<p>It's decision time. Have visited both schools. Love the Elon Campus, love the Bates people. What to do ? Bates is offering way more aid.</p>
<p>I know that Elon is supposed to be up and coming, but the Fiske guide gives it a 3 for academics and Bates a 4.5 (5 being highest). I think Bates is more prestigious and the people are ultimately more important than the campus. Plus the additional financial aid! Admittedly I don’t know much about Elon other than what books say and I have visited Bates so I know more about it.</p>
<p>Congratulations – Your decision dilemma is one that thousands of students would love to have. </p>
<p>If you have visited both schools, than you know better than anyone the similarities and differences. So I’m not quite sure what you want other than our personal opinion and thought process… So here goes…</p>
<p>• Two great schools – You can’t go wrong with either school.
• Because both are great schools and uniquely centered on active involved students then it becomes a matter of your students “Fit” more than almost any other criteria. </p>
<p>Bates prides itself for “a challenging liberal arts and sciences curriculum”. Elon is more wide open and while you will find a challenging liberal arts and curriculum you get to choose just how challenging your major and curriculum ends up being. </p>
<p>Bates states that “there are no exclusionary organizations” on campus and Elon has Greek and other on campus organizations that on paper are “exclusionary organizations”. In reality Elon has about 3X the number of students as Bates and you never hear of an Elon student feeling left out. Almost every event on Elon’s campus is open to the entire student body and there is always more than enough to do. (But prospective students worry about exclusion and so it is often mentioned). This year, Newsweek-Kaplan named Elon “The Leader in Engaged Learning” and cited the university’s “constant innovation and sense of community.”</p>
<p>Financial Aid - The average comprehensive fee for Bates runs about $53,000 and a similar fee at Elon would run about $35,000 so from the beginning Bates starts at about $18,000 more per year. Elon philosophy on FA is very different in that they are committed to be a best value in quality university education every year. Their tuition alone “starts at” about 10k less that most comparable schools and they try very hard to make it affordable for “all accepted students”. Most ranking services list Elon as one of the Very Best Values in Education. </p>
<p>Weather – Very unfair comparing Maine to the Piedmont area of NC. Elon has some of the most beautiful weather in the country. </p>
<p>Well that’s my quick thoughts… But again: Congratulations – Your decision dilemma… You will do great and Love either school…</p>
<p>Bates is undoubtedly the superior school academically, based on the available measures and ratings. </p>
<p>When I look at the 7 kids I know who have gone to each school (split 3/4 Bates Elon), the Elon kids who were happy there are what their peers call “bros.” Solid but not outstanding students. Involved in athletics, not the arts. The exception to this was a kid found herself caught in the uncomfortable middle of racial/religious political divides at Elon and eventually left. The Bates kids I happen to know have been 2 recruited athletes and a legacy. Nevertheless, they were a cut above academically. Bates has a rep as a somewhat intellectual place, but none of them are. Obviously any anecdotal evidence based on a small sample is limited in its utility.</p>
<p>It really depends what you are looking for. To me, better school plus better aid makes Bates an obvious choice.</p>
<p>Have visited Bates and only know Elon from friends, but I think that Bates is a place for more intellectually-inclined students, who are quirkier, more liberal and less preppy than Elon. If you were my child, I would strongly recommend Bates. In your case, I would say that if you like the student body at Bates better, it’s probably a better fit for you than Elon (assuming Elon and Bates are going to cost a comparable amount).</p>
<p>One more thing - I think Elon is a great school in almost every way, but I noticed that all you said about Elon is that you “Love the Elon Campus”. While loving a schools campus is a great bonus, please don’t choose Elon or any school based on looks. I’m really not saying that you would do that, but I’m often surprised by what people think is more important that academics and fit…</p>
<p>ncmentor’s note about the $18,000 difference in sticker price is accurate. How much more aid is Bates offering?</p>
<p>Here it is in a nutshell: Bates is more bookish (and nerdy) and Elon is more “involved.” Elon has one of the highest rates of overseas study of any college in the nation. They literally push you out the door to go overseas. Elon kids are involved in their community. They are prized as interns/employees for a rollup your sleeves/get the job done mentality, with high personal ethics. I know this from people who have hired them. One Elon student is now in charge of an entire office for a company in Shanghai, China. </p>
<p>If you want great internships and good job offers Elon is an excellent choice. I also know an Elon student who is going on to a fully funded PhD in Psychology next year. So its not like they are lightweights in academics. No, its not Duke. But its strong enough.</p>
<p>Finally, I think Bates has a strong following in the Northeast. Outside of that region it may not get the penache you need for jobs. Just wondering. Elon is drawing increasingly from students in the New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Maryland mid Atlantic states, as kids seek a southern experience for college. Bates is Division III for sports. Elon is Division I and gaining notoriety. Fabulous facilities. </p>
<p>The faculty and Administration at Elon are fabulous and warm, endearing people. My D was accepted there on a huge scholarship, and ultimately went elsewhere “to do something different”. But Elon was very welcoming, including phone calls from the President and a number of letters. </p>
<p>Elon kids get jobs. Good jobs. They are huge into communications and journalism.</p>
<p>wow, I don’t for a second know where you could have gotten that sense of kids at Bates as not involved! Community service in Lewiston is huge!! Plus, the kids are active in a whole range of clubs and such! And the school emphasizes combining learning with practical application.</p>
<p>My boy has been admitted to both. After comparing packages, out of pocket for Bates will be thousands less then Elon. </p>
<p>We live in Southern Maine. He spends holidays and half the summer visiting Dad in NC, plans to study global politics and is interested in a career in the foriegn service. He has some interest in getting out of Maine but says he will study abroad as much as possible, so it may not matter which he chooses for home base. </p>
<p>He has visited both schools is comfortable with the academics at each and felt very comfortable at the multi-cultural weekend held by each. What to do ??</p>
<p>African american kid, honor roll student, 3.3 GPA, plays football and rugby; big on outdoors, downhill skier, winter camping, Appalachian trail, white water rafting, camping, hiking, etc. Great kid !!!</p>
<p>For me, IMHO, if the financial difference was $25,000 MORE for Bates, I would still choice Bates in a heartbeat. So, if you saying with fin aid Bates is less expensive… well I would be doing a dance of joy.</p>
<p>I think Bates is a great school and I think the note above regarding the Fiske Guide gives a sense of the leagues the two schools are in and the distance between them in terms of how they are perceived. So, unless there’s some other compelling reason (a severe dislike of Bates) the decision would be clear to me.</p>
<p>Great Kids do great where they fit in, and it sounds like he will fit in at either school… One thought I have had about Bates/Elon is that because of class size (if nothing else) It would be a lot easier to transfer into Elon than into Bates if he changes his mind and wants to transfer to the other school…</p>
<p>Who wouldn’t pick Bates in this situation? :l There’s nothing to do in Elon (Burlington).</p>
<p>I agree that most would pay more to select Bates. Bates for a lower cost seems like an obvious choice.</p>