<p>I am very happy to say I have been admitted to both these awesome schools! Now I just have to make up my mind…</p>
<p>My parents are currently favoring UCSD because of it’s affordibility and relative proximity to home(I live in California). I honestly think though that they feel this way due to their relatively unfamilarity with NU. Btw, I am a prospective Econ/History major.</p>
<p>Northwestern:</p>
<p>Pros:
Better Reputation (#14 USNWR)
Econ/History Departments Highly Regarded
Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences Program (applied-I will hear if I get in later)
Beautiful Campus
Better instruction (7:1 Student Faculty Ratio)
More opportunities for me to pursue my interest in singing (as a non-music major)</p>
<p>Cons:
Expensive (maybe, I have yet to recieve financial aid)
Bad weather
Far from home</p>
<p>UCSD</p>
<p>Pros:
Great Weather
Math-Econ Program
Less Competitive
Inexpensive</p>
<p>Cons:
Not as prestigious
Econ/History less highly regarded
Student to Faculty ratio 18:1
Limited Singing opportunities</p>
<p>I hope to study history or maybe get an MBA in grad school. If neither of those work out I probably will just get an econ-related job with my undergrad degree</p>
<p>So… For those of you familiar with either/both of these schools: </p>
<p>Does the weather really make a difference in your enjoyment of the college?</p>
<p>Is living far from home difficult? (I live 500 miles from UCSD, about 2000 miles away from NU)</p>
<p>How important is the prestige of the undergraduate program when applying to graduate school? Is a high GPA/ low prestige school better than low GPA/High prestige?</p>
<p>Which school would you personally recommend for me and WHY?</p>
<p>I’d do UCSD. Honestly, California has such great state schools, it’s foolish to take on extra debt for an undergrad degree.</p>
<p>As for your other questions…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Distance does make a difference. The farther you are away, the less often you’ll be able to come home, and the more expensive it will be to do so. </p></li>
<li><p>Weather can make a difference. I lived in the upper great lakes area for a long time; the winters are brutal, especially if you’re not used to them. Some people can suck it up and deal, but others absolutely hate it. Response varies by person. </p></li>
<li><p>For grad school, high GPA and test scores are what matter. Not everyone can afford to go to a top school, so they don’t hold prestige against you.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>^^Chicago is <em>not</em> considered in the “upper great lakes area”. I lived in MA before and spent a lot of time in Boston/NYC before and seriously, I don’t notice much difference among them. Boston/NYC is actually windier than Chicago in the winter (look up average wind speed stats in the winter) and the origin of Chicago’s nick “windy city” got nothing to do with wind. Yet, I rarely hear some of you say much about the winter when it comes to the Ivies. Also, the cold applies mostly to the winter quarter, it’s not like you need to deal with it the “whole” time.</p>
<p>What do you know about the winter east of California? Why did you say that? I think you might have allowed that “windy city” label get too much into your head.</p>
<p>Jan, Feb, Mar average low & high:
Chicago
18/32, 24/38, 32/47
Boston
22/36, 24/39, 31/36
Ithaca, NY
14/31, 14/33, 22/42
Hanover, NH
9/29, 12/34, 22/43
NYC
23/36, 24/40, 32/48
Providence, RI
20/37, 23/39, 30/48</p>
<p>Actually, Chicago is warmer than most of the "northeast* and areas like western MA, upstate NY, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire. You were probably thinking of NYC or even Penn, which some don’t consider part of the northeast.</p>
I lived in Chicago for 11 years. Illinois as a whole is not considered the upper great lakes, but Chicagoland is. And the region is significantly colder than the northeast. The statistics don’t account for windchill; with windchill, the average for December in Chicago is usually below 0. </p>
<p>The northeast gets windchill too, but they usually stay well above 0. </p>
<p>And…NYC and Penn ARE in the northeast. They’re not New England, but the census groups both subdivisions (New England and the Middle Atlantic) together as one region = the northeast.</p>
<p>I have already told you Boston/NYC are windier than Chicago and I showed you the quote that says Chicago is no windier than most major cities in US. The northeast has windchill but I notice Chicago weather news like talking about it a lot more, as if they are very proud of their “windy city” signature label.</p>
<p>As for “upper great lakes”, I am just not gonna argue about the label. Anyone can see where it is located on the map. The main thing is it’s on the west side of Lake Michigan (near the southern tip) and therefore doesn’t really get the lake effect like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York do.</p>
<p>So the wind is actually weaker, the temperature is about the same, and the precipitation is definitely less than the northeast, so what’s the fuzz?</p>
<p>Bottom line: Winters in Chicago are usually below 0. Winters in the northeast usually aren’t. People who study cities professionally will even say that the northeast has more mild (although slightly longer) winters.</p>
<p>Although, this debate is completely irrelevant to the question at hand. ;)</p>
<p>For your intended majors of economics & history, Northwestern University is the clear choice. Distance is simply a plane ride away. Class size is of concern at UCSD. According to USNews, 30% of the classes at UCSD are of 50 or more students, while only nine (9%) percent are in the same category for NU. Also 46% of classes have fewer than 20 students at UCSD, while an amazing 72% of all classes at Northwestern have less than 20 students. Weather, however, is substantially different. Northwestern University’s endowment is rapidly growing–currently in the top ten out of 850 colleges & universities with well over $7 billion in the bank, whereas the UC system is experiencing a bit of a budget crisis. If weather is a major issue, then consider studying abroad during the winter quarter.</p>
<p>When you actually live in the region, and you watch the weather everyday, you notice the trends. Statistics aren’t perfect. I’ve never once seen a January with 18/32 temperatures. It’s far more common to see lows of 5 or 10 degrees. </p>
<p>Whereas, people in the northeast will say that their usual temperatures are much higer. </p>
<p>I don’t think it’s that huge of a deal, but anyone will tell you that there is a difference in weather.</p>
<p>But anyway, lets just drop it. This post isn’t about Chicago weather vs. Northeast weather. It’s UCSD vs. Northwestern. None of what we’re talking about really matters.</p>
<p>I was willing to drop that if you didn’t come back with “lows of 5 or 10 degrees”. 18/32 sounds about just right unless you are talking about windchill. But your statement was very misleading since everyone knows the 18/32 doesn’t include windchill. Those are simple averages; there’s no complicated/misleading statistics behind. </p>
<p>Like I said, I have lived in MA for 2 years and spent 2 winter breaks at Boston and NYC respectively. NE has as much of a windchill as Chicago but Chicagoans/Chicago weather news seemed to like tagging windchill factor more often. I honestly don’t recall any noticeable difference in terms of how cold I felt. I am very certain about the more frequent snowstorms in the NE, however. </p>
<p>OP, if you get into MMSS, then it’s gonna complicate your selection. It will depend on how much more expensive NU is obviously. MMSS is one of a kind program and blows away any so-called “math-econ” joint major that actually has very little integration between math and econ (based on what I’ve seen so far). MMSS also fulfills the pre-reqs for Kellogg undergrad certificate. Top firms know about MMSS and last quarter, one of the recruiters of MMSS students for summer internships was McKinsey.</p>
Why did you say that? I think you might have allowed that “windy city” label get too much into your head.</p>