American v GW? Connecticut College v Trinity et al?

College Search & Selection
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<p>For a son interested in history and politics, what are the major differences between American U and George Washington? What makes each distinct? How would you describe the culture/personality of each school?</p>

<p>He's leaning toward universities, but I'm encouraging him to consider LACs and he's open to them. We've visited Connecticut College and liked the off-beat, eclectic feel to balance the preppiness. How does Trinity College compare? He's considering Clark. Stats probably not high enough for Williams, Wesleyan etc.</p>

<p>An ideal school would be at least 30% students of color, very multicultural/international feel, fair number of nonconformists (tho not necessarily as artsy as Bard and Sarah Lawrence), possibly a place to play baseball (could be club), not very Greek, politically active, close to a medium to large city if not in a city, public transportation would be great.</p>

<p>He also likes Occidental. What LAC in the Northeast is most like Occidental?</p>

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<p>I don't know enough about Occidental to answer your last question, but I want to endorse Clark. Several smart, creative graduates from our kids' high school have gone to Clark over the last few years and they are all happy and thriving. </p>

<p>Four years back we looked at Trinity and Connecticut and our daughter liked them both; Trinity is more preppy, but the urban location gives it a certain energy that is appealing. Connecticut was more laid back and seemed a little less diverse, but it may have been the people we encountered in our short visit there.</p>

<p>Daughter is entering senior year at Wesleyan. I think Clark is closest in personality to Wesleyan.</p>

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<p>thanks mom55
very helpful</p>

<p>Does Clark feel isolated/rural? How easy is access to Boston etc? One nice thing about Wesleyan from my son's pov is its slightly larger size. Do Clark students ever feel claustrophobic?</p>

<p>So far, we like Clark a lot and consider it a good fit.</p>

4

<p>GW sounds like a perfect fit from your description. It is right in the middle of a major metropolis, not just a city. There's a metro stop on campus. Its students are very diverse ,multicultural and a good proportion of "color." Frat/Sorority scene is not dominant. Obviously, politically active. My D looked at Connecticut College, Trinity and GW and picked GW. It's location is much better for a "city-lover" and the diversity of the student body is greater at GW, plus she wanted a bigger school and the possibility of being an "independent."</p>

5

<p>American is also a good curricular fit, though not as diverse as GW. The things to realize are that American has a beautiful, traditional campus in an affluent area of NW Washington, while GW has no real campus downtown, just buildings with a banner to let you know they're owned by the university (although it does have a separate Mt. Vernon campus on the grounds of a former woman's college). Also, financial aid isn't too generous at GW, which has the highest price tag in the country.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Does Clark feel isolated/rural? How easy is access to Boston etc?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>D1 and I visited Clark a couple of times 2 years ago and it's anything but rural. On the contrary, it's in an older, somewhat gritty urban setting. The campus, itself, was very small, although about an hour away from Boston. All that having been said, I liked Clark and was really impressed by the students that we met there. D1 applied, and was accepted there, with generous merit aid, but ended up going to American U. I think what ruled out Clark for her was the small size of the campus, as well as the (in her opinion) relatively limited opportunities for internships in Worcester. (Her major is International Studies)</p>

<p>Regarding your AU vs. GWU question: D1 applied to, and was accepted by both schools. After visiting both schools, she didn't feel that GWU was worth the extra 8-10K(over AU) in tuition per year. She also liked AU's campus in Tenleytown. Finally she was offered a generous merit aid package from AU and nothing from GWU, and that basically sealed the deal. She's been very happy at AU.</p>

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<p>I tend to agree with Gadad. Both GW and AU are strong in history and politics. Washington schools can easily attract top notch faculty in those areas. </p>

<p>GW is significantly larger than AU--and has much more of an urban feel. GW has spent a lot of money trying to give it more of a campus feel--and it has succeeded to a degree but there is only so much you can do in its location. There isn't a lot of green grass--but it is very accessible to the heart of Washington. GW is also a better balanced university than AU--it is, for example, much stonger than AU in natural sciences although the comparison is relative since no one would call GW a science-oriented school. If you don't mind the lack of campus and the bureaucracy that goes with being a large, urban institution--then GW can be a great choice. </p>

