@valent2016, did you post about how your trip went? I tired to search your posts, but don’t see one.
@tr831 …and all who provided generous feedback …my apologies for the delay in getting back. To cut a Long story short …we had an amazing trip …broadly following the tips and guidance from here. We ended up visiting far too many colleges …some very different from each other …but it ended up as a great bonding experience for the family …and while completely knackered by the end …It was truly enjoyable.
here are list of colleges we visited:
- UChicago
- Northwestern (applied)
- Tufts (applied)
- Boston College
- Brandeis
- Bowdoin (applied)
- Colby
- Bryn Mawr
- Williams (applied)
- Wesleyan (applied)
- Yale
- NYU (applied)
- Emory (didn't visit/applied)
- USC (didn't visit/applied)
Now that decisions are coming out …here’s where we stand with decisions:
Northwestern (denied)
Williams (denied)
Emory (waitlist)
Bowdoin (accepted)
Wesleyan (accepted)
USC (accepted)
from the UK:
Oxford (denied)
LSE (accepted)
UCL (accepted)
Warwick (accepted)
Total confusion and fierce debate at home now …and can’t figure out how to decide ?!!
Congratulations on the acceptances. My vote would go to LSE. I don’t see any schools on your list of applied or accepted that could beat it.
What are the arguments against LSE?
@bouders I don’t think the decision is as simple as that. Comparing LSE to the US schools is like apples and oranges. If the OP just wanted to stay in the UK he/she would never have gone to the trouble and expense of applying to the USA in the first placw. We had a similar decision with my son last year. If I was the OP, I would ask the daughter these questions:
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Is she looking for more of a liberal arts college environment or the “US college experience”? I seem to recall that she initially was looking more at LACs. Obviously, Bowdoin and Wes are the former and USC the latter.
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Is the extra distance to LA compared to East Coast going to be an issue (for my son it was)
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What are her likely majors? How do her schools (including LSE, Warwick and UCL) rate in these areas?
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Will she have any family or friends nearby? This was another issue which clinched East Coast vs. West Coast for my kids.
Overall she has great choices, so at this point smaller details and overall “fit” will become major determinants.
Wow, you have some great choices, but they are all sooooo different. Apples and oranges:-) My two cents:
Does she want a real American collegiate experience, a huge school, and California sunshine? USC
Does she want an intimate experience with small classes, smart, preppy kids and cold winters? Bowdoin
Does she want to be with smart, creative kids who are individualistic? Wesleyan (personally, I would choose this.)
I wouldn’t choose Warwick. UCL and LSE are of course in London. LSE has a fantastic global reputation, so if it’s prestige she wants and obviously a great education, go for that.
Anywone feel free to correct me if my nutshells are off base.
^ @Lindagaf I agree with your points above. Just as a general point, however, to anyone who is looking at UK universities. Warwick has quickly become one of the top UK universities despite being a relatively new school. Its Economics and Business programmes are very strong and it is now one of the top feeders for London investment banks. Its Econ Dept is ranked 3rd (behind Oxbridge but ahead of UCL/LSE). One slight negative for some kids is that it is not located in a city but in a rural campus between Coventry and Warwick.
Plus, there’s a great castle in Warwick!
Are you still waiting on Tufts?
Wow nice list. Thanks for keeping us posted. Also, what everyone else said about deciding factors.
There are reasons to choose Warwick as well:
If you want a real campus but still want to stay in the UK with the English educational system with cheaper cost of living yet have placement opportunities in to banking/consulting as good as any in the UK.
And @bouders, with LSE, it depends. Obviously, if you don’t mind or even want a city uni like NYU (instead of one with a real campus and school spirit) in an expensive city, prefer the English educational system, and are deadset on solely studying your major at LSE, then LSE makes sense. If you want a broad liberal arts education or flexibility in choosing a major (though some, like PPE, afford some flexibility) or even classes, none of the English unis really make sense. You don’t want to enter the econ course at LSE and then realize that you don’t have an interest or aptitude for it.
UCL is the one school on here that seems like it would be trumped in all regards (by LSE).
Anyway, to the OP: What is your D and you all looking for (or don’t want)?
@suzyQ7 …yes still waiting on Tufts and NYU …my D told me it is likely this week …will post here once they are out
Hi everyone …many thanks for the support and good wishes. I am sure quite evident to all of you that we are quite a confused family. When we started planning for the whole US trip - the thought process was to focus on LACs …as we had heard a lot of positives about the LAC experience…also personally, I thought it would be best fit for my D.
Once we visited the US …colleges kept getting added …and my D seemed to find a variety of colleges equally interesting! Personally, I loved Bowdoin, Williams, Wesleyan and Tufts (though they did come across as different even to me.) Also, while visiting we met so many just amazing people with such stellar accomplishments …that we thought it best for her to apply to UK as well.
However, now with LSE and other admits it has got very confusing.
As I can see - my D is torn between LSE (her intended major is Economics) and USC (her Best Friend also got in / and suddenly it has become her TOP choice in the US)
Frankly - I don’t have much insights on USC …and am still stuck on the notion that if it has to be the US (with a huge education bill) …an LAC like Bowdoin / Wesleyan would provide a better education. I will be honest - There is pretty awful stress at home at the moment …and am quite ill equipped to provide feedback !!!
So here are my thought process pls to your qns / comments above:
LSE:
- very strong in Economics (her intended major)
- solid reputation in the UK / Asia / US ? (For jobs etc)
- feels a bit like a grad school and undergrads have to fight for resources
Warwick:
Broadly similar to LSE except reputation outside of UK is very limited …and there is less of a grad school environment
Bowdoin / Wes /
- feels like a great place to get a solid education
- not well known outside of the East Coast ?
USC
…am not aware of USC that much …and can’t say for sure whether there is any real difference in terms of quality of education between a USC and say Bowdoin? And how they compare in terms of job opportunities etc
Apologies for the Long post
USC is recognized internationally. Its alumni network is huge and global. It has the total college experience. Nice campus, bigtime sports, big city.
@londondad, @Lindagaf …yes she was initially looking at LACs as well …but I think she was quite heavily influenced by her Best Friend re USC (friends mum went there for undergrad) …and suddenly East Coast is too cold, California weather is great, USC is more fun, and USC acads are great !!!
@Lindagaf …honest confession …I like that castle a lot
Hi @PurpleTitan …trust you are doing well
^ ^ Thanks for the summary. The main reason that my kids dropped USC off their lists (neither applied) is the sheer size of the school. It has undergraduate enrolment of 18,800 which is similar to a Uni such as Sheffield in the UK. in my opinion at that size school, you start to lose some of the benefits of a US private Uni, (class size, focus on undergraduates, etc). We looked at two of the University of California campuses (San Diego and Santa Barbara) and and were slightly turned off by the sheer size of the schools. Anyway, just my two-cents’ worth.
I wouldn’t worry for one second about how well known Bowdoin and Wesleyan are. I don’t put a LOT of stock in rankings, but if a college is in the Forbes top 20, you can kinda not sweat the name recognition factor, at least in the U.S. (Can’t speak for abroad.) Plenty of other reasons to choose one over the other.
@londondad …that would be a big question mark for me …not sure how such a big school works for someone who has been going to a fairly small school for the last few years …