<p>"My dad says Brown because of the prestige. "
then he needs to kick in an help pay for it!
I think that you would LOVE Pomona, as it has all that you want in a college and just as well know, respected and “prestigious” among the top LAC’s as Brown is among the “Ivy’s”</p>
<p>If you want grad schools to recognize the quality of your undergraduate education, definitely Carleton makes the list. Is there anything else you’re looking for in a LAC that might help us comment more on Carleton vs Macalester vs Kenyon vs Pomona?</p>
<p>@thehangingtree I would like to be able to stand out, such as in leadership positions within organizations on campus. I would also like to be around accepting, welcoming people. And professors with whom I will be able to build good relationships (who will eventually write excellent recommendation letters for law school apps) are also extremely important. </p>
<p>Then Pomona is the place to go! Do you realize that you will have the opportunity there to take classes at the other 4 colleges in the Claremont College consortium? There are over 5000 happy, hardworking students in the town of Claremont, flip flops and shorts are worn year round , and the beach is only 30 min away! You will have the full attention of profs there and Pomona is VERY well known in the academic community. </p>
<p>Oops, didn’t finish my thought: Talking about money is hard – there’s never enough – but it’s better to get it over and settled earlier rather than later. You deserve a black and white answer from your parents so that you can make an informed decision.</p>
<p>i think Georgetown needs to get some love here…its an amazing school…with a great diversity of students while still feeling small…and I consider it the most prestigious of all the colleges you listed (my own rankings :)</p>
<p>also, congrats kid! You have an amazing list of acceptances. </p>
<p>Carleton, Kenyon, and Macalester are all very close to the cost of Michigan (I assume that the costs given do NOT include loans). All are small amazingly exceptional colleges with lots of liberal students. Choose the one you like the most.</p>
<p>NOTE: my personal bias is toward Rice, even though I love Kenyon too (my dad is a grad).
The “isolation” of Kenyon is nothing like the isolation of an ordinary small town. Kenyon students are smart, interesting and down to earth. With internet access, Kenyon is less isolated than ever. It is more like going with your best friends to the best summer camp ever.</p>
<p>I’d choose Pomona. It’s tied with Brown for your most prestigious option (since that’s important to you), and their graduates do exceedingly well in placing in the top law schools in the country. I think our LSAT average was the 2nd highest in the country, after Harvard, at 164. It’s in a bucolic setting, but with the resources and opportunities of the 2nd largest metropolitan area in the country, and I think you should head out to the coasts to experience a new setting. If you have diverse academic and extracurricular interests, the Claremont consortium greatly adds to the repertoire of course offerings and residential experiences, with nearly 2500 classes and thousands of events annually. CMC and Pomona have phenomenal politics departments. I think Pomona would be worth the extra 8K in loans a year compared to Kenyon, your cheapest option, but your priorities and mines obviously differ. </p>
<p>I’d say Pomona and Macalester have the atmosphere, prestige, and not-isolated feel that you wish for (although campus life tends to be excellent at rural LACs because there’s not city to reply upon). However you need a firm answer from your parents wrt finances.</p>
<p>It is not responsible to make financial decisions without the full picture. Not hints. You should very plainly state that to your parents. Can you please tell if these amounts are before any student loan? So you can cover those costs with student loan for 5,500 the first year or not. You parents need to plainly state if they can pay upfront or will take a private loan (why not parent plus?) for the excess for each college each year. Tell your father that Brown, Rice, Gtown and Pomona are out because you don’t need to graduate with 32k+ extra loans over your other choices, especially if you want law school and the massive debt you will have to take on. Law school and grad school will generally not care where you went for undergraduate when you have this level of colleges to choose from it isn’t like you have a crappy option…</p>
<p>Now in the reasonable debt category you have Kenyon, Mac, Carleton and Michigan. Those are your real choices without family help, and you will still need help to float a bit of the funds, until any summer earnings can cover it. But you want to be open to internships and research positions to enhance your resume.</p>
<p>I urged a family friend’s daughter not to go to law school recently because of the dismal outlook. She did go but dropped out after a year when she realized she didn’t have the personality for it. She now has 60k in debt and is working as a paralegal. At least her parents paid for her undergrad degree. I can’t see someone who is intimidated to go to Michigan Honors should think twice about being able to get through law school, just my personal story for your consideration.</p>
<p>Letters of rec for law school won’t make much difference. I don’t even remember if law school required rec letters. Grades and LSAT. Esp. LSAT. </p>
<p>The way I think about your choices is to first consider “law school” as “only” a possible option for post graduations. So much can happen in four years. Your interests are likely to evolve. So I recommend that you pick the undergraduate college based strictly on its own merits. You have many good options.</p>
<p>I would order your choices as: Brown, Georgetown, Rice and Pomona. You’ll be able to explore various career options at each of these colleges. And should you decide to follow-up with a law degree, they will all prepare you well. Each of these colleges has a vibrant community, both within the college and outside. The price difference between them is not high, ranging from 16K to 24K. Pick the college based on your comfort level with the school, the student body, and the ambiance of the greater community. Pomona because of its location and size, and the spread-out nature of the greater Los Angeles area, is very different from the other colleges. So ideally you’ll find a way to visit should you lean on picking it. The investment for a visit (probably around $1200) is small considering the consequences of picking wrong.</p>
<p>@alexdbgl – I have a feeling that a lot of people are recommending you go to colleges that are famous but probably won’t give you the things you wanted in your post. Unless you’re incredibly proactive, I don’t think you can stand out as much as you want or have so many good professor-student relations at a large school as opposed to at a LAC. I can’t speak for Pomona because I don’t go there (although I applied) but I do go to Carleton so I’ll just try to address what you said you want in a school --</p>
<p>Carleton’s a small school so of course, you’re going to be able to stand out if you want. The great thing about Carleton though is that everyone has his/her own interests so that people stand out in really unique ways. Some people stand out as really concerned about the environment and lead SOPE (Students Organized for the Protection of the Environment) while others stand out because they organize religious services for their own religion or work as a Chaplain’s Associate so they participate in all kinds of events. Some people stand out because they do a lot of lab work or because they’re great at Ultimate Frisbee. One of the things I love about Carleton is that students here participate in activities that they’re passionate about and don’t do things just so they can put stuff on a resume. I’ve made really great friends at Carleton because everyone here is so interesting and awesome. Although Admissions calls us students “quirky,” I like to say that we’re not quirky but just accepting and appreciative of everyone’s talents. You’ll find the nicest people here who are willing to stay up with you until 3AM to talk with you about life problems or help you with homework or just chat about philosophy. It’s great.</p>
<p>Regarding professors – I don’t know how much you care about ratings, but Carleton’s #1 for devotion for undergraduate teaching among LACs and it’s actually so true. All of the professors I have had are really willing to talk with students and make sure that everyone can succeed. Classes here are challenging of course, but professors try to make their topics interesting. Some of my professors have been so great in sharing their passion for their discipline that I’ve seriously entertained majoring in their department. Some people have dinner at their professors’ houses from time to time or babysit their kids. If you want a school with dedicated profs, consider Carleton.</p>
<p>Anyways, I think $12K/year for Carleton is such a steal considering how amazing it is here (I like to refer to it as my type of Disneyland where everyone’s so happy and I can obviously wax lyrical about this place even when I still have homework to do…as I do now). If you’re concerned about rural isolation, I assure you that Carleton isn’t boring. There’re too many things to do on campus and I’m never bored here (I’m from a big city full of good food and entertainment btw).</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any questions about Carleton! Although I obviously would love if you chose Carleton, it’s ultimately your choice and I’m sure you’ll be happy at any school you choose.</p>