Colleges suck

[ccwaskier]

At least by not getting into colorado college you are probably saving yourself some money. I just got a letter explaining why I am going to have to pay 42k for school next year

[dfinn]

You made your decision based on Skatecow's gf? Bad move, man.

apparently you haven't seen her naked.

[gregb2212]

im finishing up college down in north carolina, i definitly wish i went to a school that had some mountains around it.

[MassLiberal]

But its Vermont man... end of story

You've obviously never been to Vermont. Especially in the fall. Most beautiful scenery ever.

[iggyskier]

Like everyone said - don't base school on a girl. You will break up. I know NO ONE who has stayed with their HS girlfriend, my self included. it is very very hard.

UPS - premed program here is very good. I Pmed you about that. Partying - just like with most college campuses, you can party as much or as little as you want.

My house is apparently having a impromptu party I guess right now. Taping the Keg at six.

[bakers_dozen]

haha i have been to vermont many a time, I used to live in Toronto. Sure nice leaves for 2 weeks a year. But the skiing sucks and again its Vermont.

[Sphinx]

Engineering grad school acceptances (PhD programs):

• UCLA Mechanical

• UC San Diego Mechanical

• CU Boulder Aero

Rejected:

• Caltech

• UC Berkeley

• UC Santa Barbara

[funkendrenchman]

So here are my thoughts.

Boulder is too big. Just too much partying. Boulder is Boulder, as everyone says.

My high school class was 45 students and CU was not too big. It is one of the nicest campuses in the country, has beautiful weather 90% of the time (can't say the same for the east coast or PNW), has many nearby ski areas and Jackson and Utah are only 8 hours away, has so many hot women you won't know what to do with them.

Only downside is the price.

[XtrPickels]

Engineering grad school acceptances (PhD programs):

• UCLA Mechanical

• UC San Diego Mechanical

• CU Boulder Aero

Rejected:

• Caltech

• UC Berkeley

• UC Santa Barbara

you knew GT and MIT would reject ya didn'tcha

[Cono Este]

So here are my thoughts.

Boulder is too big. Just too much partying. Boulder is Boulder, as everyone says.

UPS is far away. Its my number one-ish choice but I have a girlfriend not wanting me to go to Washington.

UMASS- Almost too big, but I got into their honors college. Really sweet. And the BIOTAP program is for only 40 kids. Again, pretty sweet.

UVM- I'de go there. Nothing JUMPS right out and says "im the best"

I donno...

dood, most Universities have their own women. You do not need to bring one. That should be your last consideration.

Break up with her now and call her when you are 30.

[Sphinx]

you knew GT and MIT would reject ya didn'tcha

That's the wrong coast, dude.

UCB and Caltech were pretty much guaranteed to reject me. But I'm quite excited about UCSD, their controls group is strong, and I think I'd enjoy it there.

Might have to trade the skis for a surfboard, though.

[comish]

Go live somewhere you wouldn't live otherwise. Great time to see a different part of the country.

Go where the vibe/people feel right. Visit, hang out, go with the gut.

DO NOT base decision on girl because you will break up by Thanksgiving, Xmas at the latest. You will most likely change you intended major a few times too so don't place toooo much emphasis on that either.

I went from SoCal to Vermont. Not UVM, but a little drive to the south. I'm very psyched that I lived in Vermont. Different culture, people, way of life than in CA, or many other places for that matter. Use College as a way to experience the world. Definitely study abroad.

[skiaholik]

Before I say anything about the school list I must say somethings about picking a college/university in general.

1. Don't pick it because of a girl or a friend.
2. Pick somewhere that if you change your mind on your major you can pick up something else because trust me chances are you'll change your mind. I have 3.5x (still graduating in 4 though)
3. Pick somewhere it seems that you think you'd get along with or relate to the people up there and the lifestyle.
4. The education college gives you is like 5% from the classes (IMO, as you read most of what you learn in books you could've bought or borrowed on your own). The other 95% comes from what you learn outside of class through friends and experiences and other things.



