I thought I had my college decisions sorted out but now i’m questioning everything, and I would rlly appreciate anyone’s help. thank you sm!
I was basically committed to Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College until i started to doubt myself. it is a full ride to college and a pretty selective program. (around 4% for hunter college out of 2400 applicants ) I plan to go to law school so it seemed like a great deal so I could save up money. My issue is that it has zero name recognition outside of NYC and i feel like the quality of the program is degrading due to program cuts. Additionally, it’s a small program (aka less people on my academic level), the campus area is meh/ugly and outside of the prestigious program the school is borderline a community college.
On the other hand, I was accepted to NYU full price. which my family can’t exactly swing, but with the help of some relatives (which kind of makes me uncomfortable) we would be able to afford it. It has a rlly highly ranked poli sci program (i believe its number 10?) in a much better neighborhood and I feel I would find a better/larger community of people like myself. (motivated/driven/etc) Then again i don’t think NYU is worth that much…
I also was waitlisted at Barnard and Cornell (Dream Schools) I was thinking Cornell might be a better option if i get off the waitlist since it’s cheaper since im a NYS resident. but i rather swing the money on both barnard or cornell over NYU so i am considering letting go of NYU and hoping i get off the waitlist. which isnt foolproof.
i feel super overwhelmed w my options so i would appreciate any guidance whatsoever! thank you all again!
Macaulay is a great offer.
You’re right that budget cuts and administrative red tape can make it cumbersome at times, however when you say it has no name recognition that’s untrue (well known as a great offer to top NYC students) and it does provide a lot of benefits, including a very strong peer group and even ways to bypass some of the aforementioned red tape.
If you get into Barnard or Cornell and they offer sufficient FA consider that offer but in the meantime rest reassured that Macaulay is a terrific choice.
Hunter is far from a community college. It’s got some terrific teachers as well as some very motivated students. And that’s before you add in McCauley.
A friend of mine works in administration at Macaulay and they work hard to provide a lot of supplemental programming to make it a special experience for students. All of the special events and such that she tells me about always sound so incredible and the students really are the best of the best. I think the small peer group in that program is actually a huge benefit–you get to know everyone really well plus the faculty get to know you really well because of this. If that is where you end up, I promise it will be a great college experience!
'Grats to the excellent offer from Macauley. Check back with us if Cornell or Barnard make you a great financial aid offer but neither is worth sticker for prelaw, where undergrad GPA + LSAT reign supreme in admissions.
Forget the wait lists. It’s nothing but a polite rejection.
You cannot afford NYU, plus it’s not worth it, if what you want is law school. Go to Hunter, get a 4.0, do absolutely everything you can to get a very high LSAT, and you will get into an amazing law school, or a slightly lesser one with a massive merit scholarship. You can collect from the relatives to help you go to Columbia law, once you get in.
Congrats on Macaulay! It is not true that it has “zero name recognition outside NYC” because I’m from a city over 1,000 miles from NYC and I know all about Macaulay, how rare it is to be accepted, and how prestigious it is. If my own kid had gotten in (he applied but was not accepted) I would have been thrilled.
(also I realize everybody has different tastes, but I personally love the neighborhood Hunter is in. )
If you want to go to Law School, then free is your best choice.
Consider that Harvard’s class of under 600 is represented by 147 colleges. Or Yale in the last 5 years 170. UVA the last three years - over 130 per year.
I’m talking U of wherever - Kentucky, Arkansas. Schools like Youngstown State, Canisius, Fairleigh Dickinson, and more…and yes, Hunter!!
You’ll need a great LSAT of course - but the where likely matters less than you think - and I’m talking top law schools. There’s many law schools out there.
A full ride is unreal - so I wouldn’t worry about your commitment based on the concerns you have.
Perhaps you’d like one of the other schools better but if NYU is full cost then you’ll be high cost at the others.
Going to any school provides no guarantees - but if you overspend, you are guaranteed to be in debt or not to have choices for schooling later, giving up all your flexibility.
Congrats on your accomplishment and initial decision.