Dickinson v Trinity v Rhodes v DePauw v Marist

College Search & Selection
1

Hey!

So I’m struggling deciding between schools in relation to my financial situation. The schools that I like the most- Trinity and Dickinson, did not give me any money. I fell in love with Dickinson the second I stepped on campus. As an environmental science major, they offer extensive programs relating to that issue and are a community centered around sustainability.
However, they didn’t give me any money- even after submitting an appeal. My parents can pay for half of my college so the 64k a year price tag is a bit insane. That would leave me with 120 thousand dollars of debt after graduation. I understand its absurd, but I know I’d be beyond happy there and would be given amazing opportunities.

I also feel that Trinity (same price as Dickinson/same debt of 120k) would give me a better post-graduation job. Its name is better than Dickinson’s and has more prestige to their programs. Their environmental science program, however, is not a focus of the school’s. I feel like socially, it could be difficult to fit in at Trinity but if its the same price as Dickinson I might as well go with the better (possible) investment. I liked it, but it didn’t feel as right as Dickinson did.

Rhodes, Depauw and Marist all gave me scholarships. Rhodes gave me the most, topping at around 22k per year (meaning minus the tuition, its cost could be covered with what my parents can pay). However, Rhodes, like Trinity, also does not have a great environmental science program. It is also in a bad city and is far away from me as I live in MA. With nothing to pay back, Rhodes is a great option. I just don’t know if its the best investment for my career regardless of being debt free out of college. I also did not visit.

Depauw gave me around 15k and Marist gave me 8k. Both of these schools have lower tuitions but they are also less competitive. I did not like Marist and I have not visited DePauw. Can anyone speak for Depauw’s environmental science program and their other academic programs? How can I benefit by going to DePauw.

In closing: I WOULD LOVE ADVICE. What do you think I should do? Can anyone narrow these options down?

2

No to Dickinson. Sorry, but you don’t want to be in debt when you have other options on the table. Same goes for Trinity. It’s down to Rhodes, Depauw and Marist. Unfortunately, due to your financial situation, it’s best that you can go to a place that is affordable and you don’t have to rack up so much debt. Don’t go so much off the name and prestige…you need to look at the schools more broadly and not correlate “quality of the program” to “name”.

Glancing at their websites, it looks like Rhodes, Marist and Depauw have very good enviro-sci programs. Check out these links for more details on the individual department and investigate the research/courses/etc. (http://www.rhodes.edu/ess/) (http://www.depauw.edu/academics/departments-programs/geosciences/environmental-science-studies/) (http://www.marist.edu/science/environsci/) When you’re looking at the quality of the academics, you need to examine the individual department, the research that is currently going on, and the faculty.