<p>I was lucky enough to get into all of my top choices and am now have to decide between Yale University and Washington University in St. Louis. I plan on studying English or Political Science and I'm looking for a diverse intellectual environment in an urban area so both schools fit the bill.
If I went to Yale I would most likely have to take on debt ($15,000 - $20,000; could be less though because I'm a finalist for several merit scholarships) and work during the school year/summer. I received a full tuition scholarship so if I went to WashU money would not be a problem. My Dad thinks it would be wise if I went to WashU because it's an excellent school and he had lung cancer last fall (he's completely fine now luckily because it was caught early) and knows that if something were to happen to him, I could easily finish college. My mother thinks Yale would provide me with more opportunities and thinks that my hesitancy to matriculate at my first choice school is because I'm afraid of debt and failure.
I will say though that I had problems with both schools - concerns about New Haven are causing me to be uncertain about Yale and the incredible amount of Pre-Med students at WashU make me worry that I would be ignored as an English major.
I have no idea what to do and I have only two weeks left to decide!</p>
<p>It could be that it’s the premeds at Wash U who get lost in the crowd, not the less common English majors. </p>
<p>Have you started a thread on the Wash U forum of CC asking what it’s like to be an English major at Wash U? You might get some interesting responses.</p>
<p>As for fear of debt, that could be a sensible thing, even if you’re talking about 15 to 20 thousand dollars over 4 years. If you’re talking about that much debt EACH year, it definitely is a sensible thing.</p>
<p>I’ll talk to some current English students; thank you for the advice!
To clarify: $15,000 - $20,000 is over all four years, not per year.</p>
<p>My daughter was an English major at Yale. The English department there is very strong and she formed some very strong bonds within the department. I do think if you’re pretty sure about your interests that you should compare the strengths of the schools in those specific areas. Both campuses are beautiful, both are urban (although Wash U felt less urban when I visited), but New Haven is close enough to New York City to go there from time to time. That said, I can understand your concerns about New Haven. One of my kids almost went to Wash U; it’s a great school, but Yale is a great place to be if you are interested in politics at all.</p>
<p>You should certainly take finances and your parents’ concerns into account. But Yale is really outstanding in English - at the top of the heap, at least at the graduate level. I have been listening recently to some of the courses Yale posted online, in their Open Yale series, and they are breathtaking! The Milton, poetry, and theory courses are particularly outstanding. You might want to listen to a little of it to get a sense of what the courses are like.
[English</a> — Open Yale Courses](<a href=“http://oyc.yale.edu/english]English”>English | Open Yale Courses)</p>
<p>Another mom of a Y English major here, and pre-med as well. There are a lot of pre-meds at both schools, is the number really that different between them?? My kid actually likes the ‘grittiness’ of NH and some of the opportunities it provides for her interest in medicine, like the NH clinic where she volunteers. However, I’m sure that something similar is available in SL as well. </p>
<p>They’re both really wonderful colleges, and you can’t go wrong with either one. Any specific questions about the colleges, English departments or pre-med??</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, I think the incredible amount of pre-med students at WashU would make the English department trip over themselves to court you.</p>
<p>Good luck on your decision. It’s a great dilemma to have. :)</p>
<p>Great problem to have. In my opinion, the primary reason to choose WashU over Yale for an English major would be financial. In your case, $20,000 over four years is significant, but not monstrous.</p>
<p>WashU is a fine school, but Yale is Yale. $15,000 - 20,000 is a lot of money and I don’t mean to be condescending, but 20 years out it will not seem significant. Yale is an opportunity that you shouldn’t walk away from. The Yale name will open doors for you for the rest of your life. </p>
