Accepted to Middlebury, Bates, Conn College

[nyccali]

<p>I'm an English major and History minor.
I have been accepted as a transfer student to Middlebury, Bates, Conn College, Whitman and have been given a full ride to all these colleges. (Still in shock that I have all these awesome options!) Now I need to make a decision between these colleges! I have a knee-jerk reaction to go to one particular college, but I want to make an informed, objective decision. </p>

<p>I'm in the middle of trying to talk to current students at these schools and get the skinny on what's beyond their website--social culture, professors, etc.
Might you have any insight, either academic or social?
English program?</p>

[entomom]

<p>

and have been given a full ride to all these colleges.

</p>

<p>Congrats, so all of these schools have given you full tuition plus R&B merit scholarships!?</p>

<p>Not.</p>

<p>Please elaborate because many reading your post will not understand that you are not talking strictly about merit aid, which is what a ‘full ride’ is.</p>

<p>I know that at least Midd and Bates do not have any merit aid, that all their aid is need based and while they may provide 100% of need, their packages include loans. </p>

<p>You see, not everyone who reads your OP is going to be in the same financial situation as you, so to say that a ‘full ride’ is possible can be misleading.</p>

[nyccali]

<p>@ento

1. I do not write to assume everyone who encounters my thread comes from families of the same exact income as me.
2. I do, however, write to inquire students about these schools–not garner debased criticisms from super moderators.
3. These colleges covered everything including r/b in grants–no loans.
4. As for misleading, your congratulatory salutation is misleading.</p>

[entomom]

<p>

1. I do not write to assume everyone who encounters my thread comes from families of the same exact income as me.

</p>

<p>When you post that a college gives a ‘full ride’, that infers that the college offers a merit scholarship that covers full tuition, R&B because that’s the definition of a full ride. When 100% of need is covered by need based FA or a combination of need based FA and merit aid, that is not defined as a ‘full ride’. It is very important to differentiate between these things so that members understand whether or not merit aid is really available.</p>

<p>

2. I do, however, write to inquire students about these schools–not garner debased criticisms from super moderators.

</p>

<p>This discussion forum and any thread on it is open to all members, be they students, parents, Super Moderators, etc.</p>

<p>

3. These colleges covered everything including r/b in grants–no loans.

</p>

<p>They did for YOU, but again, not everyone is in the same financial situation as you. For clarification, here are the FA policies of these schools (note: these links are for general/fr admissions, FA policies may be different for transfers; I know of NO schools that give better FA to transfers than to fr admits):</p>

<p>Middlebury:</p>

<p>[Types</a> of Aid | Middlebury](<a href=“Types of Aid | Middlebury”>Types of Aid | Middlebury)</p>

<p>

Types of Aid
All undergraduate financial assistance at Middlebury is based on financial need as determined by Student Financial Services. We do not offer merit scholarships at Middlebury. The three major types of financial aid are grants/scholarships, student loans, and jobs.

</p>

<p>Bates:</p>

<p>[FAQs</a> | Student Financial Services | Bates College](<a href=“http://www.bates.edu/financial-services/faqs/]FAQs”>Frequently Asked Questions | Student Financial Services | Bates College)</p>

<p>

How much will I be expected to borrow through student loans? How much loan debt do Bates students graduate with?
While a student loan and the option to work are typically included in the institutional financial aid packages offered to students who qualify, students are asked to borrow no more than $4,500 per year. The average federal student loan debt for the class graduating in May 2010 was $12,301.

</p>

<p>Conn College:</p>

<p>[Connecticut</a> College: Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/financialaid.htm]Connecticut”>http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/financialaid.htm)</p>

<p>

Part of your financial aid award may be in the form of loans or a work-study job. If you meet certain financial criteria, the loan portion of your financial aid will be reduced or eliminated.

</p>

<p>Whitman:</p>

<p>[Office</a> of Financial Aid Services- Whitman College](<a href=“http://www.whitman.edu/offices-and-services/financial-aid]Office”>Financial Aid & Costs | Whitman College)</p>

<p>

Whitman College provides a comprehensive, diversified financial aid program — including scholarships, grants, employment opportunity, and loans — to assist in financing a college education. Awards take into account a variety of circumstances: some are based on need alone, some on merit alone, but most are based on a combination of both elements. We strive to provide access to a wide group of students, but it is not possible for us to meet 100% of every student’s need.

</p>

<p>

4. As for misleading, your congratulatory salutation is misleading.

</p>

<p>I apologize for that, I have a difficult time when part of a story is told and there is not full disclosure.</p>

[xiggi]

<p>

@ento

1. I do not write to assume everyone who encounters my thread comes from families of the same exact income as me.
2. I do, however, write to inquire students about these schools–not garner debased criticisms from super moderators.
3. These colleges covered everything including r/b in grants–no loans.
4. As for misleading, your congratulatory salutation is misleading.

