UVM is it’s own self. It seems to absorb quite a range of people. Three recent examples that I know:
the crunchiest granola kid I have ever known loved it (and discovered a flair for business & is now running her own very successful restaurant)
a super-shy cello player loved it (and is now part of a combo that plays at weddings, etc)
a wild child from DC who barely managed to avoid being expelled from HS before graduating, and was the toast of the party halls from day 1 on loved it (and is now a research assistant for a Very Famous scholar!).
Go figure. The only thing these 3 had in common was that they were smart!
Someone mentioned U Maine Orono, and I want to second this as a possibility. They offer a flagship match to NH students and you would certainly be accepted into the honors college. They accept rolling admissions also. My daughter is interested in bio sciences and we were very impressed with what they offer. This ended up being a cheaper choice than UNH when we got both packages back, though she applied EA, but you should still get the flagship match program which means they will meet the price of UNH. Good luck with your choice!
UVM gets put on those lists but I don’t think there is as much partying as there used to be maybe? Its reputation as a place for weed is well earned, but there is minimal greek life there and I think parties tend to be smaller and low key- from what I can tell anyway. Not a student, just a parent
I was just observing UVM does as well. Or at least those who rate colleges have noted this in their publications/websites. I wouldn’t know from daytime visits.
And I’ve walked the campus several times, for the record.
I’m a Bates parent and a big fan. It’s not totally ‘crunchy’ but I think you’d have no problem finding your type of people there. However, I would not have sent my child anywhere that would have required a large burden of debt.
If I were in your shoes, I’d figure out exactly what you can afford without going into significant debt (more than say $10-15k total). If Bates is your top choice, I’d reach out to them and tell them you’d love to attend but the most you can afford is $XX per year without taking on more debt than you are comfortable with. Bates matches calculated need (with mostly grants plus small amount of fed loans). They don’t expect you to take on huge loans. If there is a particular reason/justification why your family can’t afford the EFC that Bates calculated, I would include that in your correspondence.
I don’t know much about the other schools, but I’m jumping in to put in a plug for UD. I live in Baltimore and have seen many kids end up there, since it is close and affordable. I have seen many kids of many different personalities/interests/party/not party types, and literally every single one of them sang praises of their UD experience. None of the kids I know ended up in the Greek system. It’s a nice campus with easy access to Amtrak which will take you to Philly, Baltimore, DC, or New York very easily. And they even bring in puppies for students to pet and play with to calm their stress levels in the weeks leading up to finals!
It also has a great STEM vibe to it that I honestly think is often underrated. One student in particular who comes to mind was offered admission to a private school that is higher up in those flawed rankings, and she chose UD instead because it was affordable for her and her family. She is now working on her PhD (for free) in some sort of bioengineering at Northeastern. Another one went on to a competitive ranked PA school. If you are thinking about grad school, you should find the best combination of your major and price.
I get what you are saying about UNH and also the location of HWS. If you were my kid, I would strongly encourage you to consider UD as the best of all worlds. I’m not trying to override the advice your parents have given you, but it has been decades since all of us parents have attended college, and the student vibe can change in that amount of time.
My daughter graduated from UD honors in May, I was very impressed at the honors graduation when they announced where each graduate was off to next, I’d say 3/4 were going on to graduate school/medical school, while others had some wonderful employment options. Many were off to Ivy/t20/t50 universities. My daughter and her friends were work hard/play hard students, all were in the top of their classes in high school but needed merit. My daughter loved most of her time there (minus having to return home 3/20, she was gutted, fortunately she and 5 friends had signed a lease for fall 2020 so was able to go back for online courses. She’s at BU now (graduated a year early), but is heading down to Delaware as soon as her semester ends for her friends’ graduation.
Okay, I’m back. I’ve toured some places and researched for hours and I’m down to Bates and UD. My family’s financial situation has gotten better (don’t want to get into specifics) so I know how much weight to give cost; I’m hoping to get opinions about other aspects of the two schools. Here’s where we stand:
Bates:
-Class sizes are very small
-Interested in earth and climate sciences major which seems strong
-Good reputation (although this isn’t everything)
-Intellectual environment
-Compact but comfortable campus
-Liberal arts education
-Great food
-Close to home
UD:
-Honors college (this is huge, it seems like an excellent opportunity to make this big school small plus it gives great opportunities for research, nicer dorms, music study, and priority class registration)
-Accepted to Climate Scholars (similar advantages to honors college in terms of research in the field I’m passionate about)
-More AP credits will transfer
-School overall is gorgeous but definitely bigger than I would like, and I would still have big lecture classes
-I like the more mild climate and suburban location
-More of a party school (not necessarily looking for this)
-Fairly heavy greek presence (again not necessarily looking for this)
Just to recap, I’m from NH and looking to major in environmental science or earth science. I’m hoping to attend grad school (looking to get my master’s, not law or medicine) after graduating and I’m not sure how much the name brand of Bates compares to UD honors, as well as the opportunities I would get at each to enhance my resume. I’m also hoping to stay on the East Coast post-education. Any help is appreciated - I’m down to the wire here!
UDel has a lot of well funded cross-curricular research going on in areas of your interests and will provide more opportunities for you to explore your interests and possible career paths. The Climate Scholars program looks like a great opportunity. State land grant and sea grant universities are well respected in your areas of interest and most employers are not as worried about prestige as experience with field work.
My D is a Bates grad. Bates is an excellent college, especially given what you intend to study. However, if it’s going to cause your family serious financial hardship, I think you need to choose UDel.
Did I read your family will need $17,000 annually in loans? That’s substantial, but you say your family’s finances have improved. Will that financial situation be stable or improve going forward? What about siblings? Are your parents in favor of Bates?
I posted this about my D’s experience at Bates. In her case, I believe Bates’ name was helpful. But that could be due to her major. How Bates prepared my student for her future
Bates is not preppy. It’s not totally crunchy granola either. It’s friendly and non-competitive with a big mix of students. I think you could enjoy both experiences, but I also think it’s fair to say that the academic experience will be better at Bates. The lack of Greek life doesn’t mean lack of parties, etc…
One of D’s best friends went to UDel and had a good experience. She wanted the bigger feel with lots of people, and the classroom experience wasn’t super important to her, though she definitely enjoyed some of her classes.
Two good choices, but the sensible suggestion in this case seems to be “follow the money.”
I have a brother going to college in 2 years. I would be taking out about that much per year with our improved funds, so it’s not ideal. My parents are both UD alums and are pretty neutral, although one parent is stuck more on the prestige of Bates despite it not seeming to matter.
Not only doesn’t it matter, like many LACs, Bates is not going to be a known name to many employers (although it is a fine name).
Most importantly is that it is too much debt for any major, especially one that likely leads to a lower paying job. And you are talking about further schooling anyway which then mitigates where you go undergrad.
UD will get smaller (my daughter thought it was too big at first, by her 3rd visit it wasn’t, she never once used a shuttle and she didn’t have a car). The friends she met in Redding were her friend’s throughout. Her freshman roommate was in nursing, just got hired by Johns Hopkins (my daughter graduated last year because she had a lot of AP credits, her boyfriend did too). She loved UD (now at BU).
She loved it (even in a forced triple). It’s very nice and perfect location. Students at UD tend to be happy (something she noticed when visiting). Her friend group was work hard play hard, they all did well academically but also liked to socialize. I still remember when she and her boyfriend drove up after leaving UD for spring break, they had just learned that they wouldn’t be returning to the dorms because of Covid, they were gutted. They had both signed leases already for the fall so at least they were able to get back to Delaware during online classes which really helped.
