<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Last week I got off the waitlist at Wesleyan.
In april I accepted the offer from Middlebury.</p>
<p>The financial aid award of Wesleyan is better than Middlebury, but will provide relief for my parents. </p>
<p>At this point I am torn between Wes and Midd.. I prefer Middlebury, but my parents are pushing me to go to Wes as it is cheaper.</p>
<p>I want to study Mathematics and Economics. I hope you could tell me if there's any differences between the departments at Midd and Wes. And if the college experience differes between these two?</p>
<p>Well, Frank, last week on the Wesleyan forum it was history and economics, now it's history and math. No matter; your interests are allowed to fluctuate at your age. :)</p>
<p>But, as far as Math is concerned, I don't think there's any question Wesleyan has the stronger department. It houses one of the five doctoral programs that send Wesleyan's upper level science courses into the highest stratosphere of theory and discourse; it also cooperates with the Econnomics department in a unique interdisciplinary program in Math and Economics. And, it serves as the underpinning for the undergraduate computer science program. So, Math at Wesleyan is pretty broad and deep.</p>
<p>The location of the two schools is very different. Middlebury is in a picture-perfect but somewhat isolated NE town. Wesleyan is in Middletwon, CT, which is a rather run-dorn mid-sized city, about 1.30hrs from NYC.</p>
<p>Middlebury's students tend to be somewhat more conservative as well as more preppy than Wesleyan students. The latter are more socially and politically active. I agree that Wesleyan has the stronger math department and it is building its math/sciences offerings. It has a great record for sending its students on to Ph.D. programs.</p>
<p>Both schools are fine liberal arts schools - you have the freedom to explore many fields of study and receive a well-rounded education. You mentioned that your parents prefer you to go to Wesleyn because of a better financial package. Is there a significant difference in the amount of financial aid between the two schools? Would your parents (and you) incur significantly more debt if you went to Middlebury?</p>
<p>You mentioned that you "preferred" Middlebury - can you be clearer on your reasons (not just a vague feeling)? When you make a side-by-side comparision of the two schools, does Middlebury come out far ahead? If they are "on par" with each other, can you see yourself at either school? </p>
<p>I know that this is an important decision for you, but remember that it's not the most important decision you will ever make in your life. Your success and satisfaction with school (and life in general) doesn't rest on this decision.</p>