(us citizen currently studying in high school overseas)
I’m having a lot of trouble deciding where to go, I’ve narrowed it down to these choices below. I come from a place where there’s not a lot of resources in terms of college in the united states, so if anyone could give me any insight at all it would be so so so appreciated…thank you so much in advance!
info:
Major not set in stone yet, potential political sci / ir + stem(maybe pharmacological engineering) double major. looking for a place with good prestige and easy internship / job opportunities with a beautiful campus and strong social school spirit. ideally also with flexibility in switching majors.
George Washington
RD Admitted to Elliot School of International Affairs
10k scholarship / year
pros: I love how close GWU is relative to DC, especially in International Relations major where I can have internship opportunities
cons: I’ve also heard how GWU can be quite isolated in terms of school culture and school spirit, which is a con for me. I value collective strong school spirit a lot. very high tuition and cost of living…but won’t go into student debt
Tulane University
EA admitted with 10k scholarship / year, but am currently asking for more aid
I love the academic program structure at Tulane, especially the civil service graduation requirement, small class sizes are a plus, with a beautiful campus
concerned about safety issues and internship opportunities in New Orleans. As an international student I haven’t had the chance to visit campus to get a feel of what the surrounding area is like, but have attended virtual tours.
concerned about high drinking / partying culture?
my family can afford me to go to Tulane, but I’m wondering if paying 60k a year is worth it in the long run? how is Tulane’s prestige with companies? how’s Tulane’s “prestige” in the states? Some of my friends and counselors only look at rankings and how Tulane is ranked 70+ on US News, but I know thats not the full story…any insight would be great!
UCSD
no aid, admitted into Eleanor Roosevelt College as a international relations major with a possible double major of pharmacological chemistry
pros: beautiful campus, strong stem programs with research opportunities. high prestige (?) close to urban city of san diego for job opportunities, love the outdoorsy vibes (surfing, etc.)
cons: uc too academically focused, lack of social life. big class sizes and big university, cant form too close relationships with professors. ive also heard that UCSD is relatively harsh on grading and gives low gpa but im not sure if this applies currently
Purdue
admitted to liberal arts (political science), but I’ve been emailing my admissions counselor and dean of engineering school a lot regarding the possibility of picking up an engineering major, and they’ve both been very supportive in giving me resources and preparing me to transfer to engineering program
pros: very affordable in terms of tuition and cost of living, strong school spirit, strong engineering program (if i get in)
cons: at the end of the day I’ll still admitted to liberal arts at Purdue, which is not where I wanted to be (was my second choice on commonapp) very STEM centric, worried all resources go to STEM, liberal arts students dont get much attention if im not able to transfer to engineering
Ohio State
political science at arts and sciences, gave me scholarship, want flexibility to transfer major in the future
pros: Columbus Ohio seems like a great surrounding area with many job opportunities, relatively cheap in terms of tuition, strong school spirit
cons: school is way too big with huge huge class sizes (not a fan) , less in terms of prestige compared to my other options.
Parent here, DS24 is also a political science major and is considering between George Washington, Tulane, and UCSD. When we visited GWU, the tour guide seems uninterested and said he’s just here to earn some money. Couldn’t really answer the questions we asked…not a good look. The people on campus during our visit seems quite individualistic. Not that familiar with the Elliot School since DS didn’t apply there. It seems like the best college at GWU though.
Tulane on the other hand seems quite welcoming. I’m not sure if you can ask them for more aid though. It seems pretty safe on campus, but try not to go too far away. There’s a lot of Tulane police patrolling the surrounding area though.
I think you can rule Purdue out of your list, it’s too much of a risk going there if you can’t get into the Engineering program.
thanks for your input on George Washington!! from what I’ve read about reviews on niche it also seems to be an issue of a lack of school spirit there. some are telling me that Elliot is hard to get in though, so im not sure if I should give up this opportunity…
Tulane is a school im seriously considering if they give me some more aid, it seems that they are investing more and more every year on improving the safety issues there, which is a plus for me
My daughter got into George Washington last year and the admitted students day was so blah and unhelpful - I still can’t stop thinking about it. It was almost like they were trying to talk us out of the school (which they did - my daughter went elsewhere). The thing that bothered me most was how they glossed over the fact that a huge percentage of freshman have to live on a separate campus that requires an inconvenient shuttle ride. When parents asked about this, they kept trying to change the subject even though it would be a huge factor in the life of a freshman. If living on a satellite campus is a problem for you (which it should be) I’d eliminate GWU from your list.
