Hi everyone! I am panicking a little, haha. I just got accepted into Dartmouth yesterday, and it is seriously screwing up my head. I was pretty much committed to Amherst College, but now I’ve got those two options to pick between, and I really don’t know what to pick. For one, I’m a computer science major who primarily wants to go into game development. Amherst’s liberal arts approach seems better for that, but Dartmouth is the home of Computer Science. So that’s up in the air for me. Secondly, Amherst is a bit better off diversity-wise. I’m a Black woman, and Amherst is a bit more geared towards minorities from what I’ve seen. But Dartmouth is definitely not lacking in diversity. Also, I’m not a big fan of frathouses, and Dartmouth seems a little bit geared to Greek life. Amherst definitely isn’t. But I’m not sure if greek life should be a deciding factor in my decision since I’m sure that Dartmouth isn’t overrun by people who party all the time. Dartmouth and Amherst are both liberal arts colleges, so I’m not too worried that Dartmouth is a little bigger, since I think I’ll still have smaller class sizes. But another thing for me is the prestige and cost. Neither school gave me much financial aid, so I’ll definitely take on some debt to go(probably anywhere from 80-120k) and I absolutely want to get a job as soon as I graduate. I love the way Dartmouth’s schedule is set up so that the students are extremely competitive for internships, but It’s very intimidating for me to commit to going to an Ivy. Amherst might be the better fit for me, but I’m really unsure and stressing a bunch. If I went to Amherst would I be at a major disadvantage versus if I went to Dartmouth? Is it like a no-brainer to pick an Ivy over a LAC? Any advice would be appreciated!!
Programmer here. Neither of those options are good at all. If you’re going to a school where you’re taking on 80-120k in debt for a degree in computer science, that’s not affordable. In fact, it’s financial suicide, assuming you can even get that kind of financing. The cap for federal student loans for a 4 year degree is 27k. I would seriously reconsider your options.
CS is a degree that is ridiculously employable and where prestige makes virtually no difference. You would do just as well going to an affordable state university, I promise.
idk unless she’s already financially struggling does everything have to be about money? she got into a freakin ivy league school, some of the best education on the planet. that could honestly be worth it. Plus my brother is a CS major with very very good grades at a decent flagship state and he’s having a huge problem finding an internship
$80-120k debt would require parent loans or cosigned loans, usually not a good idea. Do you have other lower cost options?
Dartmouth is one of the few colleges where fraternity / sorority participation is large enough that it may be hard to ignore.
You can check each college’s catalogs to see what CS courses are offered. Amherst does have cross registration with UMass and other colleges that may add to the available courses.
Danger Alert! You really, really shouldn’t be taking on that amount of debt. It sounds as if your parents were categorized as “full-pay” and the money just isn’t there. FURTHERMORE, I really wouldn’t pick Dartmouth over Amherst in that kind of situation; Dartmouth is a highly polarized, high-stress environment for URMs even when money is not a factor.
OP- congrats on your acceptances.
What exactly is the financing plan here? Have you looked closely at your other options? 100K (give or take) is a LOT of debt…
Dartmouth. Choose Dartmouth. Dartmouth is rural and despite difficult academics, the college offers an expansive network of alumni and a relatively larger class than Amherst which will be beneficial for you in the long run.
Ahh, it probably wouldn’t work out financially unless I try to appeal for more aid. I’m probably going to appeal, but it would definitely suck to give up ivy Calibur schools lol.
Thanks! And yeah, it definitely is. I’ve got some other schools(safeties) i’ve gotten into, but I think I’m going to apply for some more financial aid at these schools and hope that they’ll be generous enough to give it to me.
@carpediem1234 Gotcha! The academic rigor makes me a little nervous though. I came from a big public school where classes were not all that challenging, so I feel like the shift might totally knock me out.
@blossom Yeaaah, it definitely is. My parents can pay around 50 thousand for me a year(which is already a little tough since I have two other siblings in college) so I’m not totally sure why they think we can full pay lol.
@circuitrider That’s pretty much exactly what happened! Not sure why they put us down as full pay but I’m appealing, so hopefully that’ll help. And that’s interesting to hear, and something I’ve been worried about. Dartmouth seems a bit cutthroat, and I slightly out of touch with the times if that makes any sense? Being a URM there seems a bit nerve-wracking.
@ucbalumnus Yes, I have a few lower-cost options at my state schools and a few good out-of-state options. Although job security and networking is really important for me, which is why I’d consider going into debt for Amherst/Dartmouth. Although to be entirely honest, It is a tonnn of money to get a loan for, which is nerve-wracking.
@cougarsxyz1999 That’s one of my concerns! I think the networking and prestige of an ivy might be worth the debt, but I really don’t know.
What kind of jobs? College-prestige-focused employers like Wall Street and management consulting would favor Amherst and Dartmouth, but many other computing employers focus on larger state universities and local (to them) universities (Amherst does have a career center arrangement with UMass and other consortium colleges).
What are the affordable options?
I also want to get a double major in business(and maybe a master’s degree), and work at big companies, like top 500 companies. My other options are Bucknell, William & Mary, Oberlin, and a few others that are a bit more affordable.
Neither Amherst nor Dartmouth offers a business major.
Bucknell is also heavy on fraternities and sororities.
Are Bucknell, W&M, and Oberlin affordable (total debt less than about $27k)?
Oh lol, whoops. I feel like I probably should’ve known that! I probably should’ve clarified I might want to run my own business out of college(like a startup). But yes, they are. Bucknell is the most expensive out of the three, but I think if I worked in college I’d probably be able to graduate debt free. The cheapest for me is William & Mary since I’m in-state, but yep all three would come in under 27k.
If you aren’t successful appealing your financial aid, you need to make sure that your parents are willing to take out or co-sign for the necessary loans for you to attend Dartmouth or Amherst (beyond the $27k you can borrow) since they will be on the hook if you are unable to pay (which could run you $800-1,000 per month). If you can’t get the $$ down, William & Mary would be my pick.
Just keep in mind, when you talk about all these plans after college, taking risk and starting your own business, the debt you take on in college is going to affect that. Debt makes you an indentured servant, and it absolutely will limit your options. That start-up plan may not happen with all that debt, because you’ll need an actual job to pay your loans.
Congrats on your acceptances, you should feel incredibly proud of yourself and your hard work! But the best option isn’t always the most prestigious, and there’s lots of ways to get from A to B. You’re going to be successful no matter where you go.
They definitely are willing for me to take loans out to go to school, but that’s great advice. William & Mary is a great school, and even though it’ll suck to pass up an ivy, it’s only four years 
.
Ah, that’s a really good point. I definitely need to think over what being in that much debt means. And thank you, I appreciate it! The ivory towers are really enticing, but I definitely don’t want to hobble myself for ten years at seventeen years old, lol. I really appreciate the advice
Honestly, you sound as if you will be successful wherever you attend college. And, as I didn’t say it before - congratulations on all these wonderful acceptances.
I really really appreciate that! And thank you so much. It’s been a crazy year, and even though it’s difficult, it’s nice to have options.