<p>Does anyone have a view? The aid is better at Gettysburg but either way there will be no debt at the end of 4 years.</p>
<p>Just saw your question and tomorrow is may 1, so you must have already decided on college. However, I would suggest that Colgate Alumni network might be stronger than Gettysburg, but this is inconsequential in medicine and other professions where high GPA and MCATs prevail. That said, I am a Colgate alum who is a MD and never needed the connections as did my friends in finance and law. Financial aid is a factor too and if it is over 10K and geographically desireable I would not discount Gettysburg.</p>
<p>Finance is a big issue for people. Why is aid better at G? Is it a merit or need based. Whenever a school gives a merit aid it is because the person is someone a school wants to recruit. If you could afford Colgate, why not go with a better school?</p>
<p>gettysburg is better</p>
<p>Fatchicks: On what basis do you reach that conclusion? Nothing wrong with Gettysburg but saying it’s better than Colgate is pretty far-fetched, on least on any objective measure.</p>
<p>In terms of selectivity, Colgate has a selectivity rating of 97, whereas Gettysburg has a selectivity rating of 95.</p>
<p>“Better” is not a useful question to ask, I’m afraid. Which of your friends is better? Which is better, a hamburger or a pizza? Which is better, the state of Connecticut or Rhode Island? Is “Moby Dick” better than “Huck Finn”? Which is . . . okay, you get the point. </p>
<p>One problem is that this gets into touchy issues. Certainly one student’s experience at a “ranked college” may be much better than another’s at a “higher ranked” college. I know of students who did not like Yale or Amherst much and students who absolutely loved Scripps or Bucknell. So, “better” is not even the “best” approach in a lot of ways. </p>
<p>“Best fit” is a better approach. What college is best for you. Within a very broad range of rankings, look at many colleges and try not to be swayed by rankings. Some top ranked colleges are grind-factories with little joy to offer. Some “lesser” schools are academically exciting. Which would you rather attend? </p>
<p>Both Colgate and Gettysburg are good small liberal arts colleges, but they are not often compared to each other. Colgate is often compared to Bucknell or Hamilton or similar schools, sometimes compared to Dartmouth or Cornell, though both are higher ranked. Colgate is higher ranked than Gettysburg by a fair amount (if U.S. News means anything, and I’m not sure it does), and it has a major Div I athletic program, top quality academics, and is most often compared to Little Ivies and similar schools in terms of its history, academic rigor, and general approach to education. So that may mean something to you. On the other hand, if you want a small college close to D.C. or another factor, it may not. </p>
<p>This is true, to a greater or lesser extent, of all the Patriot League schools and the similar NESCAC (athletic league) schools like Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Williams, etc. There are better and worse, of course, but it depends on what you mean – selectivity, particular academic programs, closeness to home, weather, and many other factors all play a role. Bates and Colby are similarly ranked with Colgate and Hamilton, but they are in two different regions, and among the four there are some big differences. A close friend of mine attended Hamilton and did not like it much. A nephew attends Bates and loves it. I’ve known students that loved Cornell and students that could not stand the place. One of my brothers attended Gettysburg College for a while, but left because he did not like all the drinking, etc. Of course, he’s a bit of a prude, so maybe there’s nothing to that. And this all may be meaningless because it’s what you want that matters, not other people. </p>
<p>Colgate generally gets grouped with schools like Hamilton, Tufts, Colby, sometimes Dartmouth and others. Gettysburg is more likely to be grouped with Denison, Reed, Dickinson, Skidmore, Union, Franklin and Marshall and others, all fine colleges, but a good deal different from Colgate. I think the only way to decide is to visit and find out what you like. Colgate and Georgetown are both in the Patriot League, and both are ranked similarly (in different lists – small liberal arts vs. large universities), but you couldn’t find too more different schools in many ways. Go, visit, find out which you like.</p>
<p>^
Agree with everything in your excellent post, ColgateDad, with one exception. In terms of selectivity, Reed is on the same level as Hamilton, Colby, Bates, a notch above the Dickinson, Union, F&M, etc. Reed is a school that doesn’t play the USNWR game and refuses to participate. But if you look at their test scores, admission rates, etc. they are at the same level as Colby, Bates, Hamilton, etc., as are LACs you did not mention like Oberlin, Grinnell, Macalester, and Kenyon, all in the midwest. </p>
<p>My pet peeve with CC folks is what appears to be a bias toward colleges in the Northeast.</p>
<p>An academic pre-grad-school grouping might place Carleton, Grinnell, Oberlin, Reed, Swarthmore and UChicago together.</p>