<p>Hello, I have been granted an extension to choose one of these colleges.
I am not sure which one I should attend as they both seem to offer what I want.</p>
<p>So, Earlham College or Lewis & Clark College?</p>
<p>Which would be better in the long run? Earlham seems to have good graduate school placement, as does Lewis & Clark.</p>
<p>I don't mind living in a rural area, or a big city so location isn't a problem. Aid is almost similar.</p>
<p>HELP! :)</p>
<p>Bump,bump,bump</p>
<p>What do you mean you “have been granted an extension to choose one of these colleges”? I see from your other posts that you are a transfer applicant. Do you mean you have been granted an extension to apply? What are you looking for in a school? What can you afford? What do you mean the aid is similar?</p>
<p>This is not a decision that we can make for you. If you like both equally, if the costs are similar, etc. pick one and you will likely be happy with your choice. If all else fails, flip a coin :)</p>
<p>Well one had a deadline to make a choice, but it has been changed to next friday.</p>
<p>The aid is different within $2,000. I guess I will just do the flip a coin thing at this time haha.</p>
<p>Things to think about: your major, why you want to transfer. How do opportunities compare? I think you will find that the two schools differ in general political climate among the students. Indiana (and Earlham) are more conservative than Portland (and L&C).</p>
<p>That does make sense. But I visited both and the students seem to be the same at both, with the exception of more athletes at Earlham, but I am not sure now. I didn’t know it would be this hard!</p>
<p>I wanted to get out of home, the west coast, and Earlham has more majors than LC.</p>
<p>My daughter is a student at Earlham, and you should know that even though Indiana is a more conservative state, the student body at Earlham is very liberal. I know nothing about Lewis & Clark, but Earlham is definitely left-leaning. Earlham will provide a great education, with excellent professors. Athletics are not that big at Earlham - my daughter, tells me that soccer is more popular than football, but maybe that’s just her. She loves Earlham and works hard there, but also has a lot of fun. And because Earlham has a lot of international students, she has made friends from all over the world.</p>
<p>Funny that you mention that you “know nothing about Lewis & Clark” because out of the two schools I have found out more about LC than Earlham.</p>
<p>Anyway, does your daughter have any complaints. At this point I am beginning to rethink the whole Indiana thing as a whole seeing as it is VERY rural. Does she have a car on campus? Does she find it easy to leave campus to get a “break”.</p>
<p>How rigorous are the classes, exactly?</p>
<p>My son is a student at Earlham also and I fully agree with Cherry pi mom. the kids are extremely left oriented, the school is also very community oriented. It was started by Quakers and everyone, professors and all, are on a first name basis. Sports are not a big part of the school at all. Their teams really are not good and even their fight song is kind of quirky (“We are the Earlham Quakers, our hearts are filled with rage. We are the Earlham Quakers, they puts us in a cage. We are the Earlham Quakers, we like to kick and ruck. We are the Earlham Quakers, and we don’t give a- Fight, Fight, Inner Light! Kill, Quakers, Kill! Knock 'em down, Beat 'em senseless! Tell me, do we have consensus?”) As for entertainment, many are content to stay on campus and do what they want or if you know people with cars you can go anywhere. They also run special shuttle trips too. Academically they are very strong and also it depends on what you’re majoring in. My son is in biology and they are one of the 10 or 15 schools in the country where PHD students got their undergraduate degrees. If you want a very friendly, very accepting community with good academics it would be a good fit! You really have to think about what you really want and where you’d be the most comfortable.</p>
<p>Thanks! Yeah, I do hear great things about it in the Graduate world. I have been doing nothing but research and they both seem so similar!</p>
<p>I am just concerned that Earlham would be its own bubble, with everyone on campus being liberal but the area being conservative and clashing views. What can anyone say about Richmond in general? I guess the lack of distractions would increase my studying hours. haha</p>
<p>In case you haven’t decided yet, or for others who might have similar questions:</p>
<p>My D is also at Earlham, and I concur with what Cherry pi mom and utzybuzzy have said.</p>
<p>Regarding Earlham’s relationship with Richmond, it’s actually pretty good despite the demographic and political differences. Earlham students do a lot of “giving back” to the community; i.e., volunteer work. The students do an annual variety show on campus which benefits the local battered women’s shelter. The beautiful Wellness Center is open to the community (they pay, students do not), as are cultural events such as lectures and concerts. And of course, Earlham employs Richmond residents. I don’t sense that there’s alot of social interaction between the two groups, but the College strives to be a good neighbor.</p>
<p>Earlham makes an effort to provide on-campus activities and entertainment including concerts by both students and outside artists, speakers, plays, and dance shows. D has attended such events as slam poetry readings, the annual air-guitar contest, springfest (including a bouncy castle!), and Late Night Breakfast (during finals). There is an extensive list of student clubs and organizations, everything from chess to social causes to yoga.</p>
<p>As far as off-campus entertainment, it’s true that Richmond isn’t exactly Big City Bright Lights material. D and her friends have found a couple of restaurants they like, the bowling alley, and the legendary Square Donuts. But to be honest, she mostly leaves campus just for shopping; life really does center on the campus. For students who need to feel the urban vibe occasionally, Indianapolis, Cincinnatti and Dayton are all within striking distance for a day in the city.</p>
<p>Thanks! A decision is yet to be made, but it’s close. I am just waiting to hear from a couple others and then I will know for sure. I think I can handle Richmond, and the people do seem great.</p>
<p>Thanks for everything! And good luck to all your children in college.</p>