<p>If your child has narrowed it down to two options but not yet made a firm decision...what schools is he or she trying to decide between? Post here for opinions on key differences between the two, or just to share the decision dilemma.</p>
<p>My D says it's now down to either:
1) Occidental in L.A., or
2) Lewis & Clark in Portland</p>
<p>I can picture her either place, although our long, dreary Minnesota winter makes me suspect she's going to opt for sunny California.</p>
<p>my son is choosing between Occidental and Kenyon. any opinions? i think he would be happy at each. does one have a substantially better reputation? i appreciate any feedback.</p>
<p>I cannot say anything about Occidental one way or the other, I am just not familiar with it. Of course in the the PNW Lewis and Clark has a very good reputation. Kenyon is very well know around here as an excellent small LAC that offers good merit. 4 of my D’s classmates went to Kenyon and all are in grad school now. Kenyon is in a very small rural community and that is a problem for some.</p>
<p>I don’t know enough about Lewis and Clark to comment to the OP’s question but as far as frankie1’s
</p>
<p>Kenyon is in the middle of nowhere. There are a lot of nice programs right there on campus so I am not saying it is boring - we know many kids who love it there. It just does not have easy access to a city. Has your son spent enough time on both campuses such that he feels he would be comfortable in either place?</p>
<p>Oxy is a few miles from Pasadena. It sits on a hill in Eagle Rock. Food was excellent; with food stations with lots of vegetarian, salad, Asian, etc., booths. School spirit quite good. They have excellent basketball team. The kids I knew there were uniformly content.</p>
<p>It is the curriculum at Oxy that made it stand out from other colleges. They offer many combination type courses, combining literature at particular historical times, for example. Please review the course offerings. Oxy encourages community involvement.</p>
<p>Bookworm is right - drag out thise catalogs. Look at the classes that have to - or get to - take. This info may fill your student with excitement - or dread.</p>
<p>I know how you feel…My D is deciding between Muhlenberg and Elon. We live in the northeast. Muhlenberg half the size but closer to home. Elon, beautiful weather, beautiful campus. She is interested in dual major of accounting and music performance. Both schools can offer this opportunity for her. We are torn between both.</p>
<p>As stated earlier, Kenyon is really really really in the middle of nowhere. We drove for over an hour through corn fields last summer when DD was visiting. She actually liked the school but was not interested in being in that tiny a town (1 block long street which the college bisects).</p>
<p>I would add that the weather in central OH is very gray (like today) with cold winters.</p>
<p>OP: Thank you for this thread. My son is torn between two schools he really likes and I feel a bit guilty even bringing it up. What a great problem to have! But he can only attend one, so it is a dilemma. </p>
<p>He is trying to choose between Marquette and St. Louis University. His major is biology/health sciences and he hopes to go to medical school eventually. The schools are actually quite similar, both Jesuit, same size, price/ urban, etc. Our plan is to do return visits at both schools (overnight with current students) in hopes of coming to a clear decision. </p>
<p>Best wishes to everyone!</p>
<p>It is probably important to start with an assumption that there is not a “wrong” choice. All of these schools are great liberal arts learning opportunities. So the question becomes “fit”, a much more elusive quality and one that I do not think can be quantified. This is a problem of the heart, not the spreadsheet. It is a kind of cross-roads I suppose and the choice does make a difference but we have to accept the unpredictability and try to embrace it (or help the kid embrace it really).</p>
<p>All that said: (re the original post): Personally I 'd choose Oxy over LC IF life in LA had definite appeal. LC is less ethnically and economically diverse and I think the community/social justice vibe is not so strong. And if she wants a contrast to Minnesota the weather is definitely more different.<br>
At the same time, Portland is a great city and the LC campus is beautiful. She should maybe try imagining herself for a day at each place and then spend a day imagining she has given up each one and see where she feels more “loss” Finding the fit is hard. Both are wonderful schools where kids are happy.</p>
<p>When D was looking at for schools, Oxy was one that stayed on the list (L&C was visited and quickly eliminated even though h & I liked it). She probably would have gone if COA was lower. Gave her as much FA as other schools but overall costs were more. It was my favorite of the bunch. Her friends who had gone there loved it and were pulling for her to come.</p>
<p>Thanks, all! Great food for thought here.</p>
<p>We finally got the L&C financial aid info, and while it’s definitely good–no complaints!–I would call Oxy’s great. So I’m guessing that will tip the scales in favor of Oxy.</p>
<p>Looks like I’ve got a California girl. :)</p>
<p>Barack Obama attended Occidental.</p>
<p>Monica Lewinsky attended Lewis & Clark…</p>
<p>For Computer Science and German. Michigan is in-state, practically in our back yard, enough said. UIUC strongly promotes study abroad within Engineering (great programs in Germany) so study abroad year is essentially tuition free. Son felt GREAT fit there and had his heart set on it before receiving his acceptance to Umich this week. Overall difference in tuition over the four years is between $15k and $35k. I think I know the answer to this one?</p>
<p>Oxy is great so I’m glad they came through with the funding. Did she decide Whitman was too rural? It has a lot of what I like about Oxy as well but it is certainly a different climate.</p>
<p>Yes…she was very impressed with Whitman as a school, liked the campus, and even thought the town of Walla Walla was cute & nice. But the 4 1/2 hours of driving through dry, scrubby hills to get there? Pretty depressing. I felt bad about it, because everyone there was <em>so</em> nice. But she’s picking the place she’ll spend the next four years of her life, and it’s got to feel right.</p>
<p>There’s an airport in Walla Walla, so one could fly to Whitman-- but it’s probably expensive.</p>
<p>Not trying to tip the scales. I went to OXY in the dark ages, and absolutely loved the weather. </p>
<p>One of our top criteria for S was within easy driving distance of a major airport. Might be a consideration for holiday travel.</p>
<p>Wow, HeartArt, that is really going to be a tough decision to make. Both are nice places. The only thing I can think that might tip the scale is M is closer to Chicago, if that would make a difference for a weekend getaway, or possibly basketball. Good luck.</p>