Hey!
I was accepted to both Connecticut College and Dickinson College. Both are pretty reputable but I’m having a hard time distinguishing and differentiating what their strengths and weaknesses are. They also have very similar stats. I want to major in Environmental Science with maybe another major in Political Science. After that, I hope go to Law school and be an environmental lawyer. I understand both are relatively homogenous which I’m not sure how to feel about considering I am Mexican-American and I’m interested in minoring in Latino-American Studies (I did go to boarding school however, so I’m pretty acclimated to that environment).
So now the question is, which school can offer me the best experiences and opportunities? Can anyone expand on what they’re classes, social lives, and overall vibes are like? Pros/cons? Which can give me the best overall experience in your opinion(s)?
Furthermore, I received no financial aid from the two other than unsubsidized loans so I guess that variable is out of the question.
Dickinson is among the best LACs nationally for study abroad and career services. It’s more conservative than ConnCollege, which is competitive but also artsy, perhaps with more of the boarding school crowd that’s a bit on the quirky side.
If you got no financial aid, can your parents afford either one out of pocket?
If you add tuition + r&b, how much does each cost for you?
@MYOS1634 My parents can pay for half, which I am beyond grateful for. It is up to me to come forward with the rest of the tuition and r&b which means that for both, I would need to take out 30k for student loans. Not desirable but there’s not much I can do in regards to that.
Regardless of that, thank you so much for your advice and the information. Very helpful!
OP, I agree that Dickinson is great for its international programs (not sure about Connecticut), but am I misunderstanding? You’re considering $120,000 in loans for your undergraduate education?
First of all, that won’t even be possible without your parents taking out loans on your behalf. Secondly, that’s an enormous amount of debt for any undergraduate degree, let alone one that will require graduate school to become gainfully employed. How will you possibly finance law school after that?
Please tell us you have an affordable safety in consideration!
Would that be 30k in loans over 4 years?
As a freshman, you can “only” borrow $5,500 for your first year. Is that what you’re talking about?
If you need to take out $120,000 total loans for either of these schools, then I say NEITHER. That is a ridiculous amount of debt, especially if you are planning on going to law school (which will add another $180,000 in debt).
What are your other options? What is your home state? PLEASE tell me that you applied to financial safeties.
@harvardandberkeley @LucieTheLakie : I got accepted to all of my safeties: Depauw (15k scholarship but the expenses for travel minimize that as I life in MA), UVM (10k scholarship), UMASS (in state), Marist (12k scholarship), and Lewis and Clark (10k scholarship but once again, travel expenses).
Do any of you guys have any thoughts on those? Out of those, I’m most drawn to Marist and Depauw (both are only 54k without scholarship). I just want to go to the best school for me without considering money which I understand is pretty delusional so it would be great to further hear about your opinions.
@MYOS1634 my parents have agreed to take out the loans with me co-signing it on top of the 5,500 dollars.
Go to UMass. The others are unaffordable.
This is absolutely terrifying but thank you all for giving me a reality check! @MYOS1634, @harvardandberkeley, @LucieTheLakie
Better to be terrified now, before you make a bad decision, than in a year (or four)!
UMass is a great school; you have the rest of your life to live in another part of the country or world, and that dream will be much easier to achieve if you’re not saddled with backbreaking debt!
Check this thread out if you want a reality check: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1691745-middle-class-squeeze-is-an-elite-education-worth-170-000-in-debt-p1.html
Best of luck to you!