Trying to decide between Denison and Bates. Have others made the choice? Are these peer schools? Probably Want to live in Midwest after college. Love both schools equally. Thanks.
My son is a recent graduate of Denison. He also considered Bates but preferred Denison. The two schools do have a somewhat similar vibe, with a good balance between academics, arts and athletics and a relatively laid-back feel. Bates is typically ranked a bit higher, although Denison is gaining more and more recognition, in part because of its president Adam Weinberg, who has very strong views on the value of a liberal arts education and puts those ideas into play at the school. You can find some of his writings on the school website, and that might be helpful to you. If you think you will want to live in the Midwest, Denison’s proximity to Columbus and its various programs with the city should also be of interest to you. Columbus is a great city that is experiencing a lot of growth and development, and Denison takes advantage of it. There is a new program called Denison Edge that is based in Columbus - you might want to take a look at that as well. Granville itself is a small and charming village with a New England feel, whereas Lewiston is more urban. My son preferred Granville, although Lewiston was also interesting. One big difference, I think, is the type of diversity you might find at the two schools. Unlike Bates, Denison awards a lot of merit scholarships, and they use those funds to attract a student body that is diverse in many different ways, including economically. Bates does not offer merit so may have more of what people here call a “donut hole” situation, where the student body is comprised of people who can pay full fare and people who qualify for financial aid, leaving out people who fall in the middle. Another difference is that Bates does not have fraternities or sororities, whereas Denison does, although the Greek students live in the dorms mixed in with everyone else. My son did not pledge, but roomed with others who did, and it was never an issue for him. I just mention it because it is a difference. I don’t really think you could go wrong with either of these schools.
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We went to accepted students events at Denison and were so impressed with it. The professors we spoke to were great, my D enjoyed the psychology class she attended, and they have cool programs like film and bluegrass music. As a parent, I appreciated the practicality of the Knowlton Center and Denison Edge and we heard from seniors who were moving on to graduate school and Fulbright Scholarships. I know 3 incoming freshmen (1 from Ohio, two from NJ). Great kids. https://edge.denison.edu/
My neighbor’s D attends Bates. My sense is it’s a more remote location and less flexible, i.e. could not do a minor in English or a double major with English… Good luck with your choice.
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Thanks so much! I should add that I got $100k merit over 4 years at Denison and no merit at bates. My parents said I can choose school but also said that they will apply $100k I save toward grad school if I go to Denison. I may want to do business or law school. Think I will major in Econ. Really a toss-up. I love both schools. Need to decide soon. Thanks!
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That’s because Bates gives need based aid only.
Since you want to stay in the Midwest after graduation, if we are voting, I vote for Denison.
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Not sure how this is even up for debate. Go to Denison and don’t think twice!! Congratulations
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There are a number of majors at Denison that would work well for someone thinking of business or law school - in addition to economics, you might want to look at Global Commerce, Data Analytics (which can be combined with many other subjects in a double major), and PPE. My son was heading in a different direction - he double majored in psychology and sports science and will be starting graduate school in Scotland next month - but he had friends in all of these programs who spoke highly of their experience. On the other hand, I’m a lawyer, and I tend to be very skeptical of “pre-law” programs - any major can work for law school so long as it requires thinking creatively and analytically. I believe the same is true for business, so I always encourage undergraduate students to study what really interests them rather than trying to be too pre-professional.
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Did you get off Bates WL?
There is no merit aid at Bates. Only financial aid. If all the money has been allocated for this year, that would probably explain why you weren’t offered FA.
I would say that Denison is a great school, but is probably regarded as a tier down from Bates, at least in terms of academics. My child is a 2020 grad. She has done very well for herself since graduating and the name is highly regarded.
Bates is in a small city/large town, with a real airport (PWM) 40 minutes away on a major fwy. It is not remote. Students can major and minor in almost anything and there is no core curriculum. It is very flexible. The concentrations are broad. My D took nearly every class she wanted to.
Do you want easy access to outdoor activities? Bates will be better for that. I’d say that Denison probably has a slightly more sporty vibe than Bates. These threads might help you get a better understanding of what Bates is like.
Bates is, imo, the better school, but I’m not sure it’s worth $100k more. Your biggest consideration is financial. If grad school is on the cards for sure, go to Denison. If you will definitely stay in the Midwest, Denison, but there will plenty of midwesterners at Bates.
