My S is down to these two. We did our final visits. He plans on majoring in biology (not premed) also interested in biochem and microbiology. History too. Both are offering great merit scholarships that come with perks . Allegheny has a relatively new honors program that he would be a part of. He would graduate from Allegheny debt free. Gettysburg he would have to take out loans and work. Loans would equal around $25000 after four years. At this time he is thinking of grad school.
One concern for Allegheny is location - isolated. For Gettysburg it is party rep, although I think after visiting again he sees that he can avoid it and have plenty of other socializing opportunities.
Both schools were impressive. His main concern is that Allegheny isn’t as highly ranked or well known as Gettysburg. I’m not sure that distinction is worth debt, all other things being equal. Just looking for some other perspectives or knowledge about these schools. Thanks.
These are both peer schools, despite what the rankings say. By that I mean that as a biology major, he can get a great education at both. If grad school is a possibility, both schools will offer equal pathways. LACs are pipelines to graduate school.
Really, the rankings are pretty silly in general, but they’re especially silly for LACs. The average person has never heard of Grinnell or Carleton or Bowdoin or Gettysburg or Allegheny. Grad schools, however, will. In that sense, Allegheny vs. Gettysburg is a wash.
That said, the heart wants what the heart wants. If you son really, really wants Gettysburg because he’ll be miserable in Meadville, and if he’s comfortable with the 25K in debt (not absolutely insurmountable, as people pay off cars of that amount all the time), then, sure, he can go to Gettysburg. But rankings and grad school outlook should not really be a factor here.
Thanks so much for the feedback. This is what I’ve been telling him, but it is beneficial to have someone not close to the situation say it.
I have also admired Allegheny and Juniata from afar, though I have never visited either. I’m sure you know this, but Allegheny (and Juniata) are profiled in the book Colleges that Change Lives. I am a graduate of a CTCL school. Gettysburg is a fine school. I’m just not sure that it’s 25K-fine. Maybe (maybe) if your son knew for sure that he was heading out into the job world right after graduation (and even then, I’m not sure how much extra pull G-burg would have), I’d say it’s a consideration, but with grad school in the mix? Honestly, he can go on to a top-notch graduate school from either place.
I would also say that Allegheny 's proximity to Pittsburgh makes it, at least in my mind, less “remote” than Gettysburg. With that said, both great schools.