I wonder what the advice would be if the OP has just said they had been admitted to a university that they weren’t sure they wanted to attend without mentioning the university by name?
“Go to a place where you feel comfortable and makes you happier. Four years is a long time for you.”
Very sound advise, I grant. But which 17 or 18 year old kids know what or which college would make them “feel comfortable” or “happier” in ADVANCE without having the fore knowledge of the place?
If your goal is to meet, or perhaps network with, future kings, politicians or wall street titans, there’s no better place than Harvard. If your goal is to meet, or perhaps network with, future tech entrepreneurs or venture capitalists, there’s no better place than Stanford. If your goal is to get the best education in your areas of interest, there’re almost certainly better schools in those areas, even though Harvard and Stanford are generally competitive in most areas.
I think 17 and 18 year old kids know where they don’t fit, it’s harder for them figure out where they’d be happier, sure, but if after a visit, overnight, etc, you don’t feel the vibe, then you should move on. There are kids (not saying the OP is one of them) that would say they absolutely do not see themselves at a campus and don’t even apply.
“and see how many undergraduate students are in each school. You are going to be an undergraduate there. Apply to the schools you think you like and see what happens. You have another three months to think about it after you submit all other applications.”
Ok, if she thought “the atmosphere of students just seemed kind of depressing” at Harvard, not sure how much happier they will be to her at other ivies. Since she liked the idea of Stanford and Duke, maybe schools like Pomona, Claremont, Vanderbilt, Rice, would be more appropriate.
“and a place where anyone who can help them beat Yale can be reasonably accommodated.”
Your point on athletes is well taken. I also look at the graduate schools when looking at intellectual atmosphere, so I could be biased there.
You might want to consider Brown, which is known for happy students and recently featured on WSJ as the only Ivy on the top 10 list as “The Colleges Where Students Feel Most Engaged” (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-colleges-where-students-feel-most-engaged-1536188185?mod=ig_collegerankings2019). You really have to work hard to survive in any school at this calibre. For whatever reason if you are on the verge of failing a course at Brown, you can drop it before final exam reading period. No need to jump in front of a train or do anything drastic. Just drop the course. It won’t show up on your transcript. But if most courses don’t work out, you belong to another league. No one will force you to take any course. People are all working hard for their own internal yearning for knowledge. How does that sound?
honestly, op, just go with your gut. apply to some other schools during the regular decision round, see where you get accepted, and make your choice then. you don’t have to apply to any of the other ivy league schools or even schools that are in the top twenty. just read up on schools, find where you’ll be happy, and apply. it’s really that simple.
“No one will force you to take any course.”
Not true, Brown, just like every other college has requirements to get a degree in a particular major, I believe ucbalumnus has been saying this all along when people talk about the open curriculum. I majored in Computer Engineering, I just perused Brown’s computer engineering program, and guess what - you have to take, required, forced, whatever word you want to use, pretty much the same courses I did - a whole bunch of math, hardware, software, science, humanities courses. If you’re going to get a degree at Brown, you will have to take requirements, even in English, there are ten. There’s a lot of flexibility for sure, but you’re not going to float around campus, take classes here and there, and get a degree.
Weather really has something to do with how one people feel at certain campuses. For example, I need to go to a place where I can go out for walking and hike any time; that’s why I live where I do. Where the quality of education, brand name etc are the same or minuscule, you have to take personal preferences or vibe into account. It’s your life after all. I believe 17 year old knows even better than a 60 year old where he or she will be happier.
Harvard is fantastic for some students, but neither of my kids liked the feel of the campus or the departments they visited. My sibling wasn’t happy there, either, back in the day. Name recognition does not make it the perfect school for everyone. I recommend you apply to a few other schools and give yourself the freedom of a choice in the spring. You can always choose Harvard if your feelings change. Both of my kids changed their minds fairly late in the game and were quite grateful to have options. Both also turned down schools more “prestigious” than the ones they’re attending…if you quibble over a few spots in the rankings or a few percentage points in acceptance rates. Distinctions of that kind mean nothing in the long run, and certainly mean nothing when compared to the fit of the school for what YOU want and what makes you feel at home.
It’s hard to think about turning down a prestigious school (it’s hard to turn down any school, for that matter!) but it’s your life and your future and you should be excited about it! The realities of college can get tough, and you will inevitably have times of second-guessing or stress. I think one way to combat this is to make sure you feel really good about your choice at the beginning. Don’t start with regrets.
@NoNameGang : D was accepted to Harvard class of 2013. Visited and did not like the experience: the surroundings, the classes she sat in on, the general vibe from the students she met. Had exactly the opposite experience at Dartmouth and was very happy there. You would not be the first person not to be wowed by the Harvard halo.
Good family friend attended Harvard and his description of his undergrad experience there is basically, “meh.” Liked being involved in campus radio and that was mostly it. He’s in business and says the name has helped him open some doors, but he didn’t love his time there.