Now about the choices. I go to UVM so I'm a tad biased, but one of my good friends goes to Boulder and we talk all the time and basically we've both come to the conclusion that had we switched places on Day one we probably would be just as happy as we are now. Both schools have similar culture/atmospheres, types of people, activities, etc. However Colorado doesn't give as much state aid to out-of-state students as UVM, but then UVM is more expensive (I'm pretty sure). Like others have said, you can't go wrong with either of these schools or any of the others that meet similar qualifications ( I can't speak for them as I have never visted).

UVM does have a really good medical facility. The grad program is one of the top 10 in the country suprisingly. There are also many hot girls here despite that it's Vermont. The only downfall is that they hibernate between November and March. Yet, when the end of March beginning of April rolls around (like right now) all of a sudden you start seeing tons of half dressed hotties you never knew existed and it makes the end of the semester that much more interesting.

If you have any specific questions about UVM or different departments PM me and if I can't answer them I'll forward them to someone who can.

[BigDaddy]

Head west young man... The snow, mountains, women and beer is better and don't miss out on a million opportunities to hook up by hanging with your girlfriend! You'll never get that chance again.

Edit: I say this as a New Englander that has been there.

[Velvet]

If you're looking for a good bio/pre-med program, CU Boulder is hard to beat. I attended there for undergrad, and their bio programs are top notch. You work for it to get in to med schools, but everyone in my classes that wanted to go to med school, got in to med school.

Plus, if you want to focus on school or put hard miles on your liver, either is easy enough to do in Boulder. And yeah, the ladies don't wear much...

[Nate Dogg]

Take my advice with a grain of salt, as I'm a bit of a lost soul myself . I've attended three different schools in three different semesters, and am currently taking a semester off to work and hopefully figure out what I should really be doing (which won't necessarily include school, time will tell.) If you're curious, I attended Wesleyan University in CT and played football in Fall '04 (too many hippies and nuts for me), attended Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston Spring '05 for Construction Management (yes I know big change but cool program), and University of Georgia Fall '05. Started off with a 3.2 at Wesleyan, and Dean's List at WIT and UGA. So, with that said picking a school is something I've had some experience (and failures) with.

Anyways, I wouldn't personally consider any school to be "too big." Especially considering the types of courses you'll be taking, you'll probably see the same faces on a regular basis making it easier to meet people. Partying, as others have said, is what you make of it. When I was at UGA I partied far less than I did at home, and I was working as a bouncer in downtown Athens and around that whole scene constantly, but never really got into it. Only you can know what type of person you are...but judging from what you've said it seems that UMass is jumping out at you because it is close to home and the girlfriend is here, and it makes the decision that much easier...it all seems familiar to you, etc. I personally think basing your decision on those factors is a mistake. Hopefully you've given the cost of attending these different schools serious consideration, as UMass will obviously be a bargain in comparison to the others. I almost ended up transferring to Boulder from Wesleyan, and actually had flown out to visit and everything until getting my financial aid package with a big zero...in other words, pretty damn expensive (Wesleyan gave me a lot of $$). I'm rambling so I'll wrap it up, but I say if UPS seems to be your number one choice then go for it. I don't know how many (if any) you've visited, but it's something you really need to do (especially while everyone is still on campus). And lastly if you screw up making your choice I'm proof that transferring isn't too difficult to do.

So here are my thoughts.

Boulder is too big. Just too much partying. Boulder is Boulder, as everyone says.

UPS is far away. Its my number one-ish choice but I have a girlfriend not wanting me to go to Washington.

UMASS- Almost too big, but I got into their honors college. Really sweet. And the BIOTAP program is for only 40 kids. Again, pretty sweet.

UVM- I'de go there. Nothing JUMPS right out and says "im the best"

I donno...

[yogachik]

I went to UCLA - I can tell you that even the big schools feel small.

[Egon]

Engineering grad school acceptances (PhD programs):

• UCLA Mechanical

• UC San Diego Mechanical

• CU Boulder Aero

Rejected:

• Caltech

• UC Berkeley

• UC Santa Barbara

I'm so glad I am not you.

....and congratulations.

[BenWA]

Here are my few cents.

