Where Would You Go To School?
Day 1,541, 15:41
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Published in USA 
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by
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by Pinkerton117
The Perfect College
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It's February, and for many high school seniors (and even some juniors) the time to choose a college is coming up fast. By this point in time most colleges have, or are in the process of, mailing out everyone's acceptance or rejection letters and all that's left for these students is to decide, where do I want to go for the next 2, 4, or more years of my life?
For myself personally, I'm only a junior in high school so I still have the next whole year to apply and decide where I would like to go. Throughout this year though I've been doing quite a bit of research on colleges from the community to the Ivy level, particularly tech schools (I would like to earn a PhD/ScD in Computer Science), and have created my own list of 11 schools that I would truly love to attend.
(Note: I am not saying any colleges on this list are the BEST in the nation nor does the order they are in imply anything, I'm just writing them down as they come to me.)
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Arguably the best engineering and science school in the country, MIT would be my very first choice simply because I know I could not go wrong.
2. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Carnegie Mellon's graduate computer science program is consistently ranked among the top in the nation and is located in the city of Pittsburgh which I hear is quite nice (:
3. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Cornell's graduate computer science program, like Carnegie Mellon's, is consistently ranked among the best and the school itself has a great financial aid program that I will definitely be needing wherever I attend.
4. Columbia University in New York, New York.
Located in the beautiful city of New York, Columbia (if accepted) offers an Ivy League education, great financial aid, and access to all else that New York offers.
5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Just a step below Carnegie and Cornell, Rensselaer offers yet another renowned computer science education near my hometown in New York (:
6. The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
While not known in particular for computer science, at GWU I am nearly guaranteed a full tuition 4-year scholarship based on my PSAT scores and the ability to check out Washington D.C. at my leisure.
7. Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Located in North Carolina, my favorite state, Duke has long been in touch with me through the DukeTIP program and this summer I am attending a mathematics institute on campus.
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Sitting directly next to Duke is it's sports rival, UNC. UNC at Chapel Hill is an extraordinarily picky college for out-of-state applicants and often works in conjunction with Duke and is typically ranked high in its computer science program.
9. Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
A small liberal arts college right next to Orlando, Rollins has a beautiful campus and is one of the top schools in Florida (where I currently live). In addition, it is very generous with scholarships and study-abroad opportunities which I would love.
10. Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
The number one ranked computer science school in Florida, FSU is a well-known university where many friends of mine will be attending.
11. University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.
Though not the top school in computer science here in Florida, UCF is the second largest college in the nation and offers nearly every class imaginable. Its honors college, Burnett, is well known and well respected and like with GWU I basically have a full ride waiting for me here.
Now that I've shown you guys my college choices and thoughts on them my question to you is, if you are currently in high school what college would you like to attend and why? or if you are in college/graduated from/ never attended college/etc. where would you have liked to attend college if you could choose anywhere and why?
Can't wait to see what you guys think and feel free to comment on my choices, all advice is welcome
~ Pinkerton117
______________________________________________________
It's February, and for many high school seniors (and even some juniors) the time to choose a college is coming up fast. By this point in time most colleges have, or are in the process of, mailing out everyone's acceptance or rejection letters and all that's left for these students is to decide, where do I want to go for the next 2, 4, or more years of my life?
For myself personally, I'm only a junior in high school so I still have the next whole year to apply and decide where I would like to go. Throughout this year though I've been doing quite a bit of research on colleges from the community to the Ivy level, particularly tech schools (I would like to earn a PhD/ScD in Computer Science), and have created my own list of 11 schools that I would truly love to attend.
(Note: I am not saying any colleges on this list are the BEST in the nation nor does the order they are in imply anything, I'm just writing them down as they come to me.)
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Arguably the best engineering and science school in the country, MIT would be my very first choice simply because I know I could not go wrong.
2. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Carnegie Mellon's graduate computer science program is consistently ranked among the top in the nation and is located in the city of Pittsburgh which I hear is quite nice (:
3. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Cornell's graduate computer science program, like Carnegie Mellon's, is consistently ranked among the best and the school itself has a great financial aid program that I will definitely be needing wherever I attend.
4. Columbia University in New York, New York.
Located in the beautiful city of New York, Columbia (if accepted) offers an Ivy League education, great financial aid, and access to all else that New York offers.
5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Just a step below Carnegie and Cornell, Rensselaer offers yet another renowned computer science education near my hometown in New York (:
6. The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
While not known in particular for computer science, at GWU I am nearly guaranteed a full tuition 4-year scholarship based on my PSAT scores and the ability to check out Washington D.C. at my leisure.
7. Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Located in North Carolina, my favorite state, Duke has long been in touch with me through the DukeTIP program and this summer I am attending a mathematics institute on campus.
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Sitting directly next to Duke is it's sports rival, UNC. UNC at Chapel Hill is an extraordinarily picky college for out-of-state applicants and often works in conjunction with Duke and is typically ranked high in its computer science program.
9. Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
A small liberal arts college right next to Orlando, Rollins has a beautiful campus and is one of the top schools in Florida (where I currently live). In addition, it is very generous with scholarships and study-abroad opportunities which I would love.
10. Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
The number one ranked computer science school in Florida, FSU is a well-known university where many friends of mine will be attending.
