Berkeley vs. Grinnell vs. Colby

<p>I need to decide on a college really soon. Can anyone give me some insight? I think my parents can pay around $12-13k a year but they aren't really sure. I'll have to teake out loans and my sister might not be enrolled in college all four years which will result in an astronomical jump in price for future years. The cost is really important. Sorry for the long post.</p>

<p>Things I want in a college:
-inexpensive
-really good academics
-easy to get into a top grad school for a genetics phd
-lots of opportunities to explore different fields
-political activism
-LGBT friendly
-liberal
-small classes
-opportunities for research</p>

<p>Berkeley (in-state):
-Net Price: $9,249 for spring semester only, $19,816 for both semesters (Might graduate in four and a half years because of this?)
-Would need to get a job
-In an awesome location & I could visit home whenever I wanted to
-really big name, especially where I live
-great weather
-spring admit, would have to take the fall semester at the community college
-I'm worried that I wouldn't do as well in the large classes, I like to ask questions.
-I don't think this is the best option for an undergraduate because I probably wouldn't get much contact with my professors or any opportunities for research?
-I think it's way too big for me but is that crazy? It is the most selective school I got admitted to and my family really wants me to choose Berkeley.</p>

<p>Grinnell:
-Net Price: $19,586
-Would do work study ($2,200)
-I doesn't bother me to be isolated in the middle of nowhere with a lot of homework
-I love everything I've read about Grinnell being this awesome liberal place full of really cool activist people
-Grinnell is suppossed to have really great academics. I sat in on 3 classes and I liked them the most.
-They have good phd production rates
-Really good food
-I think this is the best fit as far as general character of the student body.</p>

<p>Colby:
-Net Price: $16,610
-No work study for my freshman year, I would have a research assistant job where I could earn up to $1,800 for expenses
-The research assistant job I chose is exciting!
-Net price will probably go up the next year about $2,000 to account for work-study
-free music lessons for my first year
-Not super LGBT friendly but maybe not unfriendly?
-Not super liberal or activist, students are preppy and athletic but I can probably get used to it
-Food isn't that great
-I like that it's really outdoorsy</p>

<p>What do you think is the best option?</p>

<p>All nice choices, it is down to preference. Did you run the net price calculator with your family to estimate the cost at each for the years when your sister is out of college?</p>

<p>I just tried to right now but only got a rough number for Berkeley. It’s $26,650, not as bad as I thought it would be. The other two calculators aren’t working for some reason. So you think the choice isn’t clear-cut? </p>

<p>You can check the catalogs and schedules for both class size and course offerings.</p>

<p>The common tradeoff is that you can get small classes with fewer course offerings, or larger classes with more course offerings. You may want to check the small schools’ course offerings for the specific types of courses that you are interested in. If you are lucky, one or both of them may have just what your are looking for (but if you are unlucky, they may be very sparse in what you are looking for).</p>

<p>When your sister is finished college, will your parents have additional money to help with your college, or will their contribution remain the same? If the latter, then you may find all of them getting more expensive when that happens.</p>

<p>If you are a spring admit at Berkeley, you can attend CC for one semester and then do seven semesters at Berkeley to graduation, if you choose your CC courses carefully (use <a href=“http://www.assist.org”>http://www.assist.org</a> to check course articulation for your intended major). But Berkeley classes can be very large; if you major in biology, be aware that many of those classes can be very large, even at more advanced levels, since biology is a popular major. Chemistry 1A/1AL is also very large; if you take that at a CC during the fall, that could be an advantage.</p>

<p>No I don’t think it is clear cut. I took it that you prefer a liberal arts atmosphere because of where you applied and I think that is a completely valid choice. I think Grinnell is a terrific college. Although Colby will save you 12k total it seems? I know am MD who went to Colby although she was also a contender at ‘better’ college, so she could get done what she needed in a less competitive atmosphere. You might be able to find cheaper off campus housing at Berkeley and make your own meals and save 3k a year there. Not sure since it is an expensive area.</p>

<p>Berkeley off-campus living is cheaper than the dorms, but that is accounted for in the cost of attendance for financial aid purposes. However, the BSC co-ops cost about $3,000 less than the off-campus cost of attendance.</p>

<p>Grinnell is more liberal than colby, which is considered more of a prep/outdoorsy place. </p>

<p>So what if the biology lectures are large! You don’t need close interaction for biology lectures. As long as you get to perform lab works, you’ll do very fine as a biology major. </p>

<p>@ucbalumnus Can you live in a co-op freshman year and can you only do the spring semester?</p>

<p>I think I’m going to Grinnell. I’ve been saying so for the last 24 hours and I feel pretty good about it. I would love to get more advice because I am not feeling entirely certain.</p>