I just finished visiting both during open house. I have little idea of what I want to major in and neither school has a course on becoming a dictator so I’m still figuring that out. It’s my understanding that Binghamton offers more majors but educational rigor/quality is similar, so I’m concerned about the social aspects and reputation of both schools right now.
Some background about me, I’ll try to stay brief and not sound melodramatic: My family struggles financially because my Mom has a brain injury and injuries in her hands/joints from a car accident (Functions similarly emotionally and mentally, mostly affected her physically and makes her feel sick from Vertigo attacks), and my Dad is unemployed but has some income from letting the Honda dealership next to the gym he used to operate rent his parking lot. We can afford Villanova with the financial aid we’re receiving, but it was apparent during my visit there that the students are generally wealthy and athletic, much like my school district. Since I am neither of those things, I was ostracized almost entirely throughout middle/high school and not given the time of day unless it was to harass me for having “faggy” clothes/shoes. I went from outgoing/energetic to depressed, socially awkward, and quiet. I’ve heard that the best way to make friends is to “join clubs” and “get involved” but I have no interests anymore. I’ve only done school work, taken care of/spent time with my little brother while my mom wasn’t feeling well, slept, and I occasionally played video games as a distraction (Not a passion, so I don’t know if any video game clubs would be right for me). Exciting, I know.
I know there are horrible people everywhere, but I’m concerned that my experience at Villanova might be the same or worse than middle/high school. I liked the campus much more than Binghamton’s, and the presenters gave much better and specific information on the school’s programs and student accomplishments than Binghamton which made it feel both warmer and superior academically. The people seemed nice but I didn’t get into any real conversations with students.
While the organization of Binghamton’s open house was a train wreck, the students I talked to gave me the impression that I’d have a much better chance of finding friends because that school is much more diverse from what I could tell. Plus it’s cheaper and has more courses, but has a worse reputation compared to Villanova which I think is especially important if I want to transfer somewhere else unless I do something amazing or become a dictator.
I would lean towards Villanova if I was more confident I would be socially accepted. I’m sure there are nice people there, but if they’re not going to give me the time of day because I can’t dress the same and am god awful at sports, I’m not interested in going.
I’m considering deferring enrollment in case my Mom’s law suit ends which would help our financial situation a lot, but that’s been ongoing for 12 years and was supposed to be over 9 years ago, so I’m not counting on it. The year off would also give me time to get in better shape (I’m super skinny, another reason I’m ostracized and harassed), work on social skills/getting back to how I used to be, and maybe finding an interest/passion to pursue in college, but maybe that’s me being too hopeful/naïve.
Thanks for taking time to read & respond, I definitely wasn’t brief haha, I appreciate any advice to help me decide what to do.