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Hey TL, it's time for a college blog. I'm going to write probably a couple more of these from a more artistic perspective, but this one is simply about where to go. Yes, this is going to have brags in it, but I don't intend for it to come off that way, I just want help here and I'm going to give out all the info I have. I'm in need of a lot of help here. This blog is going to be bare bones, just a warning.
Choices
The Choices- U of Miami
- Oglethorpe
- St. John's College
- Rhodes College
- RPI
- Hofstra
- Tufts*
Synopsis
U of Miami
I'm going to see it this thursday, I'll probably write another blog about college then too after I see and after my mind has been changed a bit most likely. The college is large, they didn't accept me for fall term, but they did for spring. What conversations I've had with their philosophy department have been mediocre and verge on their professors being assholes to me; emailing me to tell me they have no time to email me, and one word responses to a perspective student aren't a great start. I'm not entitled to the extent that I'd say that I wouldn't want to go their because of it, but the cold shoulder never feels inviting. The place is large, but not enormous, it has a lot of what I'm looking for, but I'm not sold on them just yet.
Oglethorpe
I can't see this college, but it is in Atlanta and is a top 40 school. All of my schools are closely ranked together (except Tufts which is a top 25 school), and they have taken a serious interest in me. They are in the urban sprawl, but just out of the way enough for the campus to be unique and sequestered, which is a good thing. I like what I've heard of it, and apparently I received a $76,000 scholarship (presidential scholarship) from them. That makes them hard to turn down, I'll admit. The philosophy programs seems a bit weird, but the school is solid.
St. John's College
The most interesting college of them all. The place is a great books program, which means that every class reads books to describe what they want to learn. They read A METRIC SHIT TON in some classes that would regularly read not a whole lot. Their entire program is based around philosophy in some manner, and they have gone way out of their way to "recruit" me. I've even received a hand written letter from the admissions person for my area, which I've been told is a good thing. I should get a large scholarship for this place, it is also a great university and a school I have a hard time saying no to, just because of it's philosophy of learning; learning is done to learn, not for grade averages and not for SAT scores there, it is an amazing place for someone like me.
RPI
I'm not going to say much about RPI. They accepted me based on my humanities abilities, but they are a polytech school. Their philosophy degree is a B.S. and not a B.A. which is honestly interesting as far as degrees go. They are really fucking cold, colder than fucking hell up in Troy, NY. The place is attempting a renaissance of sorts; they are attempting to build their humanities program and need kids who can hack it with the math, to some degree, but are there to study the humanities. The place has an endowment and is a respected institution, but I don't think it is for me.
Tufts*
I was waitlisted at Tufts. If they use the waitlist, I might get picked, I might not. There is a good chance they will use the waitlist as the Common App has pretty much fucked everything up for college admissions this year. Tons of kids applied to 18 different schools, just like me, and so a lot of spots are going to be vacated. I hope I get in, if I get in, I basically straight up go there. They have an amazing Philosophy department, and they are in Boston, MA.
Rhodes
I'm centering this, because it is a different kind of situation. It is a home town school that has supposedly offered me a ncie chunk of change, but also possibly in loan form so I might have to pay it back, which is a no-go. This is a place down home in my own city. Its a good school, and their grad school acceptance rates are in the 90th percentile. The place is crazy cool, but I don't know if I want to go there. I've been to the campus, and it doesn't feel like Memphis, but, to be honest, the main draw is that I would have ties to professors there and I would know a lot of the student body. Also the volunteering at Rhodes is the best in the country, which is good for a guy like me, who wants to go into Law or Business at the moment.
Hofstra
I'll be honest, I don't really know much about this place, and I don't think I want to go there, but if you guys have life changing info about it, I'll consider it.
A short list of long thinking
These are things I would like in a school, if at all possible, ranked from most important to least.
- Departments are strong
- I have fun there / Don't get treated like shit by the teachers
- I can get into grad/law/med school
- Internships
- Warm
- Foreign programs
- Large minority communities, especially Spanish and Asian ones
- If possible, a place that can build me up along with myself doing the same.
What do you think, TL.
 
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Ogelthorp. The three years of free tuition is too good to pass up and u seem to like the area around it. My view is that college is what u make if it and being close to a big city should give you a lot of oppurtunities.
Or st.johns if you get a good scholarship
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Lol I've never heard of anyone ranking school in terms of the weather quality before, but then again I'm from Canada...I guess that's a US thing.
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The Oglethorpe campus is ridiculously beautiful, I went for a visit as an undergrad and it looks like a castle.
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definitely oglethorp, just look at that scholarship you got. and if you plan on pursuing graduate studies, your undergrad college doesnt matter that much, so save yourself a bigass mountain of student loan/debt and take the free 75k. this is a no brainer.
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The thing is that I'm inclined to take the money, but I want a strong department so I have credible letters of recommendation and also an environment that I'm going to enjoy. As much as the money is amazing, my parents, who on this issue have made their collective opinion very clear, I'm to go to the most prestigious school and money is not an issue. However, I would love to take my college money and do stuff with it, since that is a SHIT ton of money saved.