I grew up in the east, got my ugrad degree at Lehigh in PA, then moved out to WA for grad school. I took a 2 years off during my ugrad and lived in Stowe, took some classes at UVM. UVM was a great school, Burlington is a great, happening town. I often wish I had done my whole ugrad at UVM. And I don't know what Bakers Dozen is talking about, VT is a great place to live and the skiing at Stowe is fantastic. Lots of cool stashes and backcountry to explore. Of the schools that you got into, I would suggest UVM, hands down. But thats just my personal preference.

I moved to Bellingham, WA to go to grad school at WWU (Western Washington) and had the time of my life there. Then I moved to Tacoma when I got a job. Dude. You don't want to live in Tacoma. Yeah, Crystal is an hour and half up the road and it's a sick place to ski. But dude. You don't want to live in Tacoma. Did I say that already? Plus, I live about 5 blocks from UPS and I can't imagine going to a school that small (no offense to iggy). Take the advice from others and go to a big school where you don't get to know everyone there the first week. Go somewhere where the hot chicks are copious and you blend in with the crowd, you'll have a lot more fun IMO.

Academics-wise, if you care about the name of the school that is gonna end up on your work resume after you graduate (and it DOES definitely carry some weight), and you are serious about premed or bio, UMass Amherst is gonna be hard to beat. It might be worth grinding thru your undergrad somewhere like UMass then find a graduate program somewhere fun like I did and have a ball.

No comment on Boulder, but I would imagine it would be pretty fun...sweet town, good skiing, hot chicks, and parties up the wazoo. What more can you ask for in a college experience? Oh yeah, I guess the academics are important too.

[CantDog]

I'd say go with whats cheapest, since all those schools are pretty similar.

Out of all the towns, I'd pick Burlington. I couldnt stand Boulder when I lived there.

I'm not sure about UPS.

Is UMASS in state for you?

[belgian]

Accepted to:

The Evergreen State College. Olympia, WA

Pacific University. Forest Grove, WA

both schools are small (5500 and 1200 respectively) and I'm kinda leaning toward the smaller one (Pacific). Evergreen is an ultra-progressive liberal arts school FULL of hippies, Pacific is just... tiny.

I'm going to be studying film whereever I go.

Any input anyone has would be well received.

[XtrPickels]

Head west young man... The snow, mountains, women and beer is better and don't miss out on a million opportunities to hook up by hanging with your girlfriend! You'll never get that chance again.

Edit: I say this as a New Englander that has been there.

I agree with this 100%
From Nh,
did my undergrad in Ithaca Ny,
Worked at the USOC in Colorado Springs
Now in Bozeman for grad school.

If you have any desire at all to be in the rockies, head to Boulder.
I believe the city planner for Ithaca Ny, Burlington and Boulder was the same guy, city wise, they're all pretty similiar (although Boulder is the most up-scale)
The weather is awesome, passes are fairly cheap, chicks are hot, the Rockies are great. Plus, you'll get to experience things that you would never have known, that your parents have never seen. (probably)
No matter what, highschool friends drift away. You WILL have the best times of your life in college.

Whereever you go, remember that college is about connections. Get in good with the faculty and they will open doors that you didn't know existed. Don't just go to class, do your work and go home... get involved, make yourself known.

[iggyskier]

Evergreen has lots of drugs. Campus is nice...but kind of in the middle of no where.

Isnt pacific in Forest Grove, OR? Having been there...I would go to Evergreen. I know a girl who majored in the color yellow there...completely serious.

[Sphinx]

Evergreen has lots of drugs. Campus is nice...but kind of in the middle of no where.

Isnt pacific in Forest Grove, OR? Having been there...I would go to Evergreen. I know a girl who majored in the color yellow there...completely serious.

How does one major in a color?

Imagine being an employer and seeing her resume.

[YooperSteeze]

Biomedical engineering is a great path to follow if you think you may want to do pre-med. It allows you to take a pretty general class load (most of my classes are 2000 level classes in other departments like materials science and biology- the biomed dept actually only has 7 or 8 classes assigned to it, meaning i get to take shitloads of easy classes) and have a meaningful degree in 4 or 5 years, whereas a pre-med biology degree leaves you high and dry if you decide not to go directly into med school.


Drop your GF like its hot. Easy-E had it right when he said "college girls are easy."