</p>

<p>While you might not have any intention to be misleading, your unfortunate use of the term “full ride” could be construed as meaning something that was not meant. This is a community based on learning from one another and also based on ensuring that posted information represents a fairly accurate position. </p>

<p>You should not assume that everyone is as well-versed and educated in the finer points of admissions as Entomom is and that not everyone could appreciate that the differences between receiving a full ride and getting fully funded by need-based aid are more than semantics.</p>

[nyccali]

<p>I didn’t come here to get chastised for mentioning that the colleges I got accepted to have given me a good financial aid package, (something that doesn’t happen often to transfer students.) What started as a search for insight to help me navigate these decisions became clearly disappointing. I’ll take my question elsewhere.</p>

[entomom]

<p>

I didn’t come here to get chastised for mentioning that the colleges I got accepted to have given me a good financial aid package

</p>

<p>This is what you didn’t do. That’s the problem, the OP never once mentions need based FA.</p>

<p><a href=“something%20that%20doesn’t%20happen%20often%20to%20transfer%20students.”>quote</a>

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Which makes it all the more important that you specify how you got your incorrectly termed ‘full ride’.</p>

[ca87]

<p>^^ Are you guys serious? Chill…congrats to the OP. Those are all amazing schools and you have incredible choices, sorry these “super moderators” are being so unnecessarily critical. What’s your intended major? Are you transferring as a junior?</p>

[nyccali]

<p>Thanks, ca87–pack of wolves these supermods are.
I’m going for English and History. I’m a mid-year sophomore transfer.</p>

[entomom]

<p>

“super moderators”

</p>

<p>

these supermods

</p>

<p>Correction: 1 Super Mod, 1 highly respected Senior member (I wouldn’t want xiggi to be confused with a wolf).</p>

<p>Carry on ;).</p>

[nyjetsknicks]

<p>One of my best friends goes to Bates and loves it there…I don’t know how helpful that is, but it seems like everyone is friendly and social!
Middlebury is the hardest to get into and therefore most respected, but these are all great schools, so at this point it’s hard to say which is better for you without knowing you. It kind of comes down to personality.
Bates is quite outdoorsy…Conn and Bates are both the smallest, which can be great or annoying depending on what you’re like. These are all important things to consider!</p>

<p>Congrats on getting in and getting good support from them! The other members who responded first were really unnecessarily rude…</p>

[dami1025]

<p>Whoa!! I read your post and was shocked!!! I bet that u did an amazing job in both high school and college!!! I plan to transfer to some of the school that u got admitted for the next fall,but I am not so sure about my chance!!! Congratulations, and if you don’t mind, can u share some of your stats and strategies to get accepted?? Thanks a lot :)</p>

[NewHavenCTmom]

<p>God I love CC… after a long day, a day that leaves me emotionally spent, I can always count on CC to offer insight, advice and a HUGE gut busting chuckle when I least expect it! :)</p>

[NewHavenCTmom]

<p>I woke hoping that someone would have weighed in on these schools. Anyone?</p>

[ultramantis]

<p>congrats. transfer hmm…are you going for your junior year?
I would go to Bates. But it depends on the person.</p>

[nyccali]

<p>@nyjetsknicks It’s comforting to know that the folks at Bates are friendly and welcoming. Being a mid-year transfer and everything, I think my start will be a rough one. As for personality–I really wouldn’t know how to classify myself. I know I want to immerse myself in an environment where English and Literature is big, where students are active and passionate. I am concerned about the lack of diversity at these schools, but its to be expected at a LAC.
But how would you generally classify the schools?
I’ve heard Bates is the liberal crunchy-granola type, Midd the prep.</p>

[nyccali]

<p>@dami1025
Thanks! I really didn’t do all that swell in high school. In college, I completely turned things around and went through, at the risk of sounding grandeois, a intellectual awakening. My college GPA is 3.9 cumulative. Though it wasn’t my stats that got me in, I feel that it was passion that did it. I did everything I could to articulate what I wanted out of my future college and why. For every transfer student, I will say hard-hittingly that transfer process is unlike your freshmen application. Schools don’t expect you to “Write about whatever you want” or a witty essay about how you think skipping will change the world. Show them that in your college years, you have matured. Show them what drives you and why. So do everything in your might to demonstrate that in your essays and interviews.</p>

<p>With all this said, I think the transfer process is demanding, but by no means impossible. But while you may dread the myriad of transfer supplements you’d have to write (why our school? what does diversity mean to you?), it really is a time for self-reflection. Take these questions, internalize them, and learn more about yourself in the process. So savor the experience. </p>

<p>All the best!</p>

[dami1025]

<p>Thank you for your advice, nyccali!!! I am so worried right now, as my first quarter gpa is not that great, and that I doubt I would be admitted to any college t all :(</p>

[nyccali]

<p>I had that same attitude entering the transfer process–so I applied to 12 schools. Don’t worry, dami. if you’re going to have that i’m-not-going-to-get-in-anywhere attitude, don’t let it defeat or discourage you. instead, channel that into your essays. Make your essays beam with personality and the admissions counselor will forget your grades, if they really are that bad.</p>

[Hollos]

<p>Hey, congrats on the acceptances! They are certainly heartening to those like me who are thinking about transferring. Could you explain the transfer process a little bit? When did you have to submit your app? Did you apply to any of these schools before? I would PM you as we have remarkably similar stats, but I’m too new here to do so.</p>