Major: Business OR Data Science
COA- Knox: $20k, Clarkson: $25k
Any suggestions?
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What are you looking for in a college?
How will you pay the 5k difference?
Whrre do you hope to work (Chicago area, NYS)?
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umm I really want to work in NY area, so Clarkson seems the better choice, Location wise Clarkson is better (to me), its only the 5k difference.
I know people could be $5k wouldn’t be too bad, but we’re really tight on budget so its hard.
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In that case, with the 5k being a hardship, take Knox. You’ll have to work at connecting with New England/Mid Atlantic alumni, but that work will save money your family needs.
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Okay, lets say financial thing isn’t an issue. Can you tell me the adv. and disadv. of respective colleges?
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With a 5K difference I’d also be contacting the financial aid office to see if they might be able to offer more telling them you’d really like to come, but finances are the issue. You aren’t asking for much. The worst they would say is no.
Don’t forget to include the cost to travel to Knox vs Clarkson when comparing values. It shouldn’t be 5K per year, but it’s not negligible either if you’re that much closer to Clarkson.
If I wanted to work in NY, I think I’d stick with Clarkson. It’s known throughout NY, and from those I know, favorably. Knox isn’t known nearly as much there. Two applicants being close to equal, most employers will go with known. The 5K (or less pending travel), could pay off in the long run.
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Then, I’d say Clarkson.
I second @creekland’s great idea of contacting them with Knox’s financial offer, indicating you really want to attend but finances are making the choice for you due to your family’s situation/income and you have a better offer (enclosed). Is there any scholarship you can apply for?
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Well, since I am an international student, finding a scholarship that isn’t a scam is very hard, LOL. They ask me to sign up for all sorts of things and dont give anything in return. Just a waste of money. So, no external scholarships. I still have to hear back form them. I did as you said. I contacted them regarding my Financial Aid offer from Knox. Lets see how they respond.
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Have you been to Galesburg? It’s a tiny, very economically depressed, isolated town. It does have great train service though.
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Well, Potsdam is not that great either 
If you’re international, where you hope to work is immaterial: you need to email each university’s international services and ask them how successful they are with securing internships for internationals as well as OPT.
And 5k might indeed be a huge amount depending where in the world you live.
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Potsdam is very rural. Very, very rural. No passenger train that I know of is near it. On the other hand, if you like mountains the Adirondacks are in your back yard. If you like snow there’s skiing nearby. Hockey is big. The St Lawrence River is also nearby if you like to scuba dive (in the summer months - a fair number of well-preserved shipwrecks). That said, Clarkson is a very respected school, esp within the state.
I know of Knox by name, but that’s it. I’m sure growing up in NY and living in PA, VA, RI, and FL factors into that equation. If I lived closer to Knox’s region undoubtedly it would be the other way around.
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Train service is always a plus when you’re an international without a driver’s license and no car. Takes you to Chicago in 3 hours, which is snail- paced compared to most developed nations’ trains, but not bad for the US (it was famous for its trains in the 19th century, stopped in the 40s-50s, so there are few bullet trains and not all towns have stations.)
Potsdam is 6h30 to NYC by car, 6h to Boston. No train. It’s 2h to Montreal (by car) but you’d need a special authorization to go to and return from Canada.
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I don’t know Clarkson, but we visited Knox several times as my kid went through athletic recruiting there – the coach in his sport was on the “up and up” (and moved to a NESCAC) so we really explored it as a possibility.
I was impressed by Knox – a large international student population, increasing alumni giving resulting in new fine arts building, athletic facility updates and renovations, and renovations to assorted lovely (and historic – Abraham Lincoln debated there . . . ) buildings. After visiting class at 15+ LACs, my kid’s favorite was at Knox where a vibrant professor and class had an active and engaged conversation in a Poli Sci class about race and American politics. I wound up chatting with the President of the College at a sporting event – and was impressed even more. I’ve had some Knox grads as I teaching grad school, and the school seems to do really well supporting and providing opportunities for motivated kids. It does really well with taking smart, talented, but not extraordinary 17-18 year olds and preparing them for the future with strong analytic and communication skills. Galesburg is a fading railroad town but there is a stretch of college-oriented businesses just off campus, complete with coffee, bagel, pizza shops and pub. An international student could fly to Chicago O’hare, rail to Union Station, then Amtrak to Knox. It seems like the kind of place where a young person can really grow.
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I ditto much of what Midwestmomofboys has said about Knox. My S21, DH and I were impressed by Knox and he will be attending in the fall. Their Data Science program is somewhat new (established a year ago?) and appears to be multi-disciplinary, including business. I don’t know how their Data Science or Business programs rate or would compare to Clarkson’s. Downtown Galesburg has several buildings listed in the National Historic Register, 30+ restaurants/bars/cafes/coffee shops, Orpheum Theatre, antique/specialty shops, and some establishments host weekly jazz nights once the weather turns warmer. Lake Storey is a recreational lake and forested park with trails about 4 miles from campus (need car or bike to get there). All these could provide sufficient diversion for college kids. However, I will say that some of the neighborhoods outside of the downtown area do look economically depressed.
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Our D also applied to Knox, and we both think highly of the place. I thought the town was perfectly nice. Not fancy, but with everything a student could need, including cute shops and restaurants in that downtown area. More importantly for her, she thought the programming was really innovative. They have really interesting programs in several areas where students could be immersed in a specific topic/field, anything from psychology to theater, for a full semester. They seem to have a really collaborative, kind faculty and student body. The administration has been so welcoming and accommodating since we visited in person last fall. I think it’s a really special place.
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Potsdam is a college town. SUNY Potsdam is there as well as Clarkson so one can find all the usuals that go with a small college town. It’s mainly a difference of location within the US and what each college has to offer for the desired majors, plus the 5K I suspect. I know of Clarkson as an Engineering and IT school, so can’t say I know how they are for business or Data Science.
OP, for both schools, can you find current students in your desired majors to ask them specific questions? Ask admissions if they can put you in touch if you don’t find them elsewhere. Ask where recent grads have been hired or gone as well - esp if they are international students.
Knox and Clarkson are very different. Clarkson seems to have lost its Liberal Arts identity in favor of a focus on career-training. If you look at the majors available, there are very few in traditional Humanities, but many in STEM fields. Knox retains a broad Liberal Arts tradition. So I think it depends on what you want to get out of your tertiary education.