Which college is better: Princeton, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, or Michigan?

Well, take into account out of state tuition for Michigan at least, and make a pros/cons list of each ones programs, location, size, majors, etc.

Make sure you can get in (Georgetown and Princeton are quite prestigious) and then go from there and look at if you like the areas, decide if you want to go to a religious school (Georgetown, for example), and then take a good look at tuition and financial aid.

Ultimately, we can’t really answer this for you, but I can say that prestige-wise Princeton and Georgetown are often considered “better”, but both Michigan and Vanderbilt are excellent schools as well.

And of course, they’re all really, really expensive.

In order of what will open doors for you in the future, and the corporate/government important jobs the friends you make there will hold in the future, I’d say:

Princeton > Georgetown > Vanderbilt > Michigan

I would go to Princeton if I could, but they wouldn’t take me. Every other professor is a Nobel prize winner or has accomplished something extraordinary in their field. You’d be knocking shoulders with some of the smartest people in the world. The students are very bright, although they don’t have to work as hard as say, students at Swarthmore.

All those schools have excellent reputations. But it really isn’t going to matter too much in terms of your future income. What can matter is whether you can find courses that interest you. Princeton is not as big, I believe, so there may be a less comprehensive variety of courses.

It all depends really on what you want to study. It also depends on what personality you want. It depends on where you want to be. It depends on size. If you can figure out what you want, you can narrow down your choices.

(Don’t major in math…you listed four universities)

The admissions committee may make your decision for you.

And if you want some more colleges with cool names, ask me. I’ve got a little list.

What kind of student are you?
How do you handle academic pressure?
How far from home to you want to be?
Is money an issue?
Is size an issue?
How do you feel about city vs. less urban?
Princeton is a very northeastern school and Vanderbilt is very southern.
How do you feel about a required senior thesis?
How do you feel about fraternities as a primary fact of social life?
How do you feel about heat vs. really cold?

How do you feel about applying to really competitive schools and not knowing much about them? (Get a copy of Fiske’s The New York Times Guide to Colleges or the Yale Daily News’ Guide to Colleges for lots of information about the non-academic side of campus life…including drugs, sex and rock and roll.)

One of my kids went to that school in Cambridge and another to that school in Providence. As adults now, they wish that they had chosen a smaller school like Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wesleyan or Oberlin.

That’s interesting, @gailcalled. I ended up going to one of those colleges on your list, and it turned out to be a wonderful place for me. I felt right at home. I had never heard of the school before they invited me to apply. Believe it or not, I thought of it as my “safe” school. Good thing, because I didn’t get into any of the Ivies. Nor Stanford, nor one of the other small schools on your list (although I wasn’t serious about that school and they knew it).

Anyway, hearing that your sons thought they might have been better off at a small school is very interesting. I think, however, that anyone going to any of those schools had better be prepared to work pretty hard. Swarthemore has a reputation of being the school where students work the hardest of any college in the nation. Oberlin is supposed to be up there, as well.

However, I’m sure Oberlin is out for the OP since she wants to get away from Ohio. Williams, Amherst and Wesleyan are New England schools. Swarthemore is Mid-Atlantic, not too far from Princeton.

But I think that you make a very good point. Colleges provide quite a different atmosphere than universities. They are smaller and you are taught by Professors instead of grad students, for the most part. You won’t be quite as anonymous. You may not have to put up with Greeks. Which is a wonderful thing, in my opinion.

When you say Michigan, do you mean University of Micchigan or Michigan State?

She would mean U. Mich. if she were talking about comparable schools.

Yes, she would mean Univeristy of Michigan, because we Spartans never say we went to Michigan. Goooo Greeen!

Princeton is the most prestigious on your list. Then Georgetown. Michigan is a great school, considered a public Ivy. Vanderbilt is a nice campus, and although in the south, you can still get a decent pastrami on rye at Noshville and the downtown area of Nashville is very pleasant, it still is southernish, but not deep south at all.

I would think about where you might want to live, because you will make some connections while in college, and also take advantage lf colege giving you the opportunity to experience something different. I grew up on the east coast, and went to school in Michigan, and I think it was great being with midwesterners, and learning more about another part of my country. Although, the schools you named will draw students from all over the country, so not matter what the student population should be somewhat diverse in that way.

Also, go visit the campuses. You might get a real feel for whether you feel at home at a specific school. If it is truly a campus setting, like a mini city all its own, or if it is more of a series of buildings within a larger city.

In terms of smaller vs larger schools, I loved going to a big school, and I did not expect it. I did not drink or soke or toke, I never thought I would fit in at a big school that had a party reputation, but I loved it, i loved that campus and dorm life was really big at my campus. Definitely live in the dorms the first year.

@gailcalled

I know I’m a good student. I have straight A’s and 3.86 G.P.A

I’m pretty good in termas of academic pressure. I got to the #1 school in Ohio if that helps.

I want to be as far away as possible from home. (Just not, like, China far away.)

Honestly, money is not an issue at home. 49% of students graduate with a scholarship at Walnut Hills. (My school) Or, I could earn scholarships in the sport and instrument I play.

Im a girl, so you mean sororities?

I really prefer cold over heat more than anything.

And, I’m kind of liking the idea of competitive schools. But, I would rather go to a school that I know about. I also like performance schools. But I haven’t heard of any good performance schools, besides Julliard.

(By the way , I meant to write four schools, but I had forgotten to change it because I had added Michigan (university) to my question.)

@astrix24 None of them will be crazy hot, because the school year is fall through spring.

If you get into Princeton, you don’t have to pay for tuition, anyway.

Why are there no West coast schools on your list? Is that too far away?

Michigan will have the coldest weather.

@wundayatta West coast is too far awya. From my family anyway.

Go Vandy!!!

I would look at Oberlin as well, and Penn.

As others have mentioned, those are highly selective schools. When you are making your list of schools to apply to, in addition to those “reaches” you should also have some that you have a better chance of getting into, as well as some “safeties” that you are pretty sure you will get into. To help you make these decisions, look up the acceptance rates at different colleges and the average SAT/ACT scores online or in college guide books. I would also caution you against being into a school because it has a “cool name.” There are lots of great schools out there that are not as well-known. Also… I just remembered from from one of your earlier posts that you are only about to enter 8th grade. It is great that you are starting to think ahead about college. You should talk to your school guidance counselor to get advice about what kinds of courses and activities would help you develop as a person and as an attractive candidate for college admissions.