<p>The Eastcoast, New Haven, Yale itself may be out of your comfort zone but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Your peers will feel the same way – excited but anxious – and my understanding is that the Yale house system is very supportive.</p>
<p>I agree with momrath. $20,000 of debt is a drop in the bucket. You’ll pay it back in no time at all. You’ll have classmates who will have $100,000 of debt by the time they graduate. </p>
<p>New Haven is awesome; it is not at all something to worry about. </p>
<p>And Yale? Who wouldn’t want Yale? I don’t get the whole whoop-de-doo over Wash U.</p>
<p>I do get “the whole whoop-de-doo over Wash U”. It is a great school.</p>
<p>But for an English major, with $20,000 difference in price, I think Yale is a better choice (despite it being in New Haven ;))</p>
<p>$20K debt isn’t that huge, but paying it off in no time with an English degree?? Not so sure about that. </p>
<p>Marry rich ;)</p>
<p>$20K for Yale? In a heartbeat.</p>
<p>Going to Yale will be worth the $20k multiple times over during the next 20 years.</p>
<p>I don’t buy into the “Yale is Yale” stuff so much - or think that a Yale graduate necessarily will find it easier to pay back a debt than a WashU graduate - it depends on what kind of grades and recommendations you earn and other factors (you might find it easier to marry rich at Yale…haha!). You should base your decision on your family considerations, your comfort (and theirs) with debt, and which school appeals to you most. You really can’t go wrong. But Yale does have a particularly outstanding English department.</p>
<p>The Yale English major I know best makes a nice 6-figure income.</p>
<p>I can’t believe you would hesitate for a second, frankly. If your family’s income is negatively impacted by your father’s illness, which I hope does not happen, Yale will step up to the plate.</p>
<p>Thank your lucky stars and go to New Haven.</p>
<p>For many students, borrowing a manageable amount to pay for education is a sound decision. I can’t address what’s manageable for your family, but for many, $15,000-20,000 over four years will not be excessive.</p>
<p>Re Yale vs. Wash U: I have one child now at Yale and one child who recently graduated from Wash U. These are two of the nation’s finest private universities. From what I understand, and it is purely second-hand info, the big merit scholarship programs at Wash U offer recipients splendid opportunities. Especially if you’ve gotten the Danforth, I’d think hard about it. Have you spoken to current students in the program you’d be part of? (I bet you’ll find that most of them turned down schools like Yale for Wash U.) Have you talked to faculty about opportunities? </p>
<p>That said, Wash U just can’t match Yale for sheer vibrancy. The academics, the opportunities, the students, and the synergy between faculty and students – it’s all just knock-out. And please be aware that neither campus is perfectly safe. While New Haven is a depressed city, the campus itself is safe and beautiful. Wash U’s campus, too, while very different from Yale’s, is gorgeous and in a cool area that’s sort of a suburban/urban amalgam, with funky shops, coffee houses, etc. But portions of the area that surrounds campus are most definitely unsafe at night. Bottom line: I wouldn’t let safety be the deciding factor. Both campuses are fine; you just have to be savvy about where you travel after dark.</p>
<p>“To clarify: $15,000 - $20,000 is over all four years, not per year.”</p>
<p>I’m a huge anti-debt person, and I think this is nothing – minor enough to not be a factor in your decision. When it comes to the community life and the number and quality of events on campus, I don’t think Wash U can begin to compete with Yale.</p>
<p>Another “in the fullness of time and overall scheme of things, $20K is piffle.” English major at Yale? Take it, run with it, and it’s all right, pa, don’t look back.</p>
<p>Go to Yale and don’t look back. </p>
<p>You say “If If I went to Yale I would most likely have to take on debt ($15,000 - $20,000)… and work during the school year/summer.” This makes it appear that you don’t think it’s such a great idea to work, but as an English major, you are definitely going to want that work experience. My daughter at MIT will have earned more than this amount over four years in summer earnings, and she brought in merit scholarships on top of that. You could earn this amount of money by working during the summers and taking on a little 9-hour a week job on campus during one semester per year.</p>
<p>I mean really, Yale has one of the best English departments in the world.</p>