Compare and Contrast Dickinson and Gettysburg

[momsearcheng]

Yes. You can PM me.

[Lindagaf]

My daughter did the same. They customized a whole day for her. She sat in on classes, went to clubs, had lunch with students, and overall really enjoyed herself. They rolled out the red carpet and she felt a good connection to other students and liked the vibe a lot, far more than at F&M.

It is a matter of personal preference. As mentioned before, Gettysburg and Dickinson are very similar and most people on CC would probably consider Dickinson as slightly more desirable. Various ratings might reflect this, depending on what you like.

For example, though someone earlier said G’burg has less Greek Life than it used to, it is rated #2 on Princeton Review. (Disclaimer than P’ton Review is not an ultimate authority, but uses student feedback in its rankings.) If you’re looking for Greek Life, this ranking is a good thing. I’m not here to bash G’burg, merely trying to provide resources that will help people get an idea of the campus culture, but interested people can look at its other rankings in this article. Gettysburg College - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews

I would argue that Dickinson’s rankings in Princeton Review will definitely appeal to a slightly more liberal student, but there is no denying that its rating at #16 for Best Classroom Experience and #12 for Making an Impact make it worth investigating.

Dickinson College - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews

[Steglitz90]

We are trying to balance those 3 schools that weekend as well! Coming from SoCal, so we have to see it all in one trip. Son’s 1st choice way back when he applied was Dickinson, but Gettysburg is coming on strong as he is a Lincoln Scholar – not the top award like Eisenhower (which is academics, plus has a leadership component) – but a similar program with priority registration, early orientation, advance research opportunities & programming. Plus, our middle son’s good HS friend goes there & loves it (& is not in a frat & doesn’t seem deprived of a social life). I have personally not been to any of them, so I’m curious to hear the contrasts.

[momsearcheng]

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[zebralover10]

Any update on your search?

[Beaner1]

My son is a sophomore at Gettysburg and it has been an excellent experience so far. One thing that doesn’t get mentioned enough is that the town of Gettysburg is just steps away from campus. It’s really nice for the kids to have lots of restaurants, cute shops and coffee shops etc all walking distance.

Academically, the small classes have been great for my son who is in a technical major. He joined a fraternity, but not everyone does. Politically, it probably leans more liberal (like most liberal arts colleges). There are plenty of other voices though.

We had a great tour guide and the school felt very warm and welcoming, and that remains my impression. The business end of things is well run. They are a tight ship at GC.

I can’t speak for Dickenson. I’d never even heard of it to be honest. My son thought he wanted a big school, applied to GC on a lark and ended up intrigued when he got a huge merit scholarship. No regrets!

[My3SonsSD]

I assume you’re follow up regarding our student.

He was fortunate enough to be admitted to 7 small liberal arts colleges – Furman, Wofford, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Denison, and Davidson. We were shocked at those outcomes, assuming previously that maybe he’d get into 3 or 4 at the most.

Ultimately, for a number of reasons, Davidson comes out on top. The school is fantastic. The students are extremely impressive. The town of Davidson is a great place to live. We are thrilled for him and can’t wait to see what he does in the next four years at Davidson.

[momsearcheng]

Congrats on your choice!
DD did not consider Davidson or Franklin and Marshall but we visited Denison.
She was accepted to Furman, Rhodes, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Lafayette, Richmond, Muchlenberg, Hobart and William Smith, and Juniata. She is still over the fence about what to choose :). But Gettysburg is very special to her.

[KnightsRidge]

Congrats on Davidson! My son adores it and says he’ll have a hard time leaving when that time comes. He had a rough start mostly due to the covid restrictions early on but the college is now back to normal, and he is experiencing the full richness of the student experience there. We’re big fans of SLACs in my family and have been impressed with the effort and resources the administration puts towards the student experience at Davidson. And the climate is a huge plus so the kids can enjoy the Lake Campus beach even in March

[PAMom24]

D23 waitlisted at Davidson, likely committing to W&L. Also accepted at and impressed with Dickinson. I think we’d both prefer Davidson’s location to W&L but doubt wait list will move. So many great LACs!