u/Impressive-Tie-7385

1. UVA

2. UMich

3. Berkeley

Context: OOS

thanks

I've submitted my enrollment deposit earlier today. My friends from other schools have to submit a bunch of additional forms alongside the deposit. Are there any for BU? I've looked through the portal but can't find any.

Hi everyone. I'm going to be deferring my admission into my top choice right now to take a year to prepare myself for college through career and skill development. Once I enter college, I plan to transfer into a top 25 school. Will taking this year hurt me if I use it well? Thanks!

For context, I'm a US Citizen living abroad and a South Asian. I am fortunate to be in a position where my parents can comfortably pay for college. I am looking to major in environmental policy/studies, but I plan to explore economics, political science, consulting/business and other disciplines that I didn't have a chance to explore earlier. Let's just say I haven't made up my mind on what I want to do, but it could potentially be Law School. I'm also neurodivergent and want a college which could support my undergraduate journey.

Also for the sake of it,

Standardized Testing: 1450+ (SAT), 40+ predicted (IB)

GPA: 3.9

I'm having a lot of trouble deciding which college I want to go to. Some of the things I'm looking for in a college are:

• A nice campus and surrounding location: a place where I can meet other students, has a friendly atmosphere, lots of green spaces, things to do and privacy.
• Manageable coursework: I don't want to be constantly swamped in work & tests.
• A supportive and friendly community: I'm pretty introverted so I would love a community that could shape me into a more social person.
• Lots of facilities for my interests: I'm mainly interested in working with wildlife, and I would appreciate a school with the facilities and labs which could support that. High quality libraries and gyms are also important but not the priority.

RESULTS + thoughts:

1. Boston University

• Boston = Big city = Opportunity
• Relevant labs + research opportunities.
• Recognition across the country.
• BU course cross registration @ MIT & Tufts.
• Familiar with BU (friends & family)
• Somewhat of a sports scene/culture through ice hockey.
• Heard some people feel like "they're on their own". Winter could be depressing. Not super highly ranked for my discipline. Campus doesn't seem nice: no area for students to chill or have privacy = no traditional campus life.

1. UCSD

• Strong program for environment & poli sci. Highly ranked + great reputation for stem + humanities. Incredible research facilities and access to wildlife. Lots of investment into environment programs compared to other schools. Much better access to opportunities in the field.
• Connections/opportunities/social circle limited to the west coast. I'm not sure where I'm going to go after college.
• The campus seems to have SO much to do: I'm a really outdoorsy person who enjoys spending time in nature and the campus provides that. San Diego also has a lot of innovation.
• Huge + highly competitive school. I'm uncertain if it will be too much to handle or keep a high gpa (which I need for grad school). Also wouldn't get attention from professors + quarter system would make life stressful.
• Apparently courses are built for the quarter system, so its not too stressful & there are a "ton of parties there".

1. Colgate

• LAC = 1:1 attention, access to professors + opportunities. Apparently it also has a strong alumni network.
• Really good post-grad opportunities
• Manageable coursework and super supportive administration
• Hamilton seems like a nice area + nature related activities. Nice campus + sports.
• I've heard the student body is tight-knit. I feel like that type of community might be best for me.
• Apparently not very diverse & post-grad opportunities are skewed by the white majority at the school. Have heard from South Asian people that it was not a very good experience.

1. McGill

• Prestige + reputation + highly ranked
• Nice area + new change
• Lots of international students
• Admitted for the faculty of arts, not artsci. I've heard its hard to transfer.
• Amazing campus

1. William & Mary

• Strong in public policy + environment
• Campus culture + vibe seems nice + williamsburg is a nice area
• Connected to D.C.
• My connections & opportunities will be limited the DMV
• Small student body = LAC-like opportunities?
• Not super highly ranked

1. UW Seattle

• Amazing campus + good vibes
• Balances out a big city with lots of opportunity with nature.
• Sports culture/scene
• Good research opportunities.
• Bad weather
• Huge student body + competitiveness
• Connections limited to the west coast.

1. Northeastern

• Co-ops will help me find a job + Experiential learning.
• Good research facilities relevant to environment.
• Cool clubs + activities.
• Nice campus (urban + peaceful)
• Sports via ice hockey.
• Admitted to the NY campus --> no clubs/things to do/courses - opportunity in nyc

1. UC Davis

• Nice area + decent campus
• Lots of animal related facilities
• Community w/similar interests + faculty with relevant interests
• Near sacramento --> policy work
• Highly ranked + academically recognized + close to bay area

I would appreciate your insight, perspectives and personal experiences that could help shape a well informed decision.

Either I'm missing out on something or (from what I understand) the 2025-2026 CDS says that they've admitted 356 students off the 2043-person wait list. I spoke with some people at Georgetown and they said they don't take kids off the waitlist/decide on who to take off until they know how many people enroll. I'm so confused. Can anyone explain?

My top two choices are BU and an LAC. How manageable is the coursework at CAS. For context, I'll be an environmental policy major. Also, does BU provide support for students with ADHD/learning difficulties?

How manageable is the Scripps workload? Specifically for the environmental systems major. I'm also interested in poli sci, would it be difficult to transfer into that? Thanks!