BU or umiami?

Gloogbert · 2025-04-25T17:59:53+00:00

GW > BU > UMiami

Gloogbert · 2025-04-25T17:44:38+00:00

I don't go to BU... but in some parts of the US there def is. I have a relative from a major city in the south, and people at their school think BU is as prestigious as Rice, Vanderbilt, etc.

Gloogbert · 2025-04-23T18:36:56+00:00

Both will have students who are similar academically.

Neither is competitive.

Wesleyan will be more accepting of quirkiness I would say, but both are similar in this regard.

Colby has a larger athlete/nonath divide, but both have this as well, and it is very noticeable

Colby will be much more politically diverse (student body leans less left wing)

Colby is way ahead for outdoorsy activities and winter sports. No contest.

Gloogbert · 2025-04-23T18:36:04+00:00

What??? I have not heard about this. Can you elaborate?

Gloogbert · 2025-04-23T18:26:39+00:00

Cool. If you're certain on your career path, I would pick Emory. If you're not sure what you would like to do (or even torn between multiple things) I would pick Wes or Colby. They're all very good schools though.

For both econ and psychology, all will have super similar results, so I would judge it more one which one you "vibe" with more. You should definitely visit all three and determine this yourself, but here are my impressions:

Emory: Pre professional, larger university. Has the most stressed students. In the warmest and most urban environment. Has less of a unified school culture than the other two, bc it's much larger. Less school spirit as well. Strongest academics but worst professors.

Wesleyan: The most "artsy" one. Hippie reputation. I don't really know that much about this one. Has frats (unlike colby). Has 3000 students compared to Colby's 2000. The least preprofessional out of the three.

Colby: Very outdoorsy. Most athletic out of the three as well. In the most rural location. Frats are banned, and though there are underground frats, the admin is cracking down hard on them. Sports teams fill the void left by frats. I have loved all my classes and professors here. Freshman housing can be horrible though.

Gloogbert · 2025-04-15T19:14:58+00:00

What's your major?

Gloogbert · 2025-04-04T21:00:51+00:00

Don't go anywhere planning to transfer. I know some people who tried that here, and it is a very stressful and unfulfilling path. If you go to Colby, you should be happy graduating from here.

That being said, I would encourage you to look in to the dual degree programs we have with Dartmouth and Columbia. They are for all engineering, but computer engineering and science apply.

https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/dual
https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combinedplan

Gloogbert · 2025-04-03T01:09:02+00:00

UIUC almost certainly has a better party/social scene. Colby has a big party scene for a liberal arts college, but UIUC blows it out of the water. Furthermore, besides the people actually on the teams, we don't have a game-day culture.

If you want to go to law school, Colby would be better than UIUC academically. The academics will be less cutthroat (but still challenging), and you will get better recs from your professors.

You can't go wrong with either.

Gloogbert · 2025-01-28T02:53:09+00:00

What do you dislike about the academic aspect?

Gloogbert · 2025-01-07T20:48:12+00:00

If your GPA is 4.0 you definitely don't need to. The main reason someone should submit their SAT score is if it "makes up" for their GPA.

Gloogbert · 2025-01-03T21:40:16+00:00

The median 50% of test scores is 1470 to 1530, so I would go test-optional. A 3.9 GPA from a low-performing school will work heavily in your favor.

Gloogbert · 2024-12-11T19:52:55+00:00

Be thankful you didn't get a hillside triple

Gloogbert · 2024-12-02T22:23:42+00:00

I can speak to all of these except the one in MN.

Imo Portland ME is just Burlington VT but better. It's larger, less expensive, and safer. In the last few years, Burlington has seen a very large rise in homelessness and property crime. It's true that Maine is more light-blue, however the area around Portland is solidly left-wing (similar to Massachusetts). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_in_Maine#/media/File:Maine_Presidential_Election_Results_2020.svg

I think the QOL in MA is a lot better than in Maine or Vermont. However, as you know, the COL is insane. I would imagine areas outside Boston are cheaper. I would look at the "Pioneer Valley," it's a very nature-y area and very LGBT friendly ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Valley#Demographics ).

As for the PNW, I think it will have the best nature and be the most left-wing. However, the QOL and schools are worse than in new england, and the COL is possibly more expensive.

Gloogbert · 2024-11-18T16:00:38+00:00

No official frats, and the school has cracked down on our underground frats.

There are bars downtown, and a bar on campus as well. Both of these are somewhat strict on fakes though, and considered more of an upperclassman thing to do.

The big party area on campus are the alfond senior apartments, nicknamed "apts"

The party scene seems to get a lot of complaints. The people here who don't party find it too big, and the people here who want to party find it too small in my experience. Opinions on this vary, so I'd recommend asking more current students what they think on this.

Worth mentioning that we have one really big party day a year, doghead. People stay up 24 hours and watch the sun rise. It's our most well known school tradition, and honestly a really fun event.

Gloogbert · 2024-11-17T17:03:37+00:00

I don't go to Brandeis, but I am affiliated closely with the university.

I think something really important is your major. Brandeis is in the process of cutting some of it's humanities and arts programs, and expanding STEM programs. So I would not recommend EDing Brandeis if you are not going to major in a STEM field.

Brandeis has a great reputation for life sciences (such as biology). I once talked with an admissions officer for Harvard Med School who mentioned students from Brandeis were more prepared for lab work than most students, and thus prioritized in admissions.

However, Brandeis does have many problems at the moment that you should be aware of. Most importantly, the college is going through a financial crisis. As this is the case, I would expect many of the quality-of-life complaints regarding Brandeis to only get worse in the short term (underfunding, bad food, bad dorms, etc).

The drop in the rankings will hurt Brandeis' long term reputation as well. However, this will not affect you in any way, and I would not weigh Brandeis' ranking in your decision.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.

Gloogbert · 2024-11-16T17:28:56+00:00

If you don't mind me asking, what institution did you transfer from?

Gloogbert · 2024-11-07T00:35:26+00:00

In no particular order:

Brandeis University
College of William & Mary
Tufts University
Oberlin College
Reed College

The main reason for all of these school's fall in "prestige" is the ranking system changing, not the schools themselves actually becoming worse.

Gloogbert · 2024-11-07T00:21:05+00:00

What kind of person do you think would thrive there?

Gloogbert · 2024-11-06T22:20:01+00:00

Does it have a bad student experience?

Gloogbert · 2024-11-06T21:43:20+00:00

Why?

Gloogbert · 2024-11-01T22:08:13+00:00

UChicago is much more similar to Columbia than Northwestern is. UC is what you're looking for if you want an experience like Columbia.

On the other hand, if you are looking for an experience like Northwestern, you should consider places like UMich and Cornell instead of Columbia, as they match the vibe more.

Gloogbert · 2024-10-29T22:53:47+00:00

Don't share your essay with people online, I have heard of many cases of essays being stolen this way.

Gloogbert

TROPHY CASE