Hi! So I got into UMich (EA) and WashU and Pomona (RD). I am not planning on getting into an Ivy, Northwestern, or Duke this week, so I am trying to figure out where I will go out of these three.
Pomona is ~25K/yr
UMich is ~38k/yr – also got into Honors.
WashU is ~32k/yr
I love the architecture, the courses, etc of WashU and UMich. I love Pomona’s location (close to LA), and the classes they offer, but not so much the style of the campus (which is really important to me).
I visited UMich and it was amazing, and WashU is flying me out next week to visit.
I hope to attend Law School (T14 preferably), so that is also something important to take into account.
Based on the prices, my preferences, and pre-law, what do you guys think I should pick?
These are three completely different schools (which is ok). Small LAC (albeit in a consortium), medium university, large university. Do any of these appeal to you more than another? Is big sports important? Class size? Are any of these relatively easier to get to?
Are all of those net prices affordable for your family (defining affordable as not requiring anything beyond the federal direct student loan ($5.5K first year, $27K max over 4 years)?
Just coming here to say I like the cheerful and positive way you worded that. You have some great acceptances already, good luck with the rest of them too
First - I think that you should wait. While it’s good to keep expectations tempered, your track record shows - there might be more.
Clearly you have significant need - so how important is the money?
As for T14, the school will matter less but what you do while you’re there and your LSAT will matter most. I’d surmise you did well on the SAT so will on the LSAT as well.
So we know you love UM, not really Pomona and haven’t yet been to WUSTL.
So money can but doesn’t have to be a driving factor but with need, maybe it is.
Will the Michigan award go up with the tuition increases in year 3 or 4? Their tuition is much higher in the final two years.
I think you should see if you like WUSTL. It’s smaller and more contained than Michigan.
And I think you may have other opportunities.
But frankly, you could be at Mizzou instead of WUSTL or Cal Poly Pomona instead of Pomona and still get into a top law school - so I’d take that part out of the equation and pick on fit - which includes finances? UM is $13K more than Pomona - can you afford that?
What is your desired major? Pre law is advising, not a major.
Best of luck on your WUSTL visit and remaining decisions - I suspect you’ll have another choice!!!
As for these schools - all are fantastic - but maybe all aren’t fantastic for you - and that’s what you have to decide.
By selectivity, Pomona places 16th nationally (College & University Rankings). Based on this, it seems premature to assume that you will not get into other schools in this rarefied selectivity zone.
Hi guys! Thank you for all your feedback! I definitely love WashU and UMich more than Pomona, so I guess I will cross that one off the list (for now). My major is Political Science but I hope to double-major in Math and Poli Sci. The cost difference isn’t so different that it’ll make it much less affordable, so that’s not really much of a worry, unless it is overall not worth paying extra for UMich or WashU compared to other schools. I guess I just never really considered what it would be like going to a really small school and after touring UMich, I realized I wanted to be in a bigger school with more access to resources-- but WashU falls into a sweet spot with around 15k students. I guess I’ll just see what happens this week, and with my WashU tour, and hopefully it’ll all work out I’m sure I’ll be happy wherever I end up. Thank you guys again!
Just FYI, WashU has about 8K undergrads. The rest of the students would be in various grad school programs. Enjoy the visit…WashU’s campus is beautiful, and has a great location.
Sounds like from your current choices you have narrowed it down to WashU and Michigan. You may have some clarity after you visit WashU, but otherwise I would probably focus mostly on the size and think about what you’re most interested in. WashU is a medium sized private university and the support and advising are very good, plus class sizes will tend to be smaller. The student body is very friendly and collaborative, but it’s a D3 sports school without a lot of sports centered school spirit. Michigan is a large public university and your classes will likely be larger. It has a huge D1 sports culture which is pretty fun. Both are gorgeous campuses and have very good reputations. The weather in St Louis is better in my opinion and not quite as brutal as Michigan. It won’t matter which one you go to for pre-law. I got into WashU and Michigan and ultimately chose WashU. The one thing I gave up was the D1 sports culture, but for me I really wanted a smaller school and I also could not justify the cost of Michigan over the UC’s since they are all large state schools and I am instate for UC’s. Good luck with your decision!
These are all great schools. Assuming the non-huge difference in cost is not much of a factor (if any), you just have to decide how to prioritize your preferences WRT location, academic fit, setting/size, vibe, etc.
I would treat these as academic peers. It’s up to you to figure out which one best fits you.
Does Michigan have a program that allows you to get into its law school without LSAT and traditional requirements? Does Michigan have an accelerated program for undergrad and law school? If so, that should be a major consideration.
just did college tours including WashU - though beautiful, alot of buildings look the same at WashU -personally find it less appealing than UMICH which has more architectural diversity. -If you’ve visited Ann Anbor and really like it and don’t mind the size, I would favor UM too (unless the 6K is really a dealbreaker) - Iam an old UM alum though who went to grad school atWashU -visits back to both campuses I always love UM/AA more.
Hi! Thank you so much for your help! I came back from a tour of WashU last week, and am headed to Pomona today! I personally loveeeeed WashU’s campus more than UMich as I love that style of architecture, so I am knocking UMich off of my list (for more reasons than that though). A bit sad, but I definitely would go to WashU over Mich. Pomona im not sure about the campus looking from the pictures online, but I will see it tomorrow! So excited
That’s true!! Thank you!! I’m at Pomona right now and I honestly have no idea what to do. Both schools are so beautiful, and Pomona is much cheaper. Pomona is more focused on my major and pre-law while WashU is largely pre-med, but I feel like WashU is more prestigious which is why I’m kind of leaning that way, but I don’t want that to be the reason I go. I’ve also already told people that I’m going to WashU because I didn’t think I would like Pomona, but I honestly really love it!!
I don’t think WashU is more prestigious than Pomona! Pomona is generally recognized as one of the top 5ish LACs nationally, probably the best regarded in the West. Sort of the Stanford of LACs if you will.
I’m sure I’ll be happy wherever I end up. Thank you guys again!