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On April 16 2013 08:27 WaveofShadow wrote:
Lol I've never heard of anyone ranking school in terms of the weather quality before, but then again I'm from Canada...I guess that's a US thing.
I've always grown up in the South, born and raised. That means 2 things: 1 is that I've been born into Southern Society which is pretty much a soap opera except every day as far as drama is concerned, 2 is that I'm accustomed to warmth as far as weather is concerned. I'd like the place I go to college to be warm because I'd like to not freeze my ass off  .
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Scholarship from Ogelthrope is too good to pass up. But also make sure college has the degree program you may be interested in, some of them don't.
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99% sure U.Miami has the best boobies.
But really, don't expect teachers to care about undergrad emails. They barely care about graduate emails. The bigger the schools the larger the pool of folks you can find to join - whether it be asians or whatnot. I couldn't really tell what you are majoring in, but aiming for law/med school is better than a lot of students.
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If you're really interested in philosophy, what can I say? Go to the school where you think you will learn the most from your peers as well as your profs.
For some reason I'd mistaken St. John's for Hampshire College. Maybe because they have similar approaches to grading. If you get a competitive scholarship from St. John's, I would recommend snapping that up.
And of course, Tufts is great if you get in with fin. aid.
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I'm going to give you the advice of go where you think you're most comfortable without breaking the bank. On that note, I'm going to read your options and give a recommendation. I'll edit this post.
EDIT: Okay, your home state would be helpful (or maybe if you don't care about distance, just an answer for proximity's sake). Judging by the fact that you think Troy actually gets really cold, I'm willing to bet you're from either the Carolinas or Florida. That's just a guess though. (Just caught Memphis, so you're from TN, I was close)
What I've gotten from your info is that you're a Philosophy major (prospective of course), so spending a bunch of money would be most likely a very, very bad idea. Also, you didn't get accepted for the Fall at all of the schools, so that's an obvious factor. Jumping into some school by school analysis:
The U: You haven't visited, and you didn't get in for the Fall. Wouldn't recommend.
Oglethorpe: Small private school, you got lots of money, seems to be a pretty good university too. Lots of money.
St. John's: Where is this school? It's not the one in NYC, because that's SJU. Good program, money unsure.
RPI: Don't go there unless you're in engineering. I have several friends who went there as engineering majors. All said don't go unless you're an engineer.
Tufts: You didn't get in, and don't bother waiting on them. It's the hard truth. And if you thought RPI's cold, Boston will be just as bad.
Rhodes: Loans are a deal breaker for a Phil major, and I hate to be frank. There's no point in going in debt over your schooling (no matter your major). Would it be possible to live at home there? I don't recommend, but to save money?
Hofstra: Haven't visited, and it's cold by your standards.
EDIT:On April 16 2013 10:08 Pelirrojo wrote:
If your parents are paying for everything, well, do whatever you want!
If the check is truly blank, do what you please.
On April 16 2013 08:27 WaveofShadow wrote:
Lol I've never heard of anyone ranking school in terms of the weather quality before, but then again I'm from Canada...I guess that's a US thing.
Well, the weather quality north to south varies a bit more than our friendly neighbors from the North. :D
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If your parents are paying for everything, well, do whatever you want!
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Don't be surprised at UMiami profs blowing you off. The bigger the school, the more emails profs get (from all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons). This doesn't mean you can't form meaningful relationships with faculty, it just might require a bit more effort on your part.
Also, you can get into med and law school from any undergraduate institution. I would cross this off your list as a criteria. As for graduate programs, this is going to be somewhat dependent on having a department in your field of study that you can get involved with beyond required coursework... but again, generally you could get accepted to a top graduate program regardless of your undergrad institution (and I am speaking from personal experience).
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I tell everyone the same thing
1) visit, pick the one that makes you happiest
2) don't go into uneccesaey debt. If you can't pick between a few, pick the better deal
It's less of where you go and more of what you do with the opportunities. If you go to miami and be a shutin you're wasting the opportunity. Especially since your parents are paying, pick the one that you're happiest in. Letters of rec come from building relationships over your time as an undergrad.
