Hi, so I’m a high school senior and I have four weeks to choose what school I want to go to. When looking into a school, two big factors for me were diversity and a city life. For that reason, I applied to Northeastern university ED. Unfortunately I did not get in :(. However I’m still considering transferring next year but I’m still trying to go into coege with an open mindset! My choices are AU, Virginia tech, Penn State, University of Toronto, and Wake Forest! I live in DC and have never really been interested in AU so I immediately eliminated that! I also am not really considering Virgina Tech unless someone wants to argue why it’ll suit me.
I want to major in Neuroscience with a pre-med track. I have only visited Penn State and think its fine but super rural which I don’t like!
Here are my thoughts on each school just so you guys know my mindset for each:
University of Toronto: great school and has the diversity and city life I want but my heart was never for going to Canada! Also it’s quite large and I want some personal attention with my teachers in my learning. It’s also crazy cold! Also, they say if I want to transfer after my first year I should come here because it is very difficult to get good grades the first year! And I’m concerned with transferring my degree so I can work in the US!
Wake Forest: not diverse and does not have a city life! The party life comes only from Greek life which I don’t really love. The sports are great however and the campus is supposedly beautiful! It’s not too big so there is definitely close interactions with teachers! Greatly branded school! Great weather since its in the south!
Penn State: not city life and it is kinda diverse! Big classes for the most part, especially for what I’ll want to major in! High in spirit and social life! Well known school too!
Virginia tech: large school with large classes. The neuroscience program is fairly new so I don’t know how good it is. High in school spirit! Weather is cold since its in the mountains!
Please help me! People who have gone or have decided between some of these! I really don’t know what I want!
It’s too late to ask why you applied to AU, Virginia tech, Penn State, University of Toronto, and Wake Forest when you have no desire to attend and they do not meet your present criteria.
Perhaps you should revisit the attributes that DID attract you and led you to consider them 6 months ago.
How likely are you to be accepted as a sophomore transfer at NE? Check the common data set before you let that idea drive your present decision.
@mineyas - it seems that the only two options that will work for you now is VTech and PSU. Why did you apply to schools that you really arent interested in? This really only leaves Penn State at the top and VTech second.
Both are great schools. You can’t go wrong with either choice for academics. Both are well know on the East. I guess your desire to have a city life is the main factor for your decision.
My son attends PSU and he loves it. He turned down VTech, but partly because we are in state for PSU. Even with a very good merlt offer from VTech, PSU was more affordable. I know a few people who started out at Penn Sate and then headed off to med school. All are very successful in their careers. No more or less successful than my relatives that graduated from UPenn, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, etc. You really become successful with what you do with your degree than where you got your degree.
Just so that you are aware, it is mighty cold at State College. We’re only 3 hrs south from PSU and the temperature difference is very noticeable. They had some rough times this winter.
Honestly, my counselor was really misguiding and basically didn’t direct me to the right fit schools for me! Thank you for the advice though is very helpful! 
The only two schools that work for you are PSu and Vtech. Neither is urban, both have rather large classes.
At Penn state you can sign up for Paterno Scholars in order to join Schreyer, and in the meanwhile you get to take smaller classes in Honors. At Virginia Tech you have to take your first-year courses “regularly” and if yu have a 3.6 you can get into the Honors Program. Both programs would alleviate the large classes.
Penn State is about 4-5 hours from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.
VTech is about 4-5 hours to Wilmington beaches, DC, Virginia Beach, Columbus.
First of all, why did you even apply to a place where you didn’t like? - “I have only visited Penn State and think its fine but super rural which I don’t like!”
That makes absolutely no sense.
Too late now.
But VTech is good.