So far, I’ve been accepted into those 3, and I have no idea which to pick.
I’m an Egyptian student who intends to double major in Physics & Mechanical Engineering.
I want a college with a great society, many opportunities, good dorms and food, prestige, and of course great academics.
So I have no idea which of these I should pick, that is, if I don’t get accepted into any other Ivies (Applied to all).
JHU gave me a decent FA package
Amherst gave me a better one
Cornell has yet to announce my FA package.
So, can you tell me the pros and cons of each, in your respective opinions?
You applied to schools without checking if they offer the majors you need? Very strange. So let me clue you in: no engineering – mechanical or otherwise – at Amherst.
Since you still haven’t heard from 2/3 of the schools to which you have applied (and my money says that you would dump all 3 of the ones you have heard from in a heartbeat if you got into any of the ones you haven’t), and since you obviously didn’t do much homework on the colleges that you applied to, my suggestion is that you use the next 3 days to figure out which of the schools you applied to have programs that you want.
Amherst is a small “liberal arts college” - one of the most prestigious in the nation. But it’s small and focused on the liberal arts and sciences and there is no mechanical engineering program…
Amherst MA is reportedly a vibrant college town, shared with U Mass-Amherst, and nearby are other well-known universities and colleges - Smith, Hampshire and Mount Holyoke (Smith and MHO are all-female).
Cornell is in Ithaca, NY and is another great college town, with a couple of “lesser” universities in town or nearby. Upstate NY is beautiful, small mountains, rural… Ithaca will be a small cultural oasis amidst all this.
JHU is in Baltimore MD. Urban. Very different atmosphere than the small towns of Amherst Ma and Ithaca NY.
Since you’re interested in Mechanical Engineering, you could rule out Amherst.
I’ve no idea if the other two have it, but check their website. Amherst does not.
I’m also surprised anyone would take the time to apply to such expensive and extremely selective universities, but not research any of them. But congratulations, anyway, on your acceptances!
Re: your FA packages - it seems Amherst is the cheapest? But is Amherst the best place for you, based on your interests and goals? See, if you were to buy a car or house, you would not necessarily buy the cheapest just because it is the cheapest. You would buy the house or car that fits you best.
So it should be in this case… if you can afford it, choose the school that best fits your educational and career goals, and the social environment you prefer - urban or rural, small town or big city. Also, consider the size of the campus.
Just because they are all Ivies does not mean they are all alike, each school will have it’s own unique characteristics.
You need to run your numbers very carefully. That “better” aid package at Amherst just might mean that you have to be a Physics major and forget about engineering until some later time in the future. Remember, if you cannot demonstrate that you have all of the money you need to meet the institution’s published Cost of Attendance for students from your country, you will not get your student visa. http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