11. University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.
Though not the top school in computer science here in Florida, UCF is the second largest college in the nation and offers nearly every class imaginable. Its honors college, Burnett, is well known and well respected and like with GWU I basically have a full ride waiting for me here.
Now that I've shown you guys my college choices and thoughts on them my question to you is, if you are currently in high school what college would you like to attend and why? or if you are in college/graduated from/ never attended college/etc. where would you have liked to attend college if you could choose anywhere and why?
Can't wait to see what you guys think and feel free to comment on my choices, all advice is welcome
😃
~ Pinkerton117
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No University of California campuses on there? 😛
Nope, sorry. I was thinking about applying to Stanford because from everyone I hear the school is simply amazing, and I also considered UC-Berkeley because of its renowned computer engineering program, and over time I may come to change my mind, but at the moment I'm kinda scared of moving out west haha I've lived in the east my whole life and I'm just not sure how comfortable I'd be living so far away. I'm certainly not saying there's anything wrong with them, they're fantastic, I just wish they were over on this side of the country XD are you thinking about attending any of them? (:
OH! Btw, if anyone has attended any of the above mentioned universities I would love to hear about your experience there!
You didn't mention your local community college that gives you the same degree for a quarter of the price.
I've looked up a bunch of those as well, I'm currently taking some dual-enrollment classes at my local community college and if I was to attend one I'd prolly choose Valencia. I didn't include any of those on the list however because I'd want to go to a graduate school.
You are correct, Pittsburgh is quite nice.
I'll be visiting Carnegie, RPI, and MIT this summer so hopefully I'll get a taste of what Pittsburgh life is like while I'm there (:
Count my vote for UNC Chapel Hill. Frankly, North Carolina is heads above all the other states in this list as far as pure beauty and genuinely nice people. If you haven't been to the campus there, I urge you to do so before you make a final decision.
And I don't even live in NC!
When I'm at Duke this summer I definitely plan to make a visit over to Chapel Hill to check it out (: and I know! I've never lived there, just driven through and visited a couple times and I'm in love with the state! XD
I love how you are doing this on eRep xD
Haha would you prefer i complain about the in-game economy or the admins and their changes? XD This seems wayyy more interesting (:
Come out west to Stanford. You might even run into me out here. It is an amazing college.
Pinkerton: I do the economy so do somethin else 😛P
Cool, I'm also a junior in high school. Great list you have here I'll comment more once I'm done with my homework
Also V+S
Pinker117:I loved junior year of highschool.. getting to apply to colleges was pretty fun/exciting. I'm at UC Davis at the moment [ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-california-davis-1313 ]. In the process of waiting back for law school acceptances.
UNC was ranked number 1 by princeton review in terms of public college prices. (loads of financial aid) if that's on your radar. Oh and all my undergrad buddies from there love it.For GWU, I'm from Annapolis, MD and have been to the campus, bunked in the dorms, and been in the classrooms.It's a great campus if you're used to city living. Classes are small and they have a great cafeteria lol.
These are all East Coast schools. As a Best Coaster... lolwut?
v+s, and good luck!
So obviously just from looking at the list you're from the east coast. A few of those schools, while academically strong...well, nobody really gives a crap about them nationally.
If you're serious about computer science, Stanford HAS to be in your top 3. You're going to have a lot of contact with Silicon Valley whether you like it or not; putting it off isn't going to do you any good.
Pay no attention to the "go to community college" people, especially if you have the credentials for a school like MIT. It is actually a good idea if you can to take some of your core classes at a smaller school, but you'll want your diploma to be from a respected institution, especially in this economy. It's most decidedly NOT the same degree.
Also, keep in mind that you don't need to go to the same school for undergrad and graduate school. In fact, it's historically frowned upon in some circles to go to grad school at the same institution where you earned your undergrad degree, though it has become more common in the past 10 years. But more importantly, you would be missing a fantastic opportunity to expand your professional circles and experience a different campus and city.
@Richman: I'll definitely do some more research on it and that'd be awesome haha
@Leos: Don't worry, you can keep your economy articles
@Alexander: sweet, where are you looking at?
@Sugawara: Nice man, where'd you apply at? good luck!
@SleepEZ: Yeah, I hear as long as I can get in I'll be set and the campus at GWU seems absolutely stunning
@Franco: I've lived on the East coast my whole life so I'm sorta attached at the moment haha
@Slade: Thanks! I'm definitely going to look more into Stanford, I've gotten some letters from them and I definitely realize I'll have to have some connections with the area at the very least. And in regards to where I go first, whether it be MIT or UCF or anywhere in between price-wise, I'm really depending on scholarships and financial aid so that's probably going to make up a big portion of my decision. When it comes to getting my graduate degree, I'll have to wait and see how the schools are looking near the end of my first four years and I would definitely enjoy seeing another school (:
Just started creating a list with my college counselor. These are the schools we have so far but some will be added and removed...
Boston College, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon Univ, Columbia Univ, Georgetown Univ, U of Miami, Northeastern Univ, Villanova Univ
@Pinkerton: It would be awesome. Of course, odds are we would never realize it if we passed each other by on campus. Of course, you seem to want to be in the computer business and i prefer the history road. Maybe we could make a game together and get a piece of this cash pie that Plato here is cornering.
@Alexander: that's great man, it really pays off to start planning early. What degree are you planning on going for?
@Richman: this is very true haha and if we found like a graphic designer and a business major we'd be set! XD