Curse

aleaf92 · Oct 03, 2009, 10:56 PM // 22:56

WTF, education?

Yes, yes my fellow GWers.

I am a senior in high school, and I've been looking through so many apps that I am about to pass out. I have gone to a few campuses such as Harvard and Yale, but I can't visit them all. So this is where you guys come in.

I have a 4.0 GPA, 2390 SAT scores, 36 ACT score, and 800's on my SAT IIs.

I want to know about how the academics, campuses, social life, professors, and any other category that you think may apply. I also want to know about the girls there. Yes, I am shallow. Please only reply if you attend the university or college. I need eye witness accounts of these schools as opposed to the accounts offered in brochures and websites.

Some specific schools I have in mind are Oxford, Cambridge, and the Ivy League. However, I am open to lesser known schools, but looking for Tier One schools for the most part such as Boston University and NYU. Your school should be in the Northeast of the USA, California, or England.

I would like to stress that you go to these schools, and please only constructive comments.

P.S. This is the only section I thought my thread would fit.

Black Metal · Oct 03, 2009, 11:57 PM // 23:57

I graduated from University of California - Davis, which while an excellent school, isn't ivy league....my guess is the grand total of ivy league grads in gwg would be between negative and positive one.

You should probably know what while you include California and England, there are no ivy league schools there.

aleaf92 · Oct 04, 2009, 05:24 AM // 05:24

Yea of course I know that the Ivy League schools are situated in the northeast.

What did you major in while at UCal

Shursh · Oct 04, 2009, 06:25 PM // 18:25

Well, if those really are your scores, you can probably get into whatever college you want.

I went to UT Knox, which could never be confused with "Ivy League", but I can tell you that no matter where you go, your education really depends upon you - not your teachers, your textbook, or even your school.

My advice would be to go to the school which has the highest prestige. Don't take this the wrong way, but at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is your degree and where you got it. Harvard/Yale, for example, looks much more impressive than [insert random no-name school], no matter what your grades are, or even how smart you are. Sadly, it's all about appearance.

If you are more interested in girls though, go to an SEC school. Fantastic...

karunpav · Oct 04, 2009, 08:04 PM // 20:04

I had around the same resume that you have with lower SATII scores, but I decided to go to Duke rather than the Ivy League schools. I have two cousins in Harvard and one in Cornell, but no contacts in Yale or Princeton or the international schools you're looking at, so I don't really have any information on them. From what I've heard about Harvard, I would definitely not want to go there unless you're looking for truly cut-throat competition. I've heard stories about people stealing your homework not so that they could copy it, but simply so that you wouldn't get the grade. Apparently a big percentage of Harvard is pretty well-to-do, so the attitude isn't one that I would like to be around, but there always people from every background everywhere. The campus is gorgeous though, complete with a Harry Potter dining hall.

Duke is simply awesome. It's somewhere in the top ten schools in the country, so it's definitely not one to count out. The weather definitely takes some getting used to, especially for someone from Cleveland like me, since the average temperature during the summer months is anywhere in the 90's, along with enough humidity to turn a fresh bag of chips soggy. Academics are the most challenging I've had anywhere, but that's pretty much to be expected. Homework for me, with a double major in Bio and Economics, ranges from 2-3 hours a night, so not too bad if you're willing to put in the effort first and party later (protip: you WILL fail tests, accept it now and it'll be easier when it happens). The campus is gorgeous and free-flowing, very serene and calm. Everything's walking distance from everywhere. I can't imagine professors would be any different in any other school, but at Duke they're fabulous. They're very passionate about the classes they teach, and they really can become your friends, not just your mentors. There are parties every day, guaranteed, but you really do need to pick and choose which ones you go to based on classes you have.

Girls are hot as hell here.

Snograt · Oct 04, 2009, 09:05 PM // 21:05

Don't go to Oxford or Cambridge. You'll cultivate a terrible accent that will have you hated everywhere you go.

J/k?

My Inner Ninja · Oct 05, 2009, 03:19 PM // 15:19

I took the SAT when the highest possible score was 1600, wasn't aware of the new format. I feel fairly old.

