Help Me Decide: GW or Chapman? (DESPERATE)
Intended major: Journalism
17F, Southwest region. I feel totally stuck and don't know how to decide. I have a decent number of target and safety school acceptances but after a lot of struggling and indecision I've narrowed it down to George Washington versus Chapman. Both are OOS and cost is almost exactly the same. Please help!!
George Washington:
GW Pros:
- Located in DC, tons of stuff to see and do
- AMAZING internship opportunities
- Great for journalism (ranked #5 on CollegeFactual)
- Seems to be a very focused environment with motivated people
- More name recognition and prestige than other schools I got into
- Undergrad population is a perfect size. Not too big, not too small.
- 24k merit scholarship
GW Cons:
- Literally 2000+ miles away
- May be somewhat difficult to change majors if I ever wanted to
- Lacks spirit and doesn't have the traditional college feel. I worry about this because I don't want to regret not having the "college experience" later.
- Dining hall food is shitty, or so I've heard.
- Worse party scene and leaves much to be desired socially
- Something I noticed (purely anecdotal, may not be accurate) is that GW gives off a bit of an unfriendly vibe and they just don't seem as willing to help as other schools. Sort of a "hands off", figure-it-out yourself approach. If that is true of professors and faculty, I might have a rough time.
Chapman:
CU Pros:
- Beautiful campus. If you asked me to design my ideal campus, it'd look exactly like this.
- Cute college town that's close to LA
- Closer to home and would be less of a culture shock
- More sports teams and better school spirit
- Very new and nice facilities. Dorms and dining hall seem good.
- 22k scholarship
CU Cons:
- I was accepted for my second choice major of poli sci instead of journalism (HUGE con)
- They have kind of a preppy, "rich kid" vibe going on
- Little to no name recognition
To sum it up, I feel like GW would be better educationally for my interests but Chapman would make me happier in terms of living. That is a really conflicting choice to have to make.
Side note: My other acceptances included Denison (too small and isolated), Syracuse (too cold), Loyola Marymount (ehhh, not super into it), and ASU (safety). Am I making the right choice in eliminating these schools?
Feel free to ask questions. Any thoughts/help/insight is hugely appreciated!! Thank you!