Hello!
I have been admitted to Hamilton and Earlham College. Earlham has given me an amazing financial aid but it was my safety school. Hamilton also gave me a good financial aid, but I am not that happy with it because I have to pay around $7k per year.
The total amount of money I will pay Earlham is around $15k in four years, while I will be paying $28k if I go to Hamilton. Which one is the best offer considering school brand, academic quality, and financial aid package?
Do you have an intended major?
In case you are wondering, I will be majoring in Biology and be on the premed track.
At a difference of $13K over 4 years you are probably better off going to the school you prefer. Did you visit both? Hamilton is considered a better school but as a premed the prestige factor isn’t really going to help you.
You could do more digging into their pre-professional support.
If you’re pre-med, well med school is expensive and you may be better off going with the cheaper school and saving money for med school.
Hamilton for 7K/year is a great deal.
I would also pick thinking, what if I don’t make it into med school? (Because 3/4 would-be premeds drop that track and 50% of the remaining students don’t make it into med school, so your odds are 90% right now that you won’t make it. With these odds, it’s best to choose as if you weren’t going to attend med school).
If you stick to the premed track, don’t major in biology, because there’s currently an oversupply of them flooding the job market and ROI is very very low.
Agree with @MYOS1634 Hamilton at 7k per year is a great deal! It is a very generous offer for a top notch education.
You should check starting salaries after graduation. I bet Hamilton’s would be higher
Hamilton is a wonderful school, with a great reputation among LACs. Earlham is one of those “hidden gems” that has a great track record of working with first gen, low income or international students and really changing the trajectory of their lives. For med school, the priority would be to minimize debt at the undergrad level and be in an environment – academic and otherwise – which prepares you for the next step.
It sounds like Hamilton would be about $4,000 more a year than Earlham. For some families, that might just mean tightening their belt a little to come up with the extra money. For others, the budget might already be stretched so thin that there really isn’t anywhere to come up with the extra money. Only you and your family can decide where you fall on that.
Do both schools include an expectation for summer earnings and student loans up to the student maximum of $5500 a year in the financial aid package? If the answer is yes, then sit down and figure out if it is even possible to come up with that additional money for Hamilton. If there are no other sources, then Earlham is a wonderful choice. If the answer is no, then the extra cost at Hamilton might be paid for with summer job and maxing out on the student loan portion, so sit down with your family to review financials.
Congrats on great choices!
Where Earlham began on your list should not be a consideration at this point in your decision process. You should consider which school you would prefer to attend now, particularly since you would not have known of any disparity in financial aid packages until this later stage.
Regarding pre-med, I’d recommend you consider whether you will enter as one of the stronger students at your respective choices. To determine this, you could compare these schools’ standardized scoring profiles in relation to your own. More importantly, you could consider your desire to reach your potential within the classes you take, as would be indicated by your approach to your courses in high school, irrespective of your actual grades.
@Midwestmomofboys , your article truly reflects my situation. I am an international student residing in the U.S. I am scared that I won’t stand out if I go to Hamilton and what you said about Earlham is true.It fits me perfectly. Plus, Earlham gave me the Bonner Scholarship, so it opens the door for me for additional money and most importantly, volunteer experience. I am scared of going to a school where all the students are top-notch rich kids. I am still in the process of learning English.
@merc81 , you are correct. I will stand out at Earlham than Hamilton because of the wonderful volunteer opportunities they gave me.
My heart says Earlham.
Thank you all for the great support! God bless you all.
– John Galt
As a deeper recommendation than what I posted above, I’d suggest you think through your decision until its appropriate resolution. After that, throw your yourself into your choice with all of your heart.
Congratulations on your choices, @Cjesusinme1, and best of luck with your final decision!
The structure and support of the Bonner program at Earlham – while it also involves service requirements - would tip the decision to Earlham, at least for me. Bonner provides early orientation, weekly meetings, and leadership development to assist students over a 4 year period. Coming into Earlham as part of that small, select group, with Earlham already being the more affordable option, seems like a terrific opportunity. Congrats!