Which of these two to apply to?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm almost done finalizing my college list, but I'm stuck between two:
Rice and Dartmouth.</p>

<p>For the parents here, I've checked the EFC calculators and my parents said the costs are doable, a little more so with Rice. And don't worry, I have safeties (and yes, I do know what a true safety is).</p>

<p>The reason why I'm deciding one or the other is because I already have like 9 or 10 on my list, and I guess I have to draw the line somewhere, unless you guys think it's okay to apply to both (a couple schools on my list don't have an application fee, so I guess cost won't be that big of a deal). I'm planning on having a pre-med focus in college, but I'm still pretty open-minded.</p>

<p>So here's what I'm thinking about both schools:</p>

<p>Dartmouth Pros:</p>

<ol>
<li>No supplement (at least, I don't have to fill it out :)) means less work</li>
<li>Intimacy and natural surroundings</li>
<li>Undergrad focus</li>
<li>Far from home</li>
<li>I heard students are very collaborative</li>
</ol>

<p>Dartmouth Cons:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The Greek life. I'm not a wild animal. My description of fun would be a nice evening hanging out with a few friends, probably watching a movie or something, but doing TAME things. And I don't drink alcohol, nor do I plan on doing so in the next couple years. I know everyone says "What you do is up to you" and I'll still find friends who have similar interests, but the party-heavy environment I'm hearing about lessens my chances of finding such people with the same interests and similar definitions of having fun, IMO. </p></li>
<li><p>I heard from various sources that their financial aid tends to drop each year, but those are anecdotal pieces of evidence and I don't know about their FA rep, other than it's an ivy and it meets 100% of financial need.</p></li>
<li><p>Quarter system. Not trying to be all superstitious, but I'm a phlegmatic temperament. Covering so much in so little time isn't my cup of tea by a long shot.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>And NOW, for Rice Pros:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Cheaper</p></li>
<li><p>Aside from MIT/Caltech, it's a scientist's dream - excels in many things science-related and good pre-med preparation and high med school acceptance rates, while still maintaining flexibility in case I decide to do something else for my future.</p></li>
<li><p>Residential colleges. Apparently, the general consensus in CC is that it's a GREAT way to live life in college. Though I don't know about the system in-depth, from what I know it appeals a lot to me.</p></li>
<li><p>Ranked #1 for happiest students. </p></li>
<li><p>Spectacular campus situated in a great part of Houston</p></li>
<li><p>I heard students are very collaborative</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Cons:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Too close to home (I'm a Houstonian). A change in surroundings and climate would be nice. I'd like to see others cope with triple-digit summers and humidities that would make a sauna seem dry, not to mention oak pollen allergies in the spring. Plus, I would like to see how non-urban life is like. Minor setbacks, but still considerations.</p></li>
<li><p>The supplement seems tedious - definitely the most labor-intensive application out of all my colleges. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Any help is greaty appreciated. Feel free to add, disprove, or elaborate on the points I listed and give suggestions if you have any.</p>

2

<p>If you got into them, would you choose them over your safeties?</p>

3

<p>I think so, assuming that their actual FA will be >= the online calculators</p>

4

<p>Apply to both - 11 schools isn’t too many when they include highly selective schools like these. In the scheme of things, the application fee is a raindrop in the swimming pool of college expense if you can afford these schools (which you say you can). If you were lucky enough to get into both, you could work through the pros and cons at that point.</p>

5

<p>Would you choose them over your other 9 schools? If not, I’d skip both. Your cons are pretty significant. (This is the same advice I’d give my own guys and/or kids at school.)</p>

<p>Based on your pros/cons, is the University of Rochester on your list of 9? If not, you might want to check it out. Cornell also comes to mind as perhaps a better fit.</p>

<p>When there are 4000+ colleges out there, there are “good fits” for everyone.</p>

6

<p>IF I got accepted then most likely yes, I would. I say “most likely” because I’ve got a couple more reach schools on my list, and IF (an extremely big if) I get accepted into all of them, then R and D will compete with those other few schools in my mind.</p>

<p>Are the cons really that significant? I guess I could apply to both; eh, I’ll take that advice with a grain of salt.</p>

<p>UR. Just checked it out a bit. Seems promising, thanks! I’ll take it into consideration. As for Cornell, I heard that out of the ivies it has the worst FA. Plus, I don’t know if I would like the grade deflation or impersonal atmosphere (again, only based off what I’ve heard. If anyone hasn’t guessed yet, I can’t visit schools unless it’s in Houston, so anything I know about colleges from other states is from CC).</p>

7

<p>If yes on the attending, then both are worth applying to IMO. You can decide if you want to actually go to either once you get accepted (if accepted, of course) and seeing what the financial package is (for all schools you get accepted to). Plus, I still recommend U Rochester as seeming to be a good fit for what you describe. ;)</p>

8

<p>Apply to both</p>

9

<p>I guess it is worth applying to both. Thanks guys!</p>

10

<p>On the issue of proximity, don’t rule out Rice just because it is close to home. My D attends a university that is 20 miles from our house. She was initially quite concerned about that. However, after making me promise that I wouldn’t just show up at her school, she found that it was the perfect school for her in every other way. Now that she has started her first semester, we haven’t seen her anymore than our friends with kids further away and she has been exploring a whole new area of our community. Certainly, take into consideration all the factors you have mentioned, but I would put the “close to home” issue way down the list of importance, if all the other variables look like a good fit.</p>

11

<p>^That’s pretty much the only thing I have against it, other than its supplement. Everything else about the school I really like.</p>