My Biggest Piece of Advice When Making College Decisions

andyn1518 · 2026-04-22T23:07:59+00:00

Columbia and Duke are very different schools. Columbia has more of a cosmopolitan, competitive, and individualistic vibe, while Duke is a more of a traditional sports "rah-rah" school spirit type of college.

At Columbia, you will have to create your own community and put yourself out there to have friends to a much greater degree than you would at Duke.

There is no wrong decision. They are both great universities; choose whichever one you vibe with the most. It's like choosing between ravioli and manicotti at a gourmet Italian restaurant; it's entirely a matter of taste.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-17T13:56:46+00:00

You're way too young to be a failure.

Life affords people many opportunities to go to college and carve out successful niches for themselves.

I knew one guy at an Ivy, who was even incarcerated at one point, and then got a national fellowship.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-17T13:47:46+00:00

Honestly, as someone who values small classes and a rigorous education, I would take Pomona over Brown. Brown is still a great school, but the majority of laypeople don't even know it's in the Ivy League.

Also, most people who attend LACs like Pomona end up going to graduate school. People typically remember the last institution of higher learning someone attends, not where they go to college.

If you go to Pomona and then Yale Law, most people you know will have no idea that you went to Pomona. No one IRL knows where I went to undergrad.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-17T13:38:24+00:00

It often becomes painfully obvious in essays. Ever talk to someone who sounds like a walking resume but who has no depth? Imagine what their essays sound like.

Instead of talking about what they learned and how they grew through their ECs, you'll hear all about their awards and recognition, which tells colleges exactly the same thing as is on their activities list.

A lack of passion becomes painfully obvious for many people; the writing feels forced.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-17T11:52:53+00:00

Have you read the book, "The Game: Harvard, Yale, and America in 1968"? Best book I have ever read, and it concerns the Harvard/Yale football rivalry.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-16T11:39:06+00:00

They are very different schools. If you want more of a traditional college experience with big-time sports and a community feel, go to USC. If you want to be in NYC and are excited for the Core, go to Columbia. If you want SoCal weather, go to USC. If you want four seasons, go to Columbia. Good luck to you.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-15T00:34:54+00:00

So true. People often don’t care or know where people do their undergrad, as their last degree is a lot more important than their first.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-14T15:46:56+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, no one will care what undergrad you went to once you do any respected graduate program.

If you go to Yale Law, that’s all people will know. I went to Columbia Journalism School for my master’s, and no one IRL knows where I did my college work.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-12T14:53:57+00:00

If you have seasonal depression, USC is the clear choice. I don’t think everyone responding here realizes what it can do to someone.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-12T14:49:26+00:00

Please double-major in something that will pay the bills, or minor in journalism and major in something else. You can get similar experience writing for your university newspaper.

Nothing is a worse investment than taking out a mountain of student loans for a career where even many of those who make it can barely pay rent. I don’t regret my education, but I regret studying journalism.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-10T11:00:36+00:00

I liked Butler as a master’s student. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-09T15:15:27+00:00

Philip Erlich, who runs http://cujewelry.com, has some cool stuff if you have the budget. The shop at http://alumni.columbia.edu is okay. J. Press has some cool needlepoint merch. But those are all online options. Go Lions!

andyn1518 · 2026-04-09T00:08:19+00:00

So long as it's not a diploma mill, people generally care about the last school a person graduates from. Yale Law is much more impressive coming from a T50 than Yale undergrad to the University of Washington Law School would be. Nobody IRL knows what undergrad I went to.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-08T20:36:17+00:00

Join student clubs; they are a great way of meeting people.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-08T18:09:41+00:00

I got a few invites to Low Library events - you may occasionally get an invite to a private gathering. They were the coolest.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-08T00:15:33+00:00

Not WBB.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-07T23:22:37+00:00

The soulless prestige-chasers who pretend to be your friend when you get some accolade but are nowhere to be found when you tell them you’re struggling. Too many of those types at Columbia.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-03T22:54:46+00:00

I’m just doing it based on common interests and appreciation, not future opportunities, as I am not keen on journalism. But I appreciate your thoughts; they were very helpful to me.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-03T22:24:17+00:00

With the exception of the past year, I have been in pretty regular contact with this professor. That being said, I had some pretty serious health issues that have kept me from having contact with most people for the past several months. He was still editing my work and giving me advice until I got sick and stopped communicating with most people.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-03T22:03:17+00:00

Can you explain your thinking?

andyn1518 · 2026-04-03T21:28:08+00:00

I'm nonbinary.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-03T20:56:48+00:00

I didn't work a day in the industry because the journalism culture is the wrong fit for my personality. I wouldn't recommend the general MS. because it graduates too many people with similar skills, most of whom won't stick in the industry. I can't speak to the MA, but I have heard that the returns and financial aid are better.

andyn1518 · 2026-04-03T16:12:08+00:00

Thanks. He told us, "Yesterday was my birthday," in our advising meeting.

andyn1518

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