<p>I mailed out my Amherst deposit a couple days ago. Then today I got a letter from Swarthmore saying that I’d been named a Swarthmore Scholar, which essentially cancels out the loan portion of my financial aid, so money’s no longer a factor. I’m not sure if I’m being a little schizo, having cold feet, or whatnot. I don’t know. I’m really confused.</p>
<p>If only I can convince myself of having made the right choice.</p>
<p>Ah...that's a hard one.</p>
<p>Sorry not to be able to volunteer anything helpful. Sympathies.</p>
<p>Have you visited both schools?</p>
<p>Yes, I visited both. I went to Amherst's DIVOH in October and Swat's Discovery Weekend in November. The first time around, I really didn't think much of Amherst. My hostess was a big, messy partier; the weather was grotesque; the class I sat in on was lackluster because they'd changed the schedule, so I got a race & politics class instead of an English class like I'd anticipated. I had a better time at Swarthmore--nothing earth-shattering, but I liked it increasingly as time went on. I was initially a little disappointed by Swat's first fin. aid package. Then I went to Amherst again this weekend for their Open House, and everything was ten times better than in October. I stayed with a friend of mine who's currently a junior there, I got to meet some other friends in that area, the food and weather and the classes were better. Maybe in terms of personality, I'd fit in with Swat's quirkiness, but I feel at home at Amherst too, where I could also carve out a niche. The hard part is that, although both schools are inherently a little different, they're also incredibly similar, in terms of size and cross-registration with other schools.</p>
<p>I know that this won't help in your final decision, but even the deposit is NOT binding. For those on the waitlists, it most certainly is not.</p>
<p>Additionally, you should see if your check has cleared yet. Because it is not yet May 1st, you still should be able to choose. It may be possible to cancel the check (etc.) because you have yet to decide.</p>
<p>PERHAPS, you could use it to get additional financial aid from Amherst? Just a thought.</p>
<p>As a matter of grace and ethics, I wouldn't go the "stop payment" route on the check. Since it's not May 1, if you still have doubts, I would call the Admissions folks at Amherst, explain about Swat's upgrade in Financial Aid (which might prompt them to re-evaluate their own offer to you), and ask them to hold the check for a few days until your final decision.</p>
<p>I second TheDad's advice. They're human too, and if you explain your situation, they'll sympathize.</p>
<p>Nickleby: I'm already getting a fantastic package from Amherst. No loans from them, either. So $$$-wise, both are pretty much equal. </p>
<p>I'm not sure how the fin. aid will differ in subsequent years, although I'm hoping Amherst will remain generous. </p>
<p>I'm mainly hoping to incur as little debt as possible during college. My career plans as an artist/writer aren't looking too lucrative, so I'd be indebted for a long long time.</p>
<p>allure, at this point, I'd say that it comes down to one significant question, and one only...</p>
<p>Do you have a gut feeling like you would rather be at Swarthmore? If so, then do all you can to change the circumstances. If not, it might only be that it is hard to let go.</p>
<p>On a more selfish note, I have yet to choose between the two (or Grinnell or Dartmouth). What made you choose Amherst over Swarthmore (or any others). This might also help you think out your reasoning.</p>
<p>I think you're right, Nickleby. Maybe it's just separation anxiety with Swarthmore. :confused:</p>
<p>Maybe my puzzling this out could be helpful to you also. Here are some of the reasons, unless I dig up some more:</p>
<p>a) Open curriculum - being free to do whatever I wanted, able to pursue anything independently, really appealed to me. Swat has general distribution requirements, which is similar.
