<p>Definately try to appeal your chicago financial aid. offer You have nothing to lose. Tell them it is your first choice but you will be unable to attend because of financial issues/having to take out $100,000 in loans... and that your second-choice has given you 32,000/yr (though maye dont mention its bard because it is not considered to be of the same caliber). </p>
<p>be sure to let them know if there is anything strange about your situation, that may not have been accounted for by FAFSA, or any conditions that have changed since you filed your FA documents</p>
<p>Good luck... they are both great schools, and it sounds like you could be happy at either. personally, i dont think chicago would be worth the debt, especially given that you have other reservations about it. and i know you said you are scarwed of the partying scene at bard, but i have two friends that are uphappy w the social scene at uchicago because many are more antisocial/nerdy than the average person and/or party really hard (or both). Im not claiming this is representative, but just what I've heard from more than one person....
On the other hand, I think you will have to deal with a lot of people drinking/smoking at any college campus, but at either uchic or bard you can definately get by without partacking if you have willpower and self-restraint! anyways if i were you, and the FA appeal was not successful, i would go to bard. the science program will be fine for the first year or so and if you determine that it will not work for you after that, you can transfer - you will be able to transfer to a good school , perhaps larger but with better FA than chicago, from bard if you have a strong GPA - lots of people do this.</p>
<p>good luck deciding; they are both fabulous schools with unique strengths</p>
<p>You need to have some serious financial discussions with your parents. EFC is usually not established with the idea that the money can be paid out of earnings, on a pay as you go basis. If your parents can pay about half of the EFC and you also earn some money over the next 4 years, that should leave a debt of about $50k. If you are responsible for half and your parents assume half, then the debt should be manageable. Again, you need to have this discussion with your parents. They need to be willing and able to make the sacrifice. That is not always feasible and you may need to consider alternatives.</p>
<p>I'd choose Bard (and, in fact, I am). At Bard, being a science student, you'd be more of a big fish in a small pond, too. You'll build close relationships with your professors, and, if you want to go to grad school, this will definitely help.</p>
<p>My daughter is having the same dilemma choosing between Bard and schools like U of Rochester, Carnegie Mellon. She has received a very generous offer at Bard and very little from the other schools (10K scholarship/grants). We can only contribute 20K per year and she would have to assume the rest of the debt. Besides not having to graduate in debt, she prefers to be the big fish and feels think the intimate classes and close relationships with the professors will benefit her. She is concerned about the social scene as well because although she is liberal, she is a bit geeky and does not drink or smoke (anything). I'm hoping there will be more science students like her there because of the recruitment effort ($$$). We have visited once, and will be returning to meet with professors soon. The campus is beautiful and there is an Amtrak train between Rhinebeck,NY and Penn Station for weekend trips to NY. I hope you choose Bard because I'm hoping there'll be more students like you there , however, you need to examine what your priorities are and compare the things about both schools that can be easily measured without a visit. It may be beneficial to talk with professors on the phone. Also, are there any stats about students attending graduate schools in a science field?</p>
<p>I would feel more positive if I saw Bard at least join the hundreds of other colleges in meeting the very minimal accreditation standards of the American Chemical Society. Unfortunately, I don't believe there are similar accreditations for biology and physics. During your visit, you might want to ask about Bard's plans for accreditation. I would also spend some time looking at the labs which are currently available. A couple of years ago the labs were all but nonexistant. Science needs to include some handson lab work not just discussion and reading about science.</p>
<p>I hope your timing is good and you are able to take advantage of a good science education and extremely attractive financial aid.</p>
<p>^^ Funny. I couldn't help but check the Bard webpage on athletics. Bard has had a typically perfect basketball season: 0/25. Most of their competitors have been small local schools no one has heard of. Clearly you would not choose Bard if you were interested in watching big time sports. On the other hand, if you have little ability and want to play a sport, Bard may be a good choice.</p>
<p>you will be spending $100,00+ on your 4 years of college. You would be spending around $600 maybe to visit both colleges if you flew to each of them, much less if you drove or took a bus.</p>
<p>I would advise visiting if at all possible-- there's really no way you can get enough of a feel simply by browsing college forums. </p>
<p>maybe call admissions and explain your problem to them? I mean, if you tell Bard that you are seriously considering Chicago b/c it fits you more career-wise, but that Bard's student population may sway your decision differently, I would hope that a school willing to give you $32,000/year would be willing to get you out to see their school in hopes that you will attend.</p>
<p>i had to pick between two polar opposites too. i went with bard because they were offering me a lot more money. there are ups and downs of both schools.</p>