<p>My D attended a Dartmouth Bound (URM recruiting) program this summer, fell in love with the school and wants to apply ED. In the meantime, WashU is flying her up next month and will be interviewing her for a full tuition (A. Rodriguez) scholarship + $2,500/year stipend. We would qualify for some financial aid at Dartmouth, but not that much. My heart wants to indulge my D's dream of attending an ivy league school in the lovely New England countryside, but my brain says it's crazy to turn down the kind of money that WashU is offering. It would not be such a dilemma if WashU were not such a great school! I would like to hear from parents who have faced a similar situation.</p>
<p>Dear Mom,</p>
<p>Same situation five year’s ago. My S had large scholarship offers from Wesleyan, Wash U., and a few others, but from early on in the process, he had his heart set on Dartmouth.<br>
Financially, we were in a situation where we had set aside his tuition regardless of where he went and dollars became a secondary decision. The “soft” factors where he, and we, favored with Dartmouth were: location (we are from the NE), undergrad school size (4,500 vs.7,200), true focus on educating the undergraduates, all classes are small, his field of study, available internships, the “D Plan” (quarters rather than semesters, this was awesome), numerous foreign study opportunities ( he went on two), availability of grants funding undergrad research, and most importantly - where would he be most happy - “the fit.”</p>
<p>After attending the Dartmouth Prospective Student weekend in April of his senior of H.S, He got off the plane wearing a Dartmouth tee shirt and we knew that he had made his decision.</p>
<p>If finances are driving your family decision, and you can save $150k+, then Wash U is a good choice. If money is not a major factor, then look to the soft factors. Both schools are in USN&WR’s Top-20 – you will not make a wrong decision either way.</p>
<p>This year, be sure to take a look at cuts the two schools might have made due to the global economy and loss of endowment funds. Some schools a making major cuts in class offering and facilities. </p>
<p>Our S. just graduated in June, well equipped to go out into the world having been offered and maximizing his educational opportunity. No regrets from this parent.</p>
<p>cheapomom: how does applying for the scholarship work? did your D submit some sort of separate or early application? I’m thinking about applying to WashU also so this is very useful information for me. Thanks!</p>
<p>ED seems to be a non-choice in your situation in any event, even if the WashU scholarship does not come through. I have to say my D fell in love with Dartmouth and after spending a weekend as an admitted student, there really was no other choice - and the 4 years she spent there lived beyond her expectations. But I know of students who have fallen exactly as much in love with WashU so until your D interviews and spends time on that campus, she can’t really make a choice. As you point out, WashU is such a great school and if it shows your daughter that much respect as to offer her the chance at a full scholarship, she might find herself very impressed. If you think you can financially afford to keep the door open until after the interview, that is great - better yet if you can compromise and have her not commit (apply ED) to any school, and wait until spring to weigh her options when she actually knows what they are.</p>
<p>RishiPittacus, this scholarship does require an application and normally the interviews are done after WashU receives the applications. In this case, my D received an invitation to fly in for an URM recruiting program and when she called to accept, she was informed that she would be interviewed for the scholarship.</p>
<p>Seniorpop, thanks for the in-depth comments!</p>
<p>Isn’t WashU in one of the worst cities in the country crime-wise?</p>
<p>I love Dartmouth, but in these times unless you’re very well off, or she wants to do something like head to Wall Street where Dartmouth would give her much better odds, I’d take a big scholarship at a school of WashU’s quality.</p>
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<p>The school is located in St. Louis County, but a very small part of the school is in the City of St. Louis. Much of the university is located in Clayton and University City both which are very safe areas. </p>
<p>Like some of the others who posted, my D recently finished 4 amazing years at Dartmouth. However, it is a totally different economic landscape. I agree with the others, that if you can, do not close the door to a full scholarship (especially if your D is looking at Grad/Professional school in the future). I agree with Ohmadre, that unless she has to apply ED to accept an athletic scholarship from WashU, try to keep your options so you can compare packages in during the RD round (if your D is a URM strong candidate for Dartmouth for ED, she will still be a stong candidate during the RD round). Contrary to popular belief, many strong URM candidates do not apply ED (unless combined with legacy and the school is a first choice or athletes who need to commit so coaches can get their roster together) because they know they are still going to be strong URM candidates in the RD round. </p>
<p>To WashU’s credit they know how to woo a student, but don’t put all of your eggs in getting the full scholarship basket as the competition for their scholarships even amonst URM students is fierce. I would guess given the present economy that there is going to be more competition for opportunities full scholarships. As others have stated both are great schools and educationally both are great choices.</p>
<p>Full scholarship with stipend to a fine institution is the fiscally responsible decision to make; other monies can be set aside for grad school. A fine college education will be received at Wash U with out ANY debt!!! A much better way to start life at 21-22 years old than saddled with interest accrued plus loan payments…</p>
<p>yes, your brain is correct – it’s crazy to turn down that kind of money. Of course, full rides are hard as heck to earn, so cast a wide net. Also consider Emory Scholars or Vandy; I’m sure others can suggest alternatives. In today’s economy, a Lit graduate from Dartmouth will find it just as difficult to find a job as from WashU (or even state schools).</p>
<p>My d was given the Moog scholarship at Wash U - but you won’t hear until April and the competition for these scholarships is strong. There are only about 6 scholarships in total for full scholarship and I think another 6 for half. Being invited in now is no guarantee that you will make the cut in the spring. If you make the next round you will be invited in with all the others who are semi finalists for a weekend in late March or April. Then you find out if you receive the scholarship or not.</p>
<p>The scholarship at Wash U was for full tuition (not room and board) and since we have high need (Pell Grant) Dartmouth was actually less expensive and she will graduate with no debt, whereas she would have had some debt at Wash U. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt also gave a full scholarship - and it was more generous than the Wash U one, but in the end, my daughter choose Dartmouth, she felt more at home there and liked the smaller size.</p>
<p>The good news is that both Wash U and Dartmouth are great schools. Hopefully the decision can be made on which school your D connects with rather than finances alone.</p>