You have an outstanding academic record, together with some CS and EcA you could probably get into any school you want. I grew up in NYC like you. I went to Stuyvesant High School and then to NYU for undergrad and later got a masters in Macro Economics from Stern.

Choosing a college after high school was very easy for me, I was always going to stay in NYC to study, so Columbia, Fordham, CUNY, and St. Johns were also on my radar, although I was certain about going to NYU because of my family legend there.

You should have been more specific about your career goals or, at least, state your planned major in your post. The cultural landscapes of universities don't vary much, the biggest difference you will find is between schools in rural/small town areas and schools in urban areas so your studies are a deciding factor.

Prestige of schools is also only a matter of pride, for example the difference between CUNY Honors College and Columbia is the price (Free vs. 100K+). In the labor market experience matters more than fancy letterheads, so you want to choose a school/program that sends you out in the field while you are studying, that should be at the top of your list of priorities. Again, it is difficult to recommend a school without knowledge of your academic intent. For some degrees you are better off starting at State Uni and saving the big money for grad school. I'm an economist, sorry.

Studying at NYU was perfect. You are at one of the top schools in the country (if prestige matters) in the greatest city on the planet. Social life and campus life are intrinsically linked to NYC life. The city is your campus and there are 8 million people to socialize with. For more demographically appropriate socializing simply take a walk around the Village east/west, Soho, Chelsea, the Bowery etc. and you will inevitably run into your peers. NYU's social organizations are top notch too, groups and clubs covering the whole array of topical interests; Activism to Zen. This also makes it is a great multicultural experience, not only for its cultural diversity and the diversity of the city, but the academic diversity as well. You won't be able to escape learning something about theater or film at NYU, regardless of your major, just like you can't escape picking up some Spanish simply by living in NYC.

I wouldn't put too much stock into Oxford and Cambridge, the culture shock could prove fatal to your studies. Besides you can do a study abroad, I did a semester at King's College in London during my junior year. Similarly, I have always thought of the Ivy league schools as places for professional academics, researchers, scientists, professors and such, the sort that are on a perpetual quest for knowledge, so I wouldn't jump on those either. If all you want is a clinical education in graphic media then you should look for the best program and sometimes they are not at the most prestigious schools. I have friends that graduated from Harvard with similar degrees to my own and they are currently struggling to find work, one of them even became a school teacher (the troubles on wall street had something to do with that).

I personally think that the best college experience you can have is at an urban university. It will help with your social and cultural growth. Academics is solely up to you, schools get their ranks based on students' performance and post graduate success, indeed some schools can help you prepare better for the work force, but how well you do depends on you. You can go to Harvard and get all A's and that won't make you any better than a State student with a 4.0; by the same token you can graduate magna cum laude from Harvard and still not go anywhere if you lack motivation. Similarly, as professors are an extension of academics, you will only learn as much as you are willing to learn from them, regardless of how decorated they are. Usually the most prestigious professors have little time and patience for one on ones, especially with undergrads.

Uni of Chicago, UCLA, NYU/Columbia/CUNY Honors, Boston College or King's College in London, if you must go to England :anglophile: are all schools that would give you a great social, cultural, and academic college experience.

Thanks for curing my afternoon boredom.
Best of luck.

Chthon · Oct 06, 2009, 12:17 AM // 00:17

You should go to Yale. I think they have a level of arrogance and snobbery that fits you perfectly.

awesome sauce · Oct 06, 2009, 02:26 AM // 02:26

Well you could go to my school Michigan State.

Oh... I see you're intelligent. Okay never mind then.

mrmango · Oct 06, 2009, 04:00 AM // 04:00

On the West Coast, you seem to not have too much of an idea on the different schools.
You might want to look into these specific UCs (UCLA and UC Berkeley ((or "Cal"))), USC, Stanford... and perhaps the Clairemont Colleges.
Oh and you might have misunderstood the UC Davis poster.. the UC system has 10+ campuses that are in essence individual colleges but can combine for summer studying and libraries, and other facilities. They accept students individually but use the same application.

