<p>Wow my friend did the same thing except she picked up one with her eyes closed.</p>
<p>I had to choose between RPI and Cal Poly (In-state). I got enough aid from RPI to match the other UC's I got into so I ruled out the UC's I got into immediately. It was a hard choice because unlike more Californians, I want to work in the Northeast. Despite my preferences, I chose Cal Poly because it is a great value in-state and has a great engineering program with the small class sizes. Also I plan to attend graduate school so I can always go to a school in the area I want to work after completing my undergrad.</p>
<p>That might actually be a good way to pick. Your initial reaction to the letter could just do the trick, ie. if you pick up College X's letter and your reaction is 'Damn, why wasn't it College Y', then you know College Y is where you belong.</p>
<p>Two of my friends had particularly torturous decisions to make.</p>
<p>One was in love with both of her schools (Yale and Stanford, for those of you keeping score) and ended up choosing Stanford because she felt she would have regretted not going to Stanford more than not going to Yale.</p>
<p>Another found many faults with both of her schools (Harvard and Brown), and after a lot of deliberation and a gentle nudge from me, she ended up choosing Harvard. I thought Harvard would have a more active and vibrant environment for somebody who is the antithesis of "laid-back."</p>