thank you! definitely dont want to live on an inconvenient satellite campus in my freshman year. almost certainly going to be eliminating GWU from my list now…
The semi-joking name for UCSD is “University of California Socially Dead”. See this article in the student paper The UC Socially Dead Stigma – The UCSD Guardian There are at least two things at play here. First is the higher proportion of students studying science, demanding majors that may not leave as much free time during the quarter. Second is the nature of housing. San Diego is a beautiful area but UCSD doesn’t have enough on-campus housing and the adjoining community of La Jolla is pricy. After frosh year students tend to spread across the city, some enjoying life on the beach including Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, and become commuter students. When your fellow students are more than a stroll or bike ride away the sense of community drops compared to schools like Cal Poly, UCSB, Davis, etc.
Tulane itself is plenty safe. The streets directly surrounding Tulane is plenty safe. There are some not-so-safe area’s of New Orleans (as there is for ANY city). New Orleans also had a very high event program which draws a lot of tourists and that can draw a certain crime issue. Some occurrences on the parent FB page of kids getting pickpocketed at a parade or having a phone stolen while out at a bar.
Tulane is unlikely to give more $. Not to say you shouldn’t try, but don’t be surprised if they say no.
It sounds like you applied to Ohio State as a Political Science major. Usually, it is best to start in engineering. Contact admissions and ask to change your major to engineering.
Have you been able to do any of the virtual tours and informationals? People have very differing opinions on campuses sometimes. It looks like you’re overseas, so I’m assuming you can’t visit.
Tulane’s undergraduate campus is located in one of the most affluent areas of New Orleans, surrounded by multi-million dollar homes. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his family live a stone’s throw from campus. The owner of the Saints (NFL) and Pelicans (NBA) live immediately adjacent to campus in Audubon Place. As has been pointed out by others, crime can be found in other parts of the city, but Tulane’s Uptown campus is not located in nor close to them. As a comparison, I live in Columbus and would be more concerned about the neighborhoods surrounding Ohio State than those surrounding Tulane. Not disparaging Ohio State, just using it as another reference point in your options. We know the area as well as lots of OSU students and there are challenges in some of those neighborhoods.
Regarding internships, my D who was a Political Science and Public Health double major did five internships in her four years at Tulane. Locally, she worked on political campaigns and in the courts. These days, remote internships are also a thing and she completed those as well. Her friends also were involved in multiple internships, both local and remote.
Congratulations! You have some great options and I hope you are able to find your best fit!
UC for the Socially Dead has had a rough time trying to change that image, but because of the types of students that they get there, that moniker is difficult to change.
Although my children were all accepted into UCSD, they used it as their “Safety School” just in case they didn’t get in anywhere else. They said that if they only were admitted to UCSD and SDSU, they would choose SDSU (their other “Safety”) over UCSD because they wanted to have a good university experience and not “just study”. They wanted an active environment.
For the record, SDSU, across town, feels like a united city and campus. It’s very active, all of the time, and students are happy there.
With UCSD’s system and colleges, it is a divide and conquer campus. If you are not comfortable putting yourself out there, all of the time, it will be hard. You will spend a lot of time in your studies there, but not much else.
You will be paying close to $75K per year for that experience. Housing is limited and is only guaranteed for two years. They can’t build dorms fast enough.
San Diego is now the most expensive housing market in the nation. If you plan on working in San Diego, plan on spending the majority of your salary on housing-that is if you can find a place.
I don’t know about any of the other schools but, you need to figure out what your budget and priorities will fit within each school.
Have you considered applying to a living learning community at OSU? You don’t have to commit to apply, but there is an application deadline (April 15) coming up. LEAP or John Glenn Civic Leadership might interest you.
got it, so what im understanding is that the surrounding areas around Tulane are safe, and I’ll be able to buy all the things I need / places I want to visit in the safe areas of New Orleans. thanks for your input!
thanks for your input! always value these types of information deeply. congrats to your D on her poli sci and public health double major! 5 internships sounds rewarding as an undergraduate student, best of luck on ur D on her future endeavors
San Diego’s high cost of living is definitely raising some concerns for me, this is the first time im hearing of the uc socially dead, but thats definitely something I’ll be looking into. having a united campus is important to me