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I just explained how a current student was not able to minor in English or do English as a double major, but I know you seem to disbelieve that. Academics | Bates College
Lewiston is not Columbus. Good luck to the OP and I think Denison is the better school, especially here!
My daughter is about to start at Bates and has looked into the curriculum pretty closely. I don’t know if there’s an English minor, but you can double-major. The only obstacle is that you have to do a thesis for every major, so most students choose not to do this. It’s possible that the English department discourages it. However, every student is required to do a major + minor or interdisciplinary concentration (or more than one of each), and a double major can satisfy that requirement. If there is no English minor, then there is definitely a way to put together an English-adjacent concentration. The curriculum is indeed extremely flexible. That said, Denison might be the better choice for this student, given the financial aid picture and the desire to network in the Midwest.
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My neighbor, who is a history major, was told she could not do English as a double major. I believe her. To me, discouragement is not the same as flexibility. Good luck to your D.
Well, then maybe the history department discourages it. But I have a good friend who teaches in the history department (one of my D’s prospective majors), and he said that double-majors are possible but less common than elsewhere because of the thesis requirement. So maybe there’s some specific conflict with the English major, but I’m not sure the advice your neighbor got is universal.
Thanks all for the great advice. Bates is awesome and I love everything about that school. But I’m sticking with Denison. Not just about money. It’s where I feel most at home. Great advice from everyone and I truly appreciate it. Thank you thank you thank you.
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Both schools are excellent, as witnessed by the loyalty shown by the parents whose kids have gone there. I can say that Denison was an excellent choice for my son, who had a wonderful four years there. For him, it was a better school, but it depends upon the individual student. If the OP is planning to start in September and is comfortable with Denison, I don’t see any super-compelling reason to change course at this moment, especially with the merit money factored in. Bates is ranked higher, it is true, but Denison right now is a pretty exciting place to be.
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My kid liked both schools a lot. I think for this poster, who wants to land in the Midwest, that Denison is the right choice. And the price tag, with merit, makes it an easier choice. It’s a great school, and its star is rising with its excellent leadership.
As for double majors, minors, etc… My personal feeling is “can I take the classes I want?” Many LACs want students to take classes in a lot of fields and discourage having “systems” that could discourage that. My kid loved history but his school (neither of these two) didn’t have it as a minor. I think he still took 8 history classes for no reason other than they interested him.
At many larger schools, the designation of major and minor impacts who can enroll in classes – at LACs, it rarely does.
Just food for thought as you put together your academic plan for 4 fabulous years!
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Congratulations on your decision! I think you’ve hit on an important point - that was exactly what my son said after we visited Denison, he felt at home. At the time I was puzzled, since I am originally from New Jersey and he grew up entirely in Japan, but after spending time at Denison and elsewhere in Ohio over the past few years, I understand why he felt that way (and still feels that way).
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It’s possible she was discouraged rather than advised it was not possible, but to me as a mom with 2 current college students that is pretty much the opposite of the “extreme flexibility” and encouragement with combined or double majors I have seen at other colleges. Anyone can see online that there is no minor in English - or other normally popular subjects like psychology, sociology, politics or economics for that matter, so no flexibility there. These are minors at Denison and many other colleges. Good luck!
Denison and Bates are academic peers. Great call with Denison- it’s a great LAC. Best of luck!
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Agree with others that both offer a great education. I would say there is a difference in reputation based on multiple sources that look at liberal arts colleges - we did a fair amount of research on Bates when my daughter was visiting colleges in New England and it seems to be consistently ranked in the top 25 liberal arts colleges, whether you are looking at US News, Niche, Money, Forbes, College Consensus, etc. I think it benefits from being part of the CBB (Colby-Bates-Bowdoin) consortium and also the NESCAC, plus has joint programs with some Ivies, like Dartmouth. It’s location 2 hours from Boston and in southern Maine interests a lot of students as well. But both are just becoming really selective - Bates was 12 percent last year and Denison was 17 percent (likely record high apps for both). We’ve heard students here on the West Coast talk about both schools and more and more kids are traveling across the country for small liberal arts colleges, which is great to see. If the goal is to stay in the Midwest, then Denison makes sense. My daughter did end up choosing Bates and loves it so far! Good luck!
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