Dickinson College vs. Gettysburg College

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, I'm a high school senior who has about a month and a half to decide between these to great institutions. I've visited both and love both campuses, but am leaning towards D because of its updated facilities. However, I can't ignore the great opportunities that are provided through G's Eisenhower Institute. I know both of these colleges are practically the same in their academic qualities, but I'd like to know which would better suit a person planning on being a Political Science major with maybe a public policy double major. Thank You for your responses and insight. </p>

<p>P.s: both gave the exact same financial aid</p>

2

<p>What do you mean by “exact same financial aid”? Would your final cost of attendance including all books, materials, and transportation be the same? Are either of them truly affordable with those aid packages? Re-run your numbers here:</p>

<p>[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid)</p>

<p>If the money is workable for either, it really, truly is OK to pick the place that you like better because, well, you just like it better.</p>

3

<p>Do you think you will study abroad during your time at school? My son checked out both schools, and Dickinson came out ahead - due in no small part to their well-established and pretty well-regarded study abroad program.</p>

<p>If the two are close, this might be a tie-breaker for you.</p>

4

<p>Congratulations! I looked at Dickinson with my D and we liked the school a lot. I’d suggest you try to visit the schools one more time maybe at accepted students day or see if it is possible to do an overnight visit or shadow a student for a day (which should include attending a few classes, eating in the cafeteria, meeting other students etc). You will look at the school with different eyes now that you are in and going there is a real possibility.</p>

5

<p>Armanifife, my D who graduated last spring had exactly that major combination. She had a great experience at Dickinson. She had planned to apply to Gettsyburg as well, but got into Dickinson in their EA round with a good merit scholarship. She knew she preferred Dickinson, so didn’t actually put the Gettysburg app in. Here are some things she liked about Dickinson:

  • The Washington Semester worked out very well for her. She got an internship at the State Department, which was a wonderful experience. She also had a summer internship in DC with a senator, but she dug that up on her own (but being in DC the semester before made it tons easier to look for that summer internship and housing).
  • She loved her professors, and also got a lot of opportunities to meet visiting speakers, attend dinners & lectures, etc. on campus. She also did a really challenging senior honors thesis, and felt like her professors both supported and stretched her in the process. She now feels very confident that she is prepared for graduate school after that experience. Her profs also gave her very good recommendations.
  • The Army War College in Carlise had some internships during the school year, so she did one of those for a semester. The Dickinson career office helped her find that internship.
  • She (and I agree) thinks the Dickinson campus is prettier. We were just at Gettysburg for a funeral in the college chapel a few weeks ago (relative who used to work at Gettysburg). Gettysburg is certainly a nice campus, but that limestone look at Dickinson and the Dickinson library are great.
  • She was also able to study abroad for a semester. That is definitely one of Dickinson’s strengths. She happened to want to study in a country where they did not have a program, but she had studied the language for eight years prior to college. Dickinson’s study abroad office worked closely with her, and she was able to directly enroll in a foreign university and bring all the credits back to Dickinson with no problem.</p>
6

<p>Happymomof1: Yes, considering everything I have practically received the exact same financial aid (a couple hundred dollars difference), which means my decision won’t hinge on finances. </p>

<p>bebopdeluxe: Yes, I do plan on studying abroad, and one of the things I did really like about Dickinson was its commitment to a global education. As I previously stated though I’m afraid I’d be missing the great leadership opportunities/political activism that Gettysburg directly provides through the Eisenhower Institute unlike Dickinson’s which I think indirectly happens through student initiative (hopefully that’s an accurate assessment). </p>

<p>happy1: I visited Dickinson on their President’s Day Accepted Students Event and have scheduled a day visit to Gettysburg in the next few weeks with a class preview and personal meeting with a professor. </p>

