Wondering about people’s thoughts on these two schools. Kid prefers CWRU for its larger campus and city feel but Denison is 20k less a year and kid is likely a social science major.
He liked Denison a lot too but thought it seemed a little preppy and isolated. Will be on baseball team at either school if anyone has perspective on that too.
This sounds like a financial decision and only your family is privy to what is comfortably affordable (no hardship, no or minimal debt) and future expenditures that must be planned for (ex. grad school, other children’s college costs). Another consideration could be if one team/coach is preferable.
They are both fine schools. Two reasonable people could make two different choices. Congrats on his options.
Two great options. If this kid wants to be in a bigger city, Denison doesn’t really fill the bill.
Did your son have any financial limitations put on his applications before now?
Where is the $20k less coming from - merit from Denison and nothing from Case ? If that is the case (no pun intended) would Case be open to reevaluate to see if your son qualifies for merit and are you confident he could keep his grades up at either school to keep the merit from year to year ?
We are asking at Case since he got scholarships at every other school he had prereads for. Fingers crossed but not sure yet.
I would only ask if it is his #1 choice and you have a $ amount decided on that will make your answer a yes, so you are not wasting anyone’s time.
I know three student athletes at Denison - football, lacrosse and fencing - and one professor. The students like it and the professor is excellent. Granville is a small town but they have Denison Edge in Columbus and programming that is career focused. The Knowlton Center just got a big donation, I think $11 million.
Maybe he could spend a weekend at both colleges and talk to students at both?
Has he been on official visits, stayed on campus, met the coach and teammates personally?
Yep though he spent a lot more time
With kids on the team at CWRU which is part of the reason he favors it.
The question is…can your family afford to pay and are willing to pay the additional $20,000 a year. If so, then your son should be able to freely choose.
If the additional $20,000 is out of budget, then your son needs to know that now…in the event that CWRU does not increase their aid offer. I think expecting a $20,000 increase is expecting a lot…but you won’t know until they respond to your request.
We understand the thought process on cost. What I am really wondering about are people’s perspectives on the two different schools and what they offer respectively.
I can’t speak to CWRU and Dennison specifically although I know people who have had good experiences at both. However, as I’m sure you know, the choice boils down to a mid-size urban university and a non-urban LAC. In my family, the preference was different for each of my two kids. My S felt that LACs were just too small/confining and after visiting different colleges, he focused his search on mid-sized urban universities. In contrast, my D fell in love with the LAC experience from the start of her college tours and focused on those. Both attended the right fit school for their interests and personalities and both had wonderful experiences.
Your S has two great options and should be congratulated. At this point it is about finances and fit. If your S prefers CWRU I hope they come up with enough money to make it work.
I am familiar with both colleges. They are both excellent, but are different as @Gumbymom pointed out. Their campuses are also different, with CWRU being an urban campus, not a cute enclosed college campus. Both will offer him a very fine college education.
Does your son want to live in a smaller town, or a larger urban area?
I think either option would be fine…if it’s what your son wants in a college, and you find it affordable. I guess what I am saying is…if your son really doesn’t like the smaller LAC college, then I hope the finances work for the larger more urban school.
I would not characterize Denison as preppy, it is not the same kind of school Steve Carrell attended in the '80s, in large part because of the leadership of Pres. Adam Weinberg (though the big step of shutting down greek residential houses, came earlier, so that now greek life is non-residential).
Denison uses merit awards to create a more economically and ethnically, racially and socially diverse class. I’m a bit of a bore when it comes to Denison boosterism, as I’ve shared before my kid’s experience – varsity athlete, no greek life, diverse friend group. Denison really doesn’t have a single dominant type, sure there are fratty lax guys, but there are also banjo playing kids living at the Homestead – the organic farm housing option – as well as artists, performing artists etc. Denison’s career exploration and development structure is fantastic, really distinguishes it from other schools – the school intentionally connects the critical thinking skills of a liberal arts education with career development, with innovative programming to get students actively engaged with career exploration early, including Denison Edge.
I also worry about becoming a bore about Denison, but my son, who graduated in May as a psych major, had a wonderful four years there. I am not that familiar with CWRU, so I can’t really compare, but from my perspective, and my son’s perspective, Denison is a great place to be a college athlete. The support and facilities are first-rate, and the school makes sure the balance between academics and athletics stays on the academic side. Granville is small, but it’s a beautiful town with everything the students need for daily life. Columbus is less than a half hour away, and Newark/Heath are much closer. I agree with @Midwestmomofboys that Adam Weinberg’s leadership has been very important to Denison, as he has a clear vision for the school and brings a lot of energy. So while it might not be a perfect fit for someone who really wants to be at a larger, more urban school, but as an LAC, Denison is a terrific choice.
I’m just chiming in to note that both of these colleges are individually pretty popular in our HS, but I think it would be somewhat unusual for someone to apply to both. Meaning most Case applicants probably are not applying to Denison, and most Denison applicants probably are not applying to Case. Nothing is objectively wrong with either college, they just appeal to different people.
Of course being a recruited athlete can lead to unusual combinations, which is fine. But if money was not an issue, I would still think most of our kids would have a clear preference.
And unless I am wrong, your kid is in fact like that, and he prefers Case. So again, holding aside the money, I would normally think that was that–such a kid should go with their instincts and be excited about the opportunity to choose that college. And I would of course say the exact same thing if he preferred Denison, because those are both (to me) obviously valid choices for the right kid.
Both of these schools are attractive to kids seeking different kinds of experiences, and kids I know who have attended these schools have liked them. I don’t know kids who considered both, probably for that reason.
Denison, typical of more isolated LACs, will have most entertainment and activity on campus whereas Case gives kids easy access to entertainment and activities that are independent of the school by virtue of its urban location. As a result, Denison has more of its energy stay on campus and in its community whereas it gets dissipated at schools like Case where students can leave campus for dinner, music, etc. All the students I have known at Case (a small sample size!) joined frats, (including ones that seemed unlikely to do so), so I am guessing that this is one way students create that community and keep energy on campus.
As an athlete, the team is likely to be the strongest social circle – because of time involved, sometimes being out of sync with the rest of campus, travel, training trips, etc. It’s easy to see how they can influence the choice. As a parent of a kid whose suffered a sport-ending injury, I wouldn’t recommend choosing based on the team if he likes both (even if he feels more connected to one.) I’d base it on the kind of college experience he prefers.
I’d also suggest looking at course requirements for all students as well as for his planned major and then mapping out 4 years using the course catalog. Sometimes, some pretty big (and meaningful) differences may appear. This may also have an impact in terms of study abroad (if desired) and how coursework intersects with the sports season.
I don’t think you can go wrong with either. Personally, I like LACs because of the commitment to community and the experience that creates, and Denison is getting SO much right. But that doesn’t make it the right choice for everyone.
Thank you - so helpful!!
Local and student bluegrass players meet up weekly in the student union to “jam” during lunch. Definitely livens up the atmosphere!
There’s a bluegrass/American roots concentration within the music major, and an annual Bluegrass festival. Outside of the formal opportunities, there’s been a regular, weekly bluegrass band of students and non-students (lots of grey hair) that plays in the student union.