Connecticut College vs Dickinson

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Nyriki:</p>

<p>I think that's a good idea. If nothing else, if you get into both, you'll want to compare financial aid packages. Just because my recent experience was that the packages were identical doesn't mean they would be that way for you.</p>

<p>Some corrections and observations on huskem's numbers, above.</p>

<p>The Greek community at Dickinson is nowhere near 45%. Princetonreview.com says that 24% of females are in sororities and 19% of males in fraternities. I think huskem must have had similar numbers and added them up to get to 45% (instead of the 43% they would add up to, here). However, as you know, you do not take two fractions of fractions of a whole and add them together to find the total fraction of the whole.</p>

<p>Dickinson is about 56% female and 44% male. Taking those numbers, my result is that 22% of Dickinson's student population is Greek. That's still sizeable, but not quite as sizeable as 45%.</p>

<p>Huskem is correct to doubt the numbers about the non-white population at CC. Princetonreview's reported numbers don't add up to 100%. It's likely that the unreported segment of CC's student body is, in fact, caucasian. Dickinson's numbers do add up to 100%, so a reasonable explanation is that they reported their unreported ethnic numbers as caucasian. In other words, the diversity of the two student bodies is virtually identical.</p>

<p>CC is tougher to get into, but may not be as much tougher as the stats would suggest, at first. Dickinson just went to a SATI optional approach (I believe), so its reported SATI numbers in most sources still include all applicants. CC has been SATI optional for a few years (I think), so it's SAT numbers would tend to drop out the low scores, since those with low SATI scores are unlikely to report them to admissions. So, when comparing SAT scores, understand that they're probably a bit closer than they look. That said, CC admits many fewer, as a percentage of applicants, than Dickinson. So admission is certainly more competitive there.</p>

<p>If you get a choice and financial aid is equal, I'd suggest finding a way to scrape together the money to visit both places. They are so very alike in so many ways, but I suspect that the atmosphere at the two places is not so much alike.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

22

<p>Well Conn said I can take the test in January and it'll be fine. Tufts, however wasn't so accepting. >_<</p>

23

<p>Nyriki,</p>

<p>It's too bad about Tufts. At least this will confirm your feelings about Dickinson: it's one of the top schools in the nation for % of students studying abroad in a study that was just released this week:</p>

<p><a href="http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=89229%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=89229&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

24

<p>FYI-Dickinson was on D's list and we visited twice and she did an overnight as well.</p>

<p>Her SAT scores were above average but not stellar. We discussed this with the adcom and since SATs are optional, asked if she should submit them.</p>

<p>The response from the adcom was NOT to send them. She also said that D presented as a strong, desireable candidate, BUT that since her SAT scores were not in the top range, if submitted, they would work towards bringing down the average SAT score for admitted students!</p>

<p>So it's all about the math, not the student.</p>

25

<p>That's discouraging. Dickinson's president impressed me recently by announcing that Dickinson would no longer send USNews peer ratings of overlap colleges and that they would not use any type of college rankings in their admissions materials. Let's hope that this kind of policy of subtly cooking the SAT numbers has changed on the ground as well. On the other hand, at least they were refreshingly honest about being slightly dishonest :-)</p>

26

<p>Dammit, I listed Dickinson as one of the colleges to send SAT scores to >< So can I check on their form "Do not consider my SAT scores for admission"? Mine are probably not very high. </p>

<p>Is it okay that I sent scores before the app..</p>

27

<p>D had listed Dickinson as well and I discussed this with the adcom figuring THAT would be the submission! But, the adcom said not to worry, they only consider what is submitted WITH the application! Again, it's all about the computation.</p>

<p>This could be considered a negative, but we looked at it as a positive in terms of our D's chances of being admitted. Admitting her WITH her less than top scores would be a negative for Dickinson's "scores" and would work against D. Admitting her WITHOUT her scores would bring the focus back to D and how she presented as a candidate "in person" and as a student in the classroom, not during a test.</p>

<p>We found it refreshing. They genuinly seemed more interested in the students as individuals than at all but one other college we visited (eight others).</p>

28

<p>FYI-Dickinson is very interested in students who visit. They have an excellent student/parent presentation with lots of Q & A. After attending that and hearing about their admissions process and philosophy I'd be surprised if they admit many who do NOT visit.</p>

29

<p>baseballmom:</p>

<p>Well, I'm really, really glad that Dickinson admitted this. My experience with college admissions departments is that they usually have some mealy mouthed way of putting things and that it takes a bit of digging to find the real story. Honestly, you'd expect business issues to have an influence over their decisions, but it seems to me that very, very few admissions departments even acknowledge that these issues exist.</p>

<p>Of course, admissions officers will be happy to tell you about the conferences they've been to and how so many OTHER admissions departments pay attention to business issues. But, of course, the ones you're talking to almost never do.</p>