<p>intparent: That’s amazing! I’m happy everything worked for her. I’ve also heard good things about the Washington Semester, which Gettysburg also provides. Do you think you could give me more info on Dickinson’s political activism or from what you’ve heard from your D? I understand that Dickinson is more liberal and Gettysburg more conservative, which doesn’t matter to me…I just want to know that students are engaged in that area.</p>

7

<p>My D was VP of the college Democrats one year, which was a very active group on campus. There is also a college Republican’s club, so you can take your pick. :slight_smile: I know the Dems club was quite large, and they did a lot of door knocks, campus events, etc. I know they had some events where the students in a specific major went to DC and met with alumni in their area of study as well. My D was never short on activities on campus related to her interest or experiences off campus that helped her build her experiences and resume. She did get a job after graduation (through a Dickinson alumni connection), so that is also a plus! </p>

<p>I do think sometimes students over estimate how much help an “on campus” center or program is going to help them. For example, you are still going to have to find your own internships in the political/policy world at either college (even if you got an internship at the Eisenhower Center itself, is that really an internship that helps you make connections and learn about possible careers in politics & public policy)?</p>

8

<p>ArmaniFife, </p>

<p>First, congratulations on your acceptance to Gettysburg and Dickinson; you should be proud of your accomplishment and excited for the next four years ahead. </p>

<p>I am currently a senior political science major at Gettysburg, and I think I can address your interests. </p>

<p>Unlike you, I came to Gettysburg completely unsure of what I wanted to study – I thought it would be sports psychology, to be honest. During first-year orientation I met Professor Shirley Anne Warshaw in the political science department, and it changed my life.</p>

<p>She talked to me about joining her first-year seminar on the presidency. I figured I would step outside of my comfort zone, so I joined. I loved the class; it was the best decision I ever made. A quick side note: First-year seminars are optional for first-year students at Gettysburg, but they’re an awesome way to study a topic you’re interested and get to meet a mentor early on in your college career. </p>

<p>If you choose to take a FY seminar course, you live on a floor with people in your class. It was a great way for me to bond with people who shared a serious interest in the topic which I quickly developed a passion for: political science and current affairs. </p>

<p>Midway through freshman year, Dr. Warshaw asked me to be a member of her research team for her upcoming book about the White House, published by CQ Press. The book will be published in a few weeks. Working with an expert on the presidency on a book was one of the coolest experiences of my life. </p>

<p>This year I am an Eisenhower Institute undergraduate fellow on campus, as well. There are eight of us, and we spent the year planning exciting events about the 2012 election – we each picked a topic of interest to us, reached out to speakers and brought them to Gettysburg for a campus-wide event. My interest is in media and politics. I helped plan a lecture with Richard Benedetto, USA Today’s former White House correspondent. </p>

<p>Two weeks ago, the EI fellows went to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston to do original research in the presidential papers. We were reading about the Cuban Missile Crisis in class, and a few weeks later holding the original documents and memos that JFK held in 1962. </p>

<p>The Eisenhower Institute is one of Gettysburg’s gems. I have been involved with EI since sophomore year. I participated in the Inside Politics program my sophomore year. Kasey Pipes, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, leads a group of students each semester on a trip to Washington to meet with professionals working in media, policy, and on Capitol Hill. </p>

<p>I loved the experience so much that I decided to do the Washington Semester Program at American University during the fall semester of my junior year. I got to intern at NBC on The Chris Matthews Show. Without a doubt the most exciting experience of my life – right when the presidential election was heating up. I met the executive producer at an event held on campus. </p>

<p>I apologize for the long answer, but I am passionate about all the programs Gettysburg had to offer for someone interested in political science and public policy. We are a small school, but this place will be your learning lab. The public policy program is new on campus, and I think that is great because it allows students a lot of leeway to pursue research projects in a topic that interests them; that freedom, however, is also coupled with guidance and support from your adviser and professors. </p>

<p>I hope you will consider coming to Get Acquainted Day on Sat. April 20th. If you are at all interested, please send me a message because I would love to give you a personal tour of campus, share my experiences, and hear about what public policy topics excite you. </p>