<p>AU will offer much more of a traditional campus--although the city is easily accessible (just not as close as GW is). For students interested in history and politics, or international affairs, journalism, law, etc.--it can be a fine choice. Its also good in the arts. But it is not a well-rounded institution--departments not known as strengths can be pretty weak.</p>

<p>Both GW and AU suffer from relatively weak endowments so they are heavily tuition dependent. GW's endowment is larger--but so is the student body.</p>

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<p>Just to clear up some of the comments on financial aid--GW is actually very generous with need-based aid, more so than American. However, for a given high academic stat level, American tends to give larger merit awards than GW.</p>

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<p>I didn't like Trinity! The people there seemed very stuck-up and homogeneous. Conn Coll seems like a good choice. You should consider Wheaton College in Norton, MA and maybe Bates College in Maine for a more eclectic student population. </p>

<p>Oberlin, Vassar, Dickinson, Keynon, Kalamazoo, and Hampshire might be some other good LACs.
On the west coast: Whitman, Lewis and Clark, Claremont Colleges, Reed
Midwest: Grinnell, Carelton, St. Olaf, Macalester</p>

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<p>Trinity is pretty preppy -- and isolated: the fancy exclusive school on a hill surrounded by a ghetto... For some the location gives the school 'an edge' -- for others concern!</p>

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<p>My daughter is going to Trinity (class of 2012)! You can't beat the financial aid - if you are accepted, your out of pocket is roughly equal to your EFC - the rest is from financial aid - WITHOUT LOANS!</p>

<p>Yes - they are not as diverse as AU and GWU - (in which she also applied & was accepted), but they also have a great study abroad program (50% of all students participate) and you can also spend semesters studying at AU if you would like to participate in a DC internship or just take classes at AU.</p>

<p>DC is a better location for political science and american history - but Political Science is one of the most popular majors at Trinity. </p>

<p>The crime rate/safety factor seemed the same. Yes - the area around Trinity is run down and one street in particular is dangerous - but they have continual shuttle service to malls, grocery stores, and other places downtown AND they have a rental car program for students who do not have a car. In addition, they have delivery services for things like pharmacy products, etc.</p>

<p>The biggest draw for her to Trinity (besides the low net tuition and study abroad opps) were the opportunities to interact and perform community service in areas that really need it. There are many programs in place for students to assist in helping the community around the college.</p>

<p>All in all, at first I think she may have chosen GWU if the net tuition would have been affordable (who wants to graduate with exceptional debt?) - but now that she is registered and on her way - she said she is glad she didn't choose GWU - because she feels like she will have more freedom with curricular choices at Trinity (they have a very liberal approach to course selection/requirements).</p>

<p>As far as the preppy issue - she is not a preppy person - so she told me they will "just have to get used to me being around." Trinity is SMALL - just about 575 in the 2012 class - but for my daughter that means personal attention and she wants to know her professors and she wants them to know her.</p>

<p>In hindsight the run down for her was:</p>

<p>GWU - too expensive - near lack of financial aid; no campus to speak of (as mentioned above); too big; great opportunities for internships; great public transportation; great location; no personal feel.</p>

<p>AU - average financial aid, small and very traditional campus - too restrictive; great opportunities for study abroad; great location.</p>

<p>Trinity - great financial aid - will graduate with NO LOAN OVERHEAD; great freedom of choice for courses; great study abroad; small = personal attention; preppy :( - especially for a person who came from an Arts school; immediate location - will probably NOT leave campus on foot after dark alone - but has access to anything with campus shuttle till 2:00am (besides would you walk in some DC areas alone after dark?) or car rental (available for ALL students).</p>

<p>Fit is important - everything else will work itself out. Good Luck!</p>

12

<p>GW is expensive and notoriously "short" regarding financial aid.</p>