Finally I'm going to visit east coast universities

[moose]

The Thursday before Labor Day, I will be flying to Boston to visit several colleges. I will visit MIT, Boston University, and Harvard (might as well, since it's right there...) in Boston. From there, my dad and I will be driving to Ithaca, New York. More or less along the way are Brown and Yale, so I will probably pay them a visit . Once I get to Ithaca, I will visit Cornell University! From there, we will drive the 60 miles to Syracuse and fly back to Phoenix... Bassically, I am making this trip to see MIT and Cornell; the rest are just out of the opportunity.

Anyone have any suggestions/comments about any of the forementioned schools?

 

[rocketboy]

Sounds like an awesome trip, those are top schools. Make sure you ask a lot of questions and try to get a feel of what it would be like going to school there, at least, that's what I did when choosing my uni.

 

[chroot]

My largest piece of advice? Don't fall in love with the names. You'd be surprised how many lesser-known universities can give you an essentially equivalent education, an environment more tailored to your preferences, and a much cheaper bill.

If you're set on Mass. as a place to live for the next four years, spend some time looking at some of the many non-Ivy schools, too. All the universities you mentioned are the sort that turn away most of the high-school valedictorians that apply. Don't focus entirely on them.

- Warren

 

[Cyrus]

My largest piece of advice? Don't fall in love with the names. You'd be surprised how many lesser-known universities can give you an essentially equivalent education, an environment more tailored to your preferences, and a much cheaper bill.

If you're set on Mass. as a place to live for the next four years, spend some time looking at some of the many non-Ivy schools, too. All the universities you mentioned are the sort that turn away most of the high-school valedictorians that apply. Don't focus entirely on them.

- Warren

Yes, yes. Good advice, take it seriously moose!

 

[Moonbear]

I also agree with Chroot's advice not to overlook schools that don't come with a big name.

When you're looking at the schools, in addition to looking at the actual campus and asking questions about the curriculum and activities and dorms and all that sort of stuff, don't forget to take a good look at the students around you. Maybe sit in one of the student centers and see what goes on. Those are the type of people you'll have as classmates...are they the type of people you want to be around for 4 years? Where do people on the campus study vs play? On some campuses, dorm rooms are where most people study alone, and then they hang out in student centers to be loud. On other campuses, all the partying is in dorms and they are too noisy for studying, so you have to go to the student center or library to study. Make sure you find out about that situation for the schools you visit and think about what would suit you best.

 

[moose]

My largest piece of advice? Don't fall in love with the names. You'd be surprised how many lesser-known universities can give you an essentially equivalent education, an environment more tailored to your preferences, and a much cheaper bill.

If you're set on Mass. as a place to live for the next four years, spend some time looking at some of the many non-Ivy schools, too. All the universities you mentioned are the sort that turn away most of the high-school valedictorians that apply. Don't focus entirely on them.

- Warren

I agree completely. I will most likely be attending the University of Arizona (I took two classes there over the summer and loved it). I just wanted to visit schools over there as a vacation/to get a glimpse of what I would be getting myself into if I ended up being accepted by some miracle. If I fall in love with Boston, I may end up going attending Boston University (which doesn't have ridiculous acceptance standards) or Northeastern University or something. Of course there are several other fine institutions near Boston, but my research isn't exactly complete. As it stands right now, my top three choices as far as universities go are MIT, Cornell, and then UA (maybe University of Maryland...). I don't expect to be accepted at MIT nor Cornell at all.

I also agree with Chroot's advice not to overlook schools that don't come with a big name.

When you're looking at the schools, in addition to looking at the actual campus and asking questions about the curriculum and activities and dorms and all that sort of stuff, don't forget to take a good look at the students around you. Maybe sit in one of the student centers and see what goes on. Those are the type of people you'll have as classmates...are they the type of people you want to be around for 4 years? Where do people on the campus study vs play? On some campuses, dorm rooms are where most people study alone, and then they hang out in student centers to be loud. On other campuses, all the partying is in dorms and they are too noisy for studying, so you have to go to the student center or library to study. Make sure you find out about that situation for the schools you visit and think about what would suit you best.

Thanks for the advice Moonbear :shy:

 

[gravenewworld]

I applied to BU as an undergrad and got accepted. it was my #1 choice, but I couldn't go there simply because it was so damn expensive. I found BU to be very stingy with their financial aid packages, and coupled with the fact that they are one of the most expensive private schools to attend in the country, it made it unaffordable.

 

[franznietzsche]

I also agree with Chroot's advice not to overlook schools that don't come with a big name.

When you're looking at the schools, in addition to looking at the actual campus and asking questions about the curriculum and activities and dorms and all that sort of stuff, don't forget to take a good look at the students around you. Maybe sit in one of the student centers and see what goes on. Those are the type of people you'll have as classmates...are they the type of people you want to be around for 4 years? Where do people on the campus study vs play? On some campuses, dorm rooms are where most people study alone, and then they hang out in student centers to be loud. On other campuses, all the partying is in dorms and they are too noisy for studying, so you have to go to the student center or library to study. Make sure you find out about that situation for the schools you visit and think about what would suit you best.

Gold advice. Seriously.

 

[chroot]

I don't expect to be accepted at MIT nor Cornell at all.

Well, of course I hope you get accepted to every single Ivy league school! I just wanted to make sure you were also looking into all the other excellent schools in the area.

- Warren

 

[Chi Meson]

As long as you're in Mass, don't pass by Amherst without stopping. 5 Colleges in one stop, plus a very nice town.