I’m trying to decide between Yale, UChicago, and Columbia (if someone has a very strong case for Penn I’d like to hear that too).
I will probably be doing math with economics focus, or applied math. I might do chemistry too, but definitely something with math involved. UChicago is probably the best for both math and economics of the three, but I’d like to hear what your thoughts are on that, because they’re all pretty amazing academic schools.
I also value school spirit and athletics a bit, which I worry Columbia and UChicago lack (this isn’t a major factor, but cmon Columbia football went 0-10 last year). But Yale has a more laid back attitude from what I hear than the intensity of UChicago. I don’t want to never have fun, but I think that’s more a reputation based thing than anything. And cities are a nice asset, but there seems to be plenty of stuff on campus at Yale all the time. I also am a John Jay Scholar at Columbia, which means my advising will be supplemented and summer research is funded, among other things. Something I don’t know about is how good the career and grad school advising is at each school.
The schools would each cost about the same for me, so it’s really just about which I like best. I’m super torn! Any thoughts, comments or advice is greatly appreciated, especially on the math there! Thanks in advance.
Applied math and economics are all pretty closely the same caliber at ll these institutions, especially at the undergrad level… so I don’t think the quality of the academics will be the discriminant.
They are all urban campuses… with Yale being in the least desirable city, whereas the others are right in their cities (Chicago, NYC, Philadelphia).
School spirit and athletic rah-rah-ness will be greatest at Penn and Yale.
Be sure you like the core curriculum oat Columbia.
All will be pretty damn equal for advising and mentoring, placement in graduate school, opportunities for employment.
You cannot possibly go wrong here… all 4 are equally awesome… so just go with best fit for you.
Columbia doesn’t have a strong sense of school spirit, and you are right in that the football team is terrible. The students are proud to go there, of course, but it’s not like they’re rallying together wearing their colors and cheering for the teams. However, I don’t think any of the schools you’re considering have that kind of spirit - it’s a different kind of quiet pride in one’s school.
Career advising at Columbia is excellent. I was a grad student there, but the support for undergrads is even better than it was for the grad students. I didn’t know too many seniors who didn’t know what they were doing after graduation by the time April rolled around each year. Grad school advising is going to vary from department to department, but in my experience is generally good (psychology department).
I agree that you can’t possibly go wrong. I think were I making the choice, I would lean towards Yale because of the residential college system and their reputation as being the more laid-back with more social opportunities on campus.