With 7 days left to decide, DS still can not make up his mind. He was accepted to 10 schools and ruled out Hamilton and Dickinson due to cost. He is mainly deciding between Grinnell and Beloit.
DS is interested in majoring in either economics, political science, IR or psychology possibly graduate school in behavioral economics. I would describe him funny, Dr. Who loving, intellectual (likes to argue both sides of an issue) who wants to live in substance free housing, socially liberal and economically conservative.
DS was looking for a LAC in a cold climate, with limited requirements and little/no Greek life.
Beloit - Least expensive school (less then state flagship UMCP) with generous merit. DS liked the classes he visited, the clubs, accepted students and friendly quirky atmosphere. Is worried about strength of economic department and would academics be as serious as Grinnell.
Grinnell - DS liked all the students he met and felt he could get along with everyone. He liked the first year tutorials and lack of requirements. Also, his interviewer (Grinnell alumni) has offered to mentor him. Due to all of the activities he did not see the rural environment as a negative. He also likes the idea of being in Iowa during election season. He is concerned about the work load.
Based on what you say about your son, I’d go with Grinnell. It’s better for the fields he’s interested in and it sounds like a better fit. In addition, the built-in mentor is awesome!
I agree with MYOS that it seems your son will thrive at Grinnell.
The students I have known (and hired) who have graduated from Grinnell, have encompassed all that a parent would want for the child from a LAC. The students have been thoughtful, organized critical thinkers who could asses a task and complete it thoroughly. When I once jokingly asked if all Grinnell alum had these same qualities (we had been snarking about some other interns from a top-20 school), the Grinnell intern let me know that those were ‘baked in’ to the educational environment, and most students valued these qualities by graduation.
I had hoped that my own two daughters might consider the school, but coming from an urban HS, they wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of a visit to a rural school.
Why not Grinnell? Sounds like a good fit, and academically stronger than Beloit. We have visited with 2 kids, and is a neat place, intellectual, but not competitive, broad spectrum of students.
He has been leaning toward Grinnell for weeks, but can’t quite commit. It is more money and woild involve some debt (less then 20K total for all 4 yrs). He promised a decision this weekend, but I’ve heard that before.
While I am a skinflint, I would think $20k for 4 years is a reasonable amount of debt to emerge from undergrad with. Good luck with the teenager making a decision!
From what you’ve described in your post, it seems like Grinnell is the best choice for your son. SOMETIMES, money isn’t always the factor to lean towards. As long as it is affordable, I think it’s the best route.
Similar dilemma here. My d loves the open distribution at Grinnell (very much a humanities kid and would be thrilled never to take a math class again). She likes the quirky friendly vibe and the major at Beloit (creative writing). Grinnell doesn’t have a creative writing major (English with a concentration), but has proximity to Iowa City, which is a big literary center. We can afford either school, but Beloit is much cheaper, so we would help with grad school if she went there (which seems likely considering her impractical major).
In addition, the built-in mentor is awesome!