<p>Son accepted to Vassar, Vanderbilt, Colgate and Boston College. He is completely undecided on major and doesn't seem to be able to make a choice. Help me help him, please....</p>
<p>bump....................</p>
<p>make a list of questions- what city, size, sports, Ecs, clubs, dorms, travel, etc...don't expect an answer right away, just put the questions out there</p>
<p>and why he picked those schools in the first place</p>
<p>then let it go.....he has a month....</p>
<p>is he really clueless as to what he wants to do? if so that is fine....do all these schools require a declared major?</p>
<p>best idea it to set aside a time to talk about colleges, and only talk about them then, say Sunday afternoons</p>
<p>One friend of mine, her son was like yours, so she prepared deposit checks for each school, taped them to the fridge, and then let it go.....one day he just said, when asked by a family friend, Oh I am going to XYZ....</p>
<p>it just happened like that</p>
<p>Am familiar with three of those schools and they are very different. </p>
<p>Vassar is a great school with good academics and the student body has a more liberal bent. There is not much to do on campus (or in town) so the students have developed a very strong community among themselves. Good quality of life, but if your son is not of a liberal bent, he may find it a bit uncomfortable. Also, there are more women than men there, so his social opportunities may be a bit better, if he fits in. The classes are scheduled to allow students to go into NYC for the weekend or for internships, so there are some opportunities to leave town.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is a very conservative school and frats/sororities pretty much determine student life. You have not mentioned where you live, but one of my daughter's best friends attended and, after her initial culture shock and some difficulty transitioning to the south, she transformed from a liberal peacenik into a perfectly groomed conservative sorority girl. However, she does feel that she has received a very good education.</p>
<p>Boston College is predominantly a Catholic school, which also has a fairly conservative student body. Although it is a good school, some think it is a bit overrated. </p>
<p>Hope this is helpful in determining where your son would be happiest. In my experience, the best college choice is one in which a student feels comfortable, but which also provides some challenges to allow him to learn and grow. How comfortable he feels is an important element, since these are all good schools. How did he feel after visiting these schools?</p>
<p>Colgate is the most isolated and the local cities, 45 minutes to an hour or so away, are not exactly international metropolises -- Utica and Syracuse. But it is very beautiful there year round.</p>
<p>Vandy would be my first choice, and BC second.</p>