<p>I'm trying to choose my ED(1) School, but I can't choose between these two schools... Could anyone help me by telling what these schools are like (atmosphere, financial aid accessibility, location, etc) please, including which one would be easier for me to adapt to?</p>
<p>Some information about me:
1 Leadership Postion
4 Volunteer Hours per week
SAT: 2010 (latest test score yet to come)
Unweighted GPA: 3.74
Rank: Unknown
Extracurriculars I'd really WANT to have: Cinema club, Badminton</p>
<p>I'm interested in majoring in the Humanities area (not sure, specifically), possibly Psychology. If all goes as planned, there is about 70% that I'd be going to a Law Graduate School. I'm Canadian, but studying in an international school in South Korea. As for the atmosphere, I'd like a more urban location or at least a location that is more accessible to the Cities (I know that these two colleges are not so urban set..). I'd also like a friendly atmosphere (for obvious reasons), and a diverse place.</p>
<p>I heard that Carleton is #1 among liberal colleges in terms of academics, but my brother lives in Manhattan, so I just think that Vassar could be easier to adapt to, since I always turn to my brother for help (despite the 75 mile difference). Please help me decide because I have to by October 14th because of school reasons.... Thank you!</p>
<p>Carleton felt a lot friendlier to me when I visited, but I agree with ucbalumnus that you shouldn’t be picking an ED school unless you’re absolutely certain, which you’re clearly not.</p>
<p>There are various rankings for liberal arts colleges and Carleton and Vassar are generally among the top 15. Who is #1 is subject to lots of debate (I’ve never seen Carleton at the top of the list, by the way - not that it matters) so if that’s why you are considering Carleton, that’s not a good reason. Vassar is equally well respected by the public, employers and grad schools.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would compare the weather year-round in Northfield, MN to Poughkeepsie, NY. I would look at the course catalogs to compare available coursework in the areas you are interested in, and read the student newspapers online to see what students are thinking about. Vassar has a reputation for being intellectual, artsy, liberal, and has an ‘east coast’ vibe since it draws a significant part of it’s student body from there - with access to NYC by train, if that’s important to you. Carleton has a more mid-western vibe - friendly, intellectual, quirky, liberal. Minneapolis, the city about 45 minutes away, has a lot to offer and is an airline hub. Being in a small college town (Northfield) is different from being in a moderate sized city (Poughkeepsie) but most of the action is on campus for both school. And both schools have attractive campuses.</p>
<p>Not sure about the financial aid for either - but if that’s important, I would look at Macalester (Minneapolis) and Grinnell (Iowa), both of which are top 20 LACs and offer generous financial and merit aid. Take a look at Oberlin too.</p>
<p>Your SAT’s are low for either Carleton or Vassar as per Common Data Sets.</p>
<p>LAC’s within a city include Macalaster, Occidental and Reed. There are also metro area colleges like the Claremonts (Pomona, Pitzer, etc.), Swarthmore, and Haverford. Women have even more options like Barnard.</p>
<p>I’d look hard at Carleton. I am biased (I graduated from Carleton in 1982 and my sister and brother-in-law went there too), but it is excellent. It has not been #1 in the U.S. News and World Report, as M’sMom said, but it has indeed been #3, and it is almost always in the top 10. The people are very friendly and the academics are first-rate. Also, they have a very high percentage of students going on to graduate school. There is plenty to do in Northfield and easy bus transportation to the Twin Cities (Mpls/St. Paul).</p>
<p>I think JRetCC, when referring to Carleton as #1 in academics, was referring to its #1 ranking last year among LACs in the “Best Undergraduate Teaching” category by US News.</p>
<p>Both great schools, but agree very different vibes.</p>
<p>Carleton is great but you might find it unsettling in farm country. Pass farms and silo’s. Vassal also great and I think you’d be happier being a train ride from New York which is understandable. Good luck</p>
<p>rhg3rd is right, your numbers are a little soft for Carleton or Vassar. One college you might want to think about that hasn’t been mentioned by others is Bard College, about 40 miles north of Vassar in the gorgeous scenery of the Hudson Valley. One of my children went to Bard, and another to Vassar, and I like the atmospherics at Bard better. Bard is just a notch below Vassar in Admissions profile, with a 97th percentile rating vs. Vassar’s 98 in Princeton Review. </p>