A Dose of Realism, Please?

dragonfury29
Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:49:17 +0000

@ucbalumnus Thank you! It’s quite fascinating to see how popular CS is, but those class sizes (at those schools especially) … wow.

@GT1998Dad Thank you for the suggestion!

@Lindagaf The reason why Yale, Stanford, and U of C are (as of right now, anyhow) my top three universities certainly isn’t the name. I’ve done research into each school, and they seem like they epitomize the university ideal for someone like me. I love how Yale and U of C have strong residential systems, and I appreciate how close Stanford is to home. In all three cases, the campuses aren’t in the middle of a small town, distant from a major metropolis. I’m certainly not a party-goer, I don’t plan to participate in Greek life, and I’d rather not attend an LAC due to the size.

With Yale, going beyond the residential college system which seems particularly conducive to meeting like-minded peers, I love how the institution seems to focus on the humanities. I recognize that the school is of great prestige, but for me, the prestige in and of itself is not a draw. On the contrary, the school is filled with top-notch professors and experts in their respective fields, with alumni in high places, and this would give me opportunities that another school perhaps might not. The school is obviously near-impossible to get into, which of course translates into a student body that is already tremendously accomplished. That is the kind of environment I want to be in; one where I always need to push myself and have the means to do so.

With regards to the University of Chicago, I’ve read that it’s not quite the school for the party crowd (which I am most definitely not a member of). Everything I’ve seen points to the school’s strong emphasis on academia, and I think I would feel quite at home amongst other intellectually-minded students.

Stanford, like the other two, is an excellent educational institution. It’s in California, so I would be within driving distance of home, and it’s also not too far from San Francisco. While I don’t know if weather is going to be a consideration (I have yet to experience a Northeastern/Midwestern winter), if it is, than it doesn’t get much better.

Prestige really isn’t a factor for me. The quality of education, the academic culture of the institution, and the opportunities I will be afforded when there certainly are.

With all that being said, would the University of Oregon, the University of Wisconsin - Madison, or the University of Washington be considered safeties? Practically everyone at my school that has applied has been accepted, according to Naviance.

Thank you so much for the guidance — it means a lot!