning toward) you could cut out USC, Berkeley and Washington.</p>

<p>if you like the idea of a liberal arts education – with a focus on math/science – you could cut out the tech schools (maybe keep Mudd) and add some more medium and small privates like Columbia, CMU, Williams, Swarthmore, Carleton, Grinnell. What is it that appeals to you about Brown’s connection to RISD? If you like the idea of a balance of math/science with humanities and social sciences then that’s another reason to reconsider the tech schools.</p>

<p>If you definitely want urban then some of those already on your list and the last three recommended above are no-go’s, but I’d keep an open mind on that aspect of your wish list until you’ve visited. The message I get from your comments is that you want to find your people – smart and intellectually curious, but also happy, upbeat and interested in a wide range of disciplines.</p>

<p>Distribution requirements are very different from a core curriculum, and not really much more restrictive than open curriculum. Usually the requirements are quite loose – two or three courses each in general classifications like humanities, math/sciences and social sciences.</p>

<p>My suggestion would be to try to do some more visiting (or at least soul searching) before torturing yourself with all of these essays and financial aid forms. To me, it would be worthwhile to figure out a way to make some more visits before you finalize your list. Have you already been to Brown? </p>

<p>Visiting is especially important for small LACs which have distinctive personalities. They all lean left, but the degree of social activism varies. If you like Pomona you would probably like Williams and Carleton. If you like Reed you would probably like Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Oberlin. Grinnell is kind of in the middle culturally.</p>