USC.. it's where I am going. The girls are great, first off, haha..
The academics in Engineering seem first rate, with lots of extra curricular possibilities for both academic topics and non-academic ones. Lots of room here, it's just expensive. And the campus is super awesome.

Stanford is like the USC of NorCal and it has a big rivalry with Cal (like USC and UCLA do), and it's more Ivy tier than USC. Don't know much more, but the campus is great.

Clairemonts are all VERY small but very liberal arts based, even the engineering geared one (Harvey Mudd College).

Good luck deciding, I advise you to apply to under 10; I did 15 and it was too much in terms of what I ended up still liking by the time the process was over. And good luck, don't procrastinate :3

Edit: Reply about what field you are interested in, if you know. That'd help a bit.

Shursh · Oct 06, 2009, 01:05 PM // 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chthon

You should go to Yale. I think they have a level of arrogance and snobbery that fits you perfectly.

LOL I was waiting for someone to say something like this.

Snow Bunny · Oct 06, 2009, 01:56 PM // 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chthon

You should go to Yale. I think they have a level of arrogance and snobbery that fits you perfectly.

You called good sir?

To the OP -

What are your extracurriculars?

And RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO going to a UC campus with those grades.

Your education at Uni.Texas will be just as good as Yale's, but Yale/Harvard/Ivy's degree will blow it out of the water, so go for gold.

edit - as for the girls here and how to get them, this will be one of the most honest things you've ever heard in your life.

If you're not at the frat parties (like mine) you won't hook up with the hot girls on campus. You won't get into the frats if you don't know a brother. You won't get to know a brother unless you're very well off/connected, or you play on a sports team.

AD's currently beating my frat though

aleaf92 · Oct 10, 2009, 03:51 PM // 15:51

Thanks everyone. I like that Chthon.

I am amazed that a lot of you had insightful advice.

@karunpay: Is there a BA/MD program at Duke?
@Inner Ninja:You are the man. Your post is fantastic. I am really amazed that I ran into someone like you on teh interwebz.
@Snow Bunny: I am guessing you Chinese from the flag, so how are the race relations at Yale?

A11Eur0 · Oct 11, 2009, 12:19 AM // 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by aleaf92

Thanks everyone. I like that Chthon.

I am amazed that a lot of you had insightful advice.

@karunpay: Is there a BA/MD program at Duke?
@Inner Ninja:You are the man. Your post is fantastic. I am really amazed that I ran into someone like you on teh interwebz.
@Snow Bunny: I am guessing you Chinese from the flag, so how are the race relations at Yale?

Snow's not Chinese, that's his way of reminding people about socialism, likely prompted by the Socialized Medicine thread.

Snow Bunny · Oct 11, 2009, 01:05 AM // 01:05

I'm not Chinese.

My avatar is because my major is specialization in Chinese gov't & language, and reminding people that china knows its shit.

Beyond that...race relations?

I mean, who cares what race you are? If you're one of those constantly bitching social-worker types on campus who need to regulate every aspect of my life in politically correct regimes, then RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO off.

Otherwise, no one will care.

But really, extracurriculars? sports? how in shape are you? monetary situation? these things all matter in the more elite east coast schools, especially for ascending the social network.

Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know a thing.

MMSDome · Oct 11, 2009, 01:58 AM // 01:58

Madison Wisconsin.

One of the best public universities you can go to and the campus life is off the chain. Used to be the number 1 party school in America.

A11Eur0 · Oct 11, 2009, 03:50 AM // 03:50

The OP sounds like he's going to have at least 3 love children, get busted about 4 times for cocaine possession, and go into politics.

MMSDome · Oct 11, 2009, 07:56 PM // 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by A11Eur0

The OP sounds like he's going to have at least 3 love children, get busted about 4 times for cocaine possession, and go into politics.

Envy is disgusting

mrmango · Oct 13, 2009, 04:19 AM // 04:19

Seems like a politician, though. :P