Hi! My name is Luke Peterson and I am currently a senior in high school finishing up the college application process. Back in December, I was admitted to Yale REA (restrictive early action) and almost committed on the spot. I bought merch, told my friends, and started envisioning myself on campus. But yesterday, I was notified that I was selected as a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Now, I am faced with the best "worst decision" of my life: do I become a bulldog or a tar heel?
Before I start breaking down my decision-making process and sharing my feelings, I want to acknowledge how privileged I am to be in this position and how grateful I am for having access to these opportunities. I'd also like to give some context about Morehead-Cain since—while most people know about Yale—many are not familiar with the Morehead-Cain program. Morehead-Cain is a full-ride scholarship that includes tuition, room and board, supplies, a fully funded optional international gap year, four fully funded enrichment summers (outdoor leadership, civic collaboration, global perspective, and professional experience), a $10k fund for experiential opportunities throughout college, an incredible alumni network, personal advisors, access to a myriad of exclusive UNC opportunities, and more. I had only found out about this opportunity through my college counselor and never really considered it as a real option (if this is your first time hearing about this program I 100% recommend applying). However, I recently spent a long weekend at UNC for the finalist selection experience and had an amazing time. Now, I am reconsidering my initial decision to go to Yale and don't know what to do.
Now, I'd like to walk you through my current thought process in hopes that it may help people in a similar predicament.
First, I made the classic pro/con list:
Yale pros: a name/prestige that is renowned worldwide, a more diverse student body, better programs for what I want to study (math and some sort of poli sci), better faculty/academics, grade inflation, a more inclusive social scene, my dream school for almost two years, access to the beach/ocean, and more brilliant students.
Yale cons: much more competitive (almost every club has an application process with interviews), pricier (though I wouldn't go into debt because of my college fund, I would have no money for post-grad education), less global experiences/travel, I wouldn't stand out as much/it is harder to stand out, and I am not guaranteed summer experiences.
Morehead pros: free (and they honestly just throw gobs of money at me for anything I want to pursue), incredible tight-nit alumni and scholar network, tons of global opportunities, access to exclusive UNC opportunities, a student body more similar to me and my interests, built-in opportunities that will bolster my resume, the weather is way nicer, and extremely personal advising.
Morehead cons: worse academics, UNC is not very prestigious, not as prominent for post-grad opportunities, housing is not guaranteed, grade deflation, and I'd have to sell my Yale merch :(
Next, I made a list of the less tangible differences which I'm not sure are pros or cons:
Yale: smaller social scene, smaller undergrad population, more traditional college experience/summers, and residential colleges.
Morehead: larger social scene (I'm a little nervous about this especially since I'm a gay guy who is thinking about greek life), I'd likely take an international gap year which would delay my freshman year, larger sports presence, and typical dorms.
Making these lists helped me differentiate what my life would look like at either school, but they ultimately proved to not be the most helpful in making a decision. Both schools would offer drastically different college experiences and I simply don't know which one I prefer. Everyone has told me it will be a "gut feeling" but I've been on both campuses and the only thing affecting my gut is the stress of making this decision. I know that no matter which school I choose, I will look back and be happy with the decision I made. So right now, I am at a standstill. I've done hours of research, scoured the internet for advice, and talked with people who currently are or were in my situation. I know you were probably hoping for an easy answer to this question but unfortunately, there is no objective "right" answer. The "right" answer is highly individualized and will depend on so many factors beyond online rankings.
So when all is said and done, my advice is this: talk it out and listen. Ask the people who know you the best what they think and listen to them. Weigh out your options and decide what is most important to you. In the end, college is what you make of it so don't worry as much about where you go but what you will do once you get there. Good luck!
Luke, TBD '29