<p>I would also be happy to introduce you to some of my friends in PoliSci/Public policy who have gone abroad and done some interesting research projects with their professors. </p>

<p>Regardless of which school you choose, I wish you all the best. </p>

<p>And again, Congratulations!</p>

9

<p>Hi ArmaniFife,</p>

<p>I want to echo what others have said: you should be proud of your acceptance to both Gettysburg and Dickinson. I remember the long, often frustrating college admissions process - I was in the thick of it three years ago, around this time - and can tell you without any hesitation that the end result is incredibly satisfying. You will end up attending a college that embraces your passions and contributions – in and out of the classroom. I’m not saying you should take the decision lightly; it’s certainly a hard one. As a junior at Dickinson double-majoring in History and Political Science, I want to offer you some information that might help with your decision. </p>

<p>When I considered Dickinson as a high school student, I was struck by its political science department. Dickinson has 14 full-time faculty teaching political science, with a breadth and depth of experience and interest that is still striking to me. We have, for example, a professor who teaches legal theory and world legal systems, a professor who teaches political theory and theories of just war, a professor who is a renowned expert on national security, and a professor who is working on a major research paper analyzing the relationship between religious rhetoric and military/defense policy. I’m not just reading from the department webpage, either – these are people with whom I have taken classes and developed relationships. Even knowing what I knew about liberal arts colleges, I never expected to develop so many meaningful personal relationships with professors. It has enhanced my experience here immeasurably. </p>

<p>If you’re like me, your passion for political science is exceeded only by your passion for politics and policy. Here, my Dickinson experience has again been very positive. The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and the Student Senate Public Affairs Committee both bring speakers to campus nearly every week to speak about issues ranging from environmental policy and the politics of entertainment companies to affirmative action and gun control. These speakers, all of whom are highly-regarded experts in their respective fields, don’t just lecture either. They interact with students over lunch or dinner, and often in classes as well. As a student here, I’ve been able to meet historian David McCullough, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, CIA Director David Petraeus, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, and many others. There’s something very cool about meeting and talking with people you read about in classes. </p>

<p>The last thing I want to tell you about now (though I’d like to talk more over email, especially if you’re planning a trip to Dickinson) is my Public Service Fellowship. Dickinson was the first college chartered after the Constitution was ratified, and we have a long and distinguished record of public service stretching from the 18th century to the 21st. In 2009, before I arrived on campus, I was awarded the College’s first Public Service Fellowship - an honor that was bestowed upon me for a gap year I took after high school. During my gap year, I helped design programming for low-income children in housing projects, started a youth advisory council that reported to the mayor of Portland, Maine, and hosted my state’s first conference on youth development. I’m so proud of the work that I did, and am so happy that Dickinson recognized and rewarded it. </p>

<p>I don’t want to inundate you with any more information, though, until I learn more about you and what your interests in politics and policy are. I hope we can talk more via email (or in-person, on campus!) about your potential place at Dickinson. Just for whatever it’s worth, I am also a member of the mock trial team, vice president of the student body, president of Students for Barack Obama, and a member of history and political science majors committees. I’m happy to answer questions you have that relate to any of those things as well. </p>

<p>Will</p>

10

<p>Gettysburg and Dickinson are so similar that you really can’t go wrong just choosing the one you feel most comfortable at. I loved Gettysburg when I visited it with my D. It’s a great school.</p>

11

<p>Both have somewhat same number of students but Gettysburg has a bigger campus. Dickinson is non religious whereas Gettysburg is. I guess those are two ways to differentiate.</p>

12

<p>Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I have made my final decision; I will be attending…DICKINSON! After much deliberation, I just felt like Dickinson matched up more with my goals than Gettysburg did. Thank you so much for input.</p>

13

<p>Fantastic news! Please do message me about getting together next time you’re on campus!</p>

14

<p>Very excited for you!</p>