Cornell CALS vs. UVa Sci. Scholar vs. Northwestern

elixir8
Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:32:08 +0000

I have been accepted to the three above schools and I loved each when I visited. I am having an incredibly difficult time deciding which to attend and I would appreciate any advice anyone could offer.

I am planning on majoring in biological sciences with a focus on neuroscience and maybe pre-med, but I want a school that is strong in every discipline (Cornell?) because I am still interested by humanities. I prefer warm weather (UVa) but it is not so important to me and I would be able to deal with Ithaca. My favorite city is Chicago (Northwestern), and second is Charlottesville (UVa). I like school spirit (because I think it tends to lead to a strong alumni base after college) and I want to play club sports, but I don’t really enjoy attending athletic events and so the Big 10 (Northwestern) or UVa sports aren’t a huge draw for me. I like southern hospitality but consider myself a bit liberal and I think my personality probably fits in best with the Northeast. I’d prefer geographic diversity (Northwestern/Cornell) to economic diversity (UVa, mostly Virginians, state school). However, I would also like to do research during my undergraduate years, and because I have been accepted to UVa Science Scholars it would be guaranteed. I would like to join a sorority, but I think the greek scene is pretty prevalent at all three. I think the most prestigious would be Cornell because of the ivy status, but UVa close behind (although Northwestern is the highest on U.S. News rankings…). My parents can pay but not easily, and UVa is offering the most $ (but I’m still out-of-state). Finally, I want to study abroad and do community service.

Thanks so much! Please help.