Don't stress too much. Visit them all, figure out where you'll be the happiest
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On April 16 2013 10:01 AgentW wrote:I'm going to give you the advice of go where you think you're most comfortable without breaking the bank. On that note, I'm going to read your options and give a recommendation. I'll edit this post. EDIT: Okay, your home state would be helpful (or maybe if you don't care about distance, just an answer for proximity's sake). Judging by the fact that you think Troy actually gets really cold, I'm willing to bet you're from either the Carolinas or Florida. That's just a guess though. (Just caught Memphis, so you're from TN, I was close) What I've gotten from your info is that you're a Philosophy major (prospective of course), so spending a bunch of money would be most likely a very, very bad idea. Also, you didn't get accepted for the Fall at all of the schools, so that's an obvious factor. Jumping into some school by school analysis: The U: You haven't visited, and you didn't get in for the Fall. Wouldn't recommend. Oglethorpe: Small private school, you got lots of money, seems to be a pretty good university too. Lots of money. St. John's: Where is this school? It's not the one in NYC, because that's SJU. Good program, money unsure. RPI: Don't go there unless you're in engineering. I have several friends who went there as engineering majors. All said don't go unless you're an engineer. Tufts: You didn't get in, and don't bother waiting on them. It's the hard truth. And if you thought RPI's cold, Boston will be just as bad. Rhodes: Loans are a deal breaker for a Phil major, and I hate to be frank. There's no point in going in debt over your schooling (no matter your major). Would it be possible to live at home there? I don't recommend, but to save money? Hofstra: Haven't visited, and it's cold by your standards. EDIT: Show nested quote +On April 16 2013 10:08 Pelirrojo wrote:
If your parents are paying for everything, well, do whatever you want! If the check is truly blank, do what you please. Show nested quote +On April 16 2013 08:27 WaveofShadow wrote:
Lol I've never heard of anyone ranking school in terms of the weather quality before, but then again I'm from Canada...I guess that's a US thing. Well, the weather quality north to south varies a bit more than our friendly neighbors from the North. :D
Thank you so much for the effor you put into this post dude, and really all of you guys, this means a lot to me :'). Also, I'm going to transition into business and law, maybe an MD if I get a massive change of heart and go into Neuroscience (that has always interested me and been something I am "good" at, and by good I mean interested enough to listen to some University lectures lol). I won't have tons of issues paying for school, but I have to admit that after looking at my college, U of Miami is the best for what I want simply because they have the connections. I'm going to visit them, and I'm checking on the money I got from other schools. The weather thing is something I'm exaggerating a bit I guess. I wouldn't NOT choose a school over it, but I'd rather not freeze my ass off, ya know. I guess the thing is that I want the best environment because my family has given me the absolutely fantastic offer of paying for my education. It is something i'm going to do for my children too, whenever that happens, god willing. I wonder, do any of you guys have any experience with big school vs. little or anything you think I should be considering besides what I've written?
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Some general advice in no particular order.
Don't worry whether a school has a highly-ranked philosophy department, since (1) rankings largely reflect graduate programs and research, and (2) similarly-ranked programs may have strengths in different specialties. In applying to graduate programs, the reputation of your recommenders matters, but not as much as their familiarity with your work and your undergraduate achievements and research. Their friendliness and willingness to work with you is much more important than their list of publications.
Quickly decide whether you want to apply to medical school. Philosophy and other humanities programs are usually small enough that you can easily fulfill the course requirements (or even double major), but you may not be able to take advantage of other opportunities (e.g. overseas study) unless you plan ahead.
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Quoting your post quoting my post will get cluttered very quickly, so I'm just going to respond here :D
My first choice out of HS was a small school about an hour from home. It was a smaller private school (about 6000 I think), and the in exorbitant amount of money to attend, despite the scholarship I received, was enough to drive me away. I instead chose to attend my second choice, which was about four hours from home, public, and very large (20k+) and was a DI school in comparison to the other school's D-III athletic program. I'm no college athlete, but I am a huge sports fan, and I would have gone insane without being able to attend my school's basketball, football etc. games. I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that if you're not going to have anything to do on the weekends besides get smashed, don't go there. There's no point in going to a school in who knows where and having a terrible time for four years. It has to be at least tolerable. By the way, I suppose this is all in response to your big versus little school question. Probably should have prefaced with that lol
As for connections and the reputation of your department, my experience is that if you're planning on going to medical/law school (people who have gone through this or are more informed than I am on the matter, please correct!), your undergrad university usually doesn't matter if you're not Harvard/Yale etc. as long as you do well in class, have decent extracurriculars, can hold a conversation etc. (I keep using etc. too much gah!). The same applies for your major as long as you meet the requirements, I believe, but again, don't quote me on this.
Don't worry man, you're not gonna freeze. My freshman year roommate, who is from Texas, ran outside without shoes or socks on when it snowed for the first time. I, who live a 30 minute drive from the Canadian border, thought this was hilarious.
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United States24483 Posts
I got a masters from Hofstra so you can pm me if you have questions and I will try to help.
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On April 16 2013 12:24 AgentW wrote:
... my experience is that if you're planning on going to medical/law school (people who have gone through this or are more informed than I am on the matter, please correct!), your undergrad university usually doesn't matter if you're not Harvard/Yale etc. as long as you do well in class, have decent extracurriculars, can hold a conversation etc.
It depends on how ambitious you are. Attending an elite undergraduate institution is a tremendous advantage in applying to professional schools because they need to distinguish between otherwise similar applicants. Obviously, achievement is important, but reputation matters significantly. Graduate programs (at least in the humanities) tend to be less selective about undergraduate institution.
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EPT