b) Northampton - NoHo seems like a cultured, artsy place. Philadelphia is also artsy. Haven't been to either places, so this is just hearsay.</p>
<p>c) Location - I rather like the idea of a "college town"... there's natural beauty (although Swat has an arboretum), shops for everything I'd need close by. It's a decent distance away from home, so I wouldn't have to worry about being homesick or having surprise parental visits (although Swat is basically the same distance away). At first I thought Philadelphia would be the greatest ever, since I have an irrational attachment to the city; I thought "non-urban" implied "desolate wilderness" but I was wrong. An hour and a half to Boston isn't horrendously long..sure, it'd be a road trip, but I could stay with friends in that area so it wouldn't be too much travel in one day. </p>
<p>Dartmouth is also a very pretty place--I considered it this summer--but it's seriously in the middle of nowhere, too Greek-dominated (a la Frat Row), and New Hampshire winters would be much harsher than any I've ever experienced.</p>
<p>btw, sorry for posting in segments. my computer is retarded and doesn't let me send out large amounts of text :o. and...</p>
<p>d) Smith for some art classes, which are decent although teachers are reputedly lenient, and U Mass for all the amenities a large school offers, like a wider variety of classes (though Swat has U Penn). Dartmouth would have some of its graduate resources. I think they have 4 MRI machines or something... good stuff, I guess.</p>
<p>e) Family and friends -- perhaps some form of peer pressure? I'm good friends with a current Amherst junior; she'd be there to show me the ropes next year. I also have several other friends living in the area, some also at U Mass. So I may be comfortable there from the onset. My other friends think Amherst is a pretty good idea (well, it isn't terrible, haha). My dad thinks Amherst is the greatest thing that ever happened to mankind. My English teachers worship it.</p>
<p>f) Biking - I won't have a car, but I would be able to bike to lots of places conveniently. (Well, at Swarthmore I have the train into Philly, and yes, I could bike too. But Amherst is a more athletic area... not that I'm a serious athlete... oh, and Amherst has really nice athletic facilities I'd definitely take advantage of: a rink, a track, a pool. Swat and Amherst both have woods.)</p>
<p>again, sorry for posting so many times! excuse my technology-impaired computer!</p>
<p>g) Housing - they're renovating many dorms so that they'll be gorgeous (or merely better) when I get there. Sophomore year may not be great, but junior and senior year I'll most likely end up with a fantastic, spacious single in a mansion-like house. </p>
<p>h) Valentine food, although not always appetizing, is more appealing than Sharples food. But whatever. If I really hate the food, I wouldn't have to worry about the freshman 15. I'd only have to worry about malnutrition :-P.</p>
<p>the freshman 15 comes from drinking too much beer and eating too much pizza, not dining hall food:)</p>
<p>well, i think it's settled... looks like the decision has been made and will remain that way.</p>
<p>if amherst turns out to be the absolute most horrible experience possible, i could always transfer.</p>
<p>goalie - mmm, antonio's. </p>
<p>nickleby - have you come to any resolution yet?</p>
<p>Actually, I haven't...</p>
<p>Although, I'm leaning towards Swarthmore over Amherst (I don't know about Dartmouth). I just prefer the more intellectual atmosphere (I know this is like comparing Jumbo and AA sized eggs or something) to the slightly more jock-centric one (eggagerations, exuse the pun).</p>
<p>But, just to make the next week more confusing, any advice as a devil's advocate?</p>
<p>P.S. Its mildly annoying that May 1st falls on a Sunday. That means I have to decide my the 31st, and earlier since the post office is closed by 3 instead of 5:30. Plus, it took until monday to recieve decisions, so almost a whole week of April lost after all was said and done just due to the calendar (although one nice school, I forget where, extended the dead to May 4th, perhaps pointless considering it was the only one, or perhaps a tactic for last minute procrastinators).</p>
<p>I dont find Amherst any less intellectual. If youre looking for that atmosphere, it wouldnt be lacking at Amherst. True, Amherst (as well as Swat, if Im not mistaken) has slots for athletes, but Ive met quite a few and they have talents in other solid academic areas, too. In any case itd be a blanket statement. Did you visit both?</p>
<p>I got an email from Jim Bock today. Basically he said that it wasn't too late to change my mind, and wanted to discuss things before I made a final decision. </p>
<p>I also got a phone call, but was out when that happened. </p>
<p>So I'm a little more confused than I was before; I'll just call him back tomorrow and think things through again.</p>
<p>Going to Amherst!</p>
<p>Congrats, allure. My DD chose Amherst because of its strong academics. As for the athletes there, my understanding is that they and legacies may have an edge, but only if they have the proper stats. No leser lights accepted!</p>