I have been admitted to 7 different liberal arts schools and while I have some preferences I have been unable to visit all of them and would like to hear some other thoughts
Obviously money matters and if anyone has an experience where a school I have gotten more scholarship from has revoked money later or a school that has given you more money after appeal please let me know
Whitman College ($13,000 merit)
Kenyon College ($25,000 merit)
Willamette University ($24,000 merit)
Wesleyan University (about $11,000 in grants/work study)
Carleton College (about $15,000 work study/grants)
Macalester College (about $14,000 merit)
University of Redlands (about $30,000 merit)
Waiting: Pitzer
For students possibly looking at schools to apply to here are the other results I got
Wait-Listed: Grinnell
Rejected: Claremont Mckenna College
I am IB Diploma Candidate, 5 HL Classes, 4.02 Weighted GPA (about 3.8 unweighted I think), Super-score SAT (660 CR, 650 Writing, 760 Math/2070 Composite) done lots of clubs/sports if you have any questions as a high-school student feel free as well
What is the net price of each school after subtracting grants and scholarships (not loans or work study) from the list price? For merit scholarships, are there minimum college GPAs to renew for later years? How much can you actually afford?
What potential college majors and post-graduation goals do you have?
So all of them are going to be about 66-68k a year so subtract those numbers, work study is about 2500 so u can subtract that out
I know Kenyon requires a minimum 3.0 GPA others I’m not sure
$40,000 a year is probably the peak because I’m gonna take about $5,000 in loans a year and my paretns can pull $35,000
I have no career path in mind, that’s why I am looking liberal arts.
Kenyon, Carleton, Wesleyan, and Macalester are the “cream” of that crop, but it’s a good and enviable choice–you’ve done well. I’m a big fan of the four I mentioned.
If their list prices are all $66,000 to $68,000 per year, and your parental contribution is $35,000 per year, then you need to come up with $31,000 to $33,000 per year.
Based on this, only Kenyon, Willamette, and Redlands are in financial range, since their merit scholarships leave a remaining cost that you can cover with federal direct loans plus a reasonable amount of work earnings.
Whitman, Wesleyan, Carleton, and Macalester are effectively rejections because you cannot afford them without parent loans or parent-cosigned student loans, which are generally not a good idea.
So choose between Kenyon, Willamette, and Redlands.
Wow, congrats to you. very jealous. You are spoiled for choice. I think your choices boil down to Kenyon or Willamette. Surely Willamette is more affordable, but with the 25 k, Kenyon is also a great choice. Best of luck.
We have visited Willamette, Whitman, and Macalester. Whitman was beautiful, people really nice… something that impressed me was how close the students seemed to their professors and advisors. Lots going on on campus…liberal, but still a little bit preppy if that makes sense. Lots of students involved in Greek system, but it is very very casual. Really nice kids all around. Walla Walla is small and remote, but a cute college town. Willamette was also great. Not sure what you are interested in, but they had a great theater program, good opportunities for internships in government/public service, and also close relationships between undergrads/profs. That aid package is very generous and it is a great opportunity. Our tour of Mac wasn’t very informative. I think we just got a dud tour guide. Mac has a great reputation though. Not sure where you live now, but I grew up in Mpls/ St. Paul and the winters are pretty brutal - definitely colder than east coast.
Gambier is tiny, Columbus, which is about 45 miles away, is not. But it depends on what you are looking for. I don’t get the impression that Kenyon students leave campus much. Mount Vernon is 5 minutes away, and has amenities like Chipotle, Walmart, etc. Part of the charm of Kenyon is Gambier. The town is truly part of the campus. My daughter and I spent a weekend there, in January. We spent a ton of time wandering around campus people watching, getting a feel for the vibe of the campus. We saw many groups of students doing collaborative work, conferencing with professors over coffee, hanging out in the bookstore (they have huge leather chairs and couches in the bookstore, hanging out there is encouraged, very comfy spot to settle in and read or do some work), and eating at the Village Inn Restaurant. There was a mix of types: artsy, preppy, jocks, quirky…a wide range, and all were friendly and welcoming. My daughter fell in love and applied ED2. I think the student body would be similar to that of Whitman based on what latetogame wrote in post #8.
We visited many schools, D had many first choices over the last two years, even applied to another small LAC ED1 and was deferred. This turned out to be a blessing, she loved Kenyon so much she decided to apply ED2, despite a very encouraging follow up with admissions from her ED1 school. We are thrilled she will be going to Kenyon this fall.
Good luck with your choice, they are all wonderful schools. After determining which ones are still in the running I encourage you to visit (or revisit) them if you can.
@marvin100
IDK any general thoughts on any of the campuses/schools
Pros and Cons you have found that differ or are identical between some/all
I posted the money stuff for later, as of right now I just want to learn as much as I can about the schools and then come April 15 or so I’ll go deep into the financials behind it, but if I can eliminate or possibly move up some schools because of anything I just sorta am trying to gain as much info as I can
Son loved Whitman, I loved Whitman. Eastern Washington has distinct seasons, unlike much of coastal California where we live. The campus in Fall and Spring is spectacularly beautiful, looks pretty with snow too. Son worked there one summer and said it got really hot, but must students aren’t there for the summers. There is a lovely stream running through campus and exquisite little spots along it with places for study or contemplation. There is outdoor art all over campus, they have some very cool sculptures in downtown Walla Walla too.
Not only did son really get to know his professors, but WE also got to know his professors over the years because we went to family weekends on campus and to Bay Area receptions. I was very impressed by their professional accomplishments and their warm communicative natures. The faculty, the administration, the students and their families become a supportive friendly community.
Academics are challenging, he was blown away by the intellects of many of his classmates and he was in the top 4% of his high school class, but it wasn’t competitive, study groups are a common sight. Whitties study a lot, but not all the time, they like to have fun and try new things.
Hawaii has small towns and a big city… which transition are you looking forward to?
Actually, if you know your budget and the financial aid and scholarship offers, financial eliminations should be quick and easy to do, and will eliminate wasteful work researching schools that are too expensive. Based on what you posted, you really have three affordable choices (see reply #5) to concentrate your research on.