Northwestern University

Date: Jul 16 2017
Major: Engineering Department (This Major's Salary over time)
I transferred to Northwestern's engineering program for a year on my parents' insistence that I not drop out of college, there were definitely worse things I could have done with my time. The faculty at this school is very decent and the student body is more friendly and social than UChicago's.

Something that's worth noting about selective universities is that they are very competitive, and you are being pitted against other students of similar ability. Freshman courses are curved at a B or B- in order to weed out those who can't "cut it", which is bizarre considering how competitive it is to get in in the first place. From what I saw this seemed to select for students who hailed from quality post-secondary institutions, there's no way you can digest all that material in the time allotted, unless you plan to never sleep. I think this is organized on the basis of some bizarre neoliberal principle that competition always produces better results; as in the financial economy, it seemed to have skewed outcomes & unintended results.

As other posters have mentioned you're most likely better off attending a cheaper state school as the educations are comparable, your GPA will thank you too.

Much to my parents' chagrin I had to drop out anyway; I think something about the experience either at NU or UChicago traumatized me because I've had this irrational phobia of academia ever since. I'm in building trades now, I like it, although, amusingly, the guys I work under seem convinced that I should really be an engineer.

Generic and possibly obvious education advice, but community college is a much better place to figure out what you really want to do, don't go to one of these top-ranked universities unless you have at least a ballpark idea (or you have pushy parents who won't pay your tuition otherwise).