<p>I am in dire need of help! I have absolutely no idea as to which college I should choose… so here are my options (any and all feedback will be greatly, greatly appreciated!): </p>
<p>FYI: I am from Indiana, so all other schools would force me to pay the OOS price unless otherwise noted. </p>
<p>1) Indiana University Bloomington - free (full ride) with research (merit)
2) Mount Holyoke - half paid (merit)
3) UC Santa Barbara, Berkeley, LA - no aid (no financial aid whatsoever)
4) College of William & Mary - little aid; WM and St. Andrews Joint Programme- little aid (financial aid)
5) NYU - over half paid (financial aid)</p>
<p>This is between IU (an excellent institution that has offered you a fantastic scholarship), and MHC (a truly world-class institution that has offered you what may be decent financial aid). Talk with your parents about what paying half of the cost of MHC would mean. Perhaps it isn’t a problem for them. But if it is, go to IU and don’t look back.</p>
<p>Those are some excellent options to have. Now for some questions:</p>
<p>What do you want in a school? Do you want to be surrounded by a huge city, or centered in a bit of a college town with a real campus and little shops, etc? Do you mind cold weather? Is paying as little as possible your top priority, or are you willing to sacrifice some cash for a more personalized experience? What’s your major going to be? Have you been to any of these schools and do you like some campuses/vibes as opposed to others? Do you want to stay close to home or use this chance to get away?</p>
<p>I’ve only been to NYU and W&M. Both of them are awesome, but VERY different from each other.</p>
<p>Unless UC Santa Barbara or William & Mary is your absolute dream school, I would knock both of them. The debt isn’t worth it, especially if you’re considering attending graduate school. To 27dream’s list of questions, I think you should add, “What kind of social life am I looking for?” As a fellow Hoosier, you probably know that IU is ranked as one of the top party schools in the nation. For Halloween, my friends actually drove down to the Bloomington campus, set up lawn chairs and spent the whole evening watching drunk kids stumbling around, puking in the bushes, and generally making fools of themselves. That being said, in terms of national rankings, IU is certainly on the rise; you could definitely receive an excellent education there, and it would be invaluable to graduate debt-free. </p>
<p>NYU would probably be the more prestigious of the large universities you’re considering; the environment would be quite cosmopolitan, and there would never be a shortage of things to do. However, one little advertised fact about NYU is that it’s approximately 2/3 female, though given that you’re considering Mount Holyoke, that likely wouldn’t be a concern. Kids at NYU are more of the artsy, avant-garde type, so you need to ask yourself if you’d feel comfortable in that type of crowd. If you attend NYU, you may end-up rubbing elbows with current or future celebrities, which could provide valuable contacts. Lady Gaga attended NYU for a time and is allegedly going to speak at commencement some point in the near future. </p>
<p>Mount Holyoke is essentially on the opposite side of the spectrum as IU and NYU. There, you would encounter a lot of driven, East Coast prep school girls who elected to take the money instead of attending one of the ivies. A much greater focus would be placed on academics, and you would have more competition. By the same token, you would also receive more attention from your professors, which translates to cool opportunities, such as internships in Boston or exclusive study-abroad programs. Lastly, you have to seriously ask yourself if you would go stir-crazy not having boys around… </p>
<p>If you are also planning to attend grad school, then your best bet is to do undergrad with the least amount of loans possible. What do your parents advise? And, MHC is about 30% international students now, so it is a school that will offer you cultural diversity despite it’s somewhat rural location. It is part of the 5 College consortium, with also offers you a lot - it’s like getting 5 colleges for the price of 1!</p>
<p>The comments provided thus far have definitely been helpful, to say the least! They’ve given me some unique perspective - and invaluable insight - I had not previously considered! Also, thank you for all the well-wishing!</p>
<p>To answer 27dream’s questions (“What do you want in a school? Do you want to be surrounded by a huge city, or centered in a bit of a college town with a real campus and little shops, etc? Do you mind cold weather? Is paying as little as possible your top priority, or are you willing to sacrifice some cash for a more personalized experience? What’s your major going to be? Have you been to any of these schools and do you like some campuses/vibes as opposed to others? Do you want to stay close to home or use this chance to get away?”):
As far as location, I would like a bit of culture and a bit of a big-city feel, although I’d be willing to waver on this aspect. Primarily, education and price are the top two factors in my deliberation. Also, I quite enjoy the typical “college” feel, and I do not lean one way or the other on weather. I would like to pay as little as possible, but I am willing to sacrifice a (reasonable) amount of cash for a more personalized, top tier-education. Also, I am planning to attend graduate school, so that is certainly a factor to consider. My majors will be English and Business with minors in International Relations and Spanish. Additionally, as far as a campus/vibe atmosphere, I prefer an “ivy-like” ambiance, but with a colloquial, unique twist; however, perhaps (and this was a good point!) I would not enjoy a “twist” to the extent that a place like NYU offers. Finally, I would prefer to use this chance to get away. :)</p>
<p>I’ll definitely answer any and all questions anyone has - once again, thank you so much for your help! This has been a trying decision process!</p>
<p>Looks like your best fit location/atmosphere-wise is UCLA, but that’s not where the money is. Your best fit money-wise is obviously Indiana, but if you want to get away, that’s not very good location-wise. If you think you can handle the big city without much campusy “college feel,” NYU is an amazing option, and you’re lucky to get any aid out of them, to be honest. If the big apple is just too much to take, William & Mary, although not in a big city by any means, has the best “college feel” I’ve ever witnessed. I don’t know anything about Mount Holyoke or UCSB, and although Berkeley is prestigious, it doesn’t seem like the best fit for you. Comparing major programs would certainly give you a clearer perspective, but all of these schools are great for a well-rounded education. Ultimately, go where the money, major, and atmosphere are all reasonable.</p>
<p>Also, is your username taken from a song by The Zombies, by any chance?</p>
<p>That would be a surprisingly high percentage. According to the MHC Common Data Set file for 2006-2007 (the latest data posted), MHC enrolled 354 nonresident aliens out of 2,149 undergraduates (about 16%). For the freshman class, the percentage was slightly lower (86 of 556 ~= 15%). Did the percentage really double in 4 years?</p>
<p>Anyway, I too would eliminate the UCs and WM due to costs. Of the remaining 3, in my opinion, MHC offers the best undergraduate program and atmosphere (especially when you consider the consortium advantages.) NYU is a huge school with no real campus, so unless you are wild about Greenwich Village, or intend to major in one of its strongest departments (such as Art History or Applied Math), I’d rule it out too. </p>
<p>How easily can your family afford half the cost of Mt. Holyoke? (I’m assuming your aid covers half of total cost, not just half of tuition.)</p>
<p>I know that coming from Indiana, IU must seem to you to be a mundane choice. To me it sounds really exciting and vibrant. I’d love the IU opportunity for free!</p>