My daughter has narrowed down her college choice to BC and Wheaton Mass. Conn College and UNH are also options, but she is not drawn to either of those. Plan is to major in elementary education, but also interested in environmental studies. BC was her dream school from the very start of the college search. Two things have made is less appealing over time: the financial aid package and fit. She finds the students at Wheaton more down to earth and friendly and was given a very generous financial aid package from them. Study abroad and outdoor recreation are also big factors for her, and Wheaton seems to have the edge on both (in terms of opportunities and affordability). Both are strong in community service, which is also important to her. BC has has more prestige and a stellar alumni network. Not sure that makes it worth the extra $15k/year though, especially if she feels more connected to Wheaton anyway… Hoping for some guidance/input from those who may be familiar with both schools.
I, think, overall, she should go with her gut. The only question that occurs to me is: does she want to be in a college city with lots and lots of things to do outside the school or does she want to be in a semi-rural suburban town with not much to do outside the school. We live in the next town over from Wheaton and my son would not apply there for various reasons one of which is where it is located ( and not just that it is too close-if a dream school was next door he’d go there). I also would not apply to Wheaton as a young adult bc of the town where it was located and I was closer to 30 minutes away. But, I also did not apply to BC. In the end I went to Smith, which reminds me a bit of Wheaton, but with a bustling college town/towns. But, if she likes the small feel of Wheaton and feels the students are more down to earth and doesn’t mind boring Norton then it’s probably not worth the extra cost of BC.
For reference as I mentioned my son would not apply to Wheaton or UNH, he is in at Conn with tons of merit aid, etc (also Trinity, Union, Muhlenberg and UMass Amherst). He has accepted a spot on BC’s waitlist. He may be very different from your daughter, but he leaning towards Trinity, but would go to BC if he gets off the WL.
@Charlie2772 Thank you for the feedback. Especially appreciate the perspective from someone familiar with the area around Wheaton. We took a drive down there this week-end to see it for the first time, and though the campus is beautiful, the surrounding area does seem a bit boring - other than the farm animal sanctuary, which for my animal loving vegetarian is very cool! My daughter has visited BC many times (her boyfriend attends) and has realized that, though it offers lots, Boston is not her thing. Her idea of fun is hanging out with friends and getting outside (hammocking, hiking, going to the ocean…). She didn’t hesitate to take her spot on Bates waitlist - and I think the outdoor club and laid back vibe have lots to do with that. She also just really liked Lewiston - for community service, cultural diversity, and just plain having places to experience off campus. Wheaton reminds her of Bates with it’s social justice orientation and sense of community.
Best of luck to your son - he’s got some great choices!
Sounds like she did just the right thing. She can get to the ocean in about 40-45 minutes from here. My son is also on the Bates waitlist and that’s his top choice! I agree that Wheaton is more like Bates campus wise. It is more like Smith as well. Perhaps both of our kids will get pulled off the WL at Bates and be first years together! Best of luck to your daughter as well. 
The most important part of training in teacher education is the student teaching experience. I would contact both of these colleges (BC & Wheaton) to find out where they place their student teachers. Student teaching in a Boston suburb with a top school system like Brookline, Wellesley, etc will introduce a student to best practices in action. It’s critical that education students see things working the way they’re supposed to as part of their training. If their first job is in a tough situation, they will tend to blame themselves unless they’ve had experiences through which they learn that it’s not their fault in a situation which is understaffed and underresourced.
Second, I would directly ask a rep from the School of Ed what they do for a student finds herself in a student teaching experience that is disastrous. These do happen and often students are left to suffer through. This is not only a waste of time but discouraging and even damaging to the prospective young teacher…
Third, I would find out from the college when they start getting their students out into the schools. The best teacher training colleges are getting their students out early - at least by sophomore year and preferably in freshman year. This is especially true in elementary ed. College students who want to volunteer in schools will be welcomed by the schools. Will the college help the student do this through their contacts even if they don’t have a formal field placement program for underclassmen?
Fourth, you might as well face up to the fact that good elementary teaching jobs are rare and hard to come by these days. Is she prepared to start he career in a tough, underresourced inner city school or in a remote location like Hawaii? If she’s lucky, maybe a poor town in northern New England where she’ll be underpaid but can get experience before getting a job some place more rewarding. The truth is that except for high school math and science, experienced teachers get the good jobs, creating a chicken & egg problem. Where do you get experience. Getting multiple certifications helps with employability. Simmons has an especially good track record in placing its students. So, planning for a 5th year right from the beginning with the 5th being a master’s at Simmons makes sense, leaving open the possibility that she gets lucky and gets a good job upon graduation. Of course that means an extra year of private college tuition.
One advantage of BC and UNH is that there are lots of other fields to explore if she changes her mind. I really like Wheaton as long as someone knows that they are pursuing a liberal arts degree if they don’t stick with teaching.
I don’t mean to be discouraging because teaching can be a fulfilling career. It’s just that students and parents should go into this with their eyes open.
@BillMarsh Great feedback - thanks so much! Your point about potential options should she change majors (not entirely unlikely) is particularly well taken. Daughter has evolved quite a bit just in the past year from completely sure she wanted to go the pre-professional education major tract to increasingly intrigued by exploring other areas of interest. Honestly, I think she’ll be fine at any of the schools left on her short list. With all the uncertainty these days around Covid-19, financial factors are likely to be the biggest consideration.
@redfeather I agree about keeping options open and believe that she could do that at either place. Our D21 is interested in early childhood/elementary education and is looking almost exclusively at liberal arts schools so that she has time and freedom to explore other options.
She also likes the opportunity most provide of working in schools from the first year, either as part of the education classes and/or on a volunteer basis, so she can decide fairly early in her tenure if it’s the right path. You might want to ask both education programs if that’s a possibility.
@kbm770 Agree - the chance for students to be able to explore and find their passion is so important as undergrads. Both Wheaton and BC do offer lots of opportunities to get in the classroom from Freshman year on - volunteer, internships & practicum - in various settings from inner city to rural. Recently started rethinking UNH as well - which also has those opportunities. To me, one of the big advantages of the liberal arts colleges is the easier access to advising/mentoring from professors early on. Best of luck to your daughter in the college search - sounds like she’s off to a great start!