F & M, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Connecticut College or American University

My son was accepted at the above schools, but is finding it difficult choosing between them. He is an avid World and Ancient History buff and a lover of languages. He is currently taking Latin, Spanish and Arabic. He would prefer a non-Greek (or less Greek) school with less partying and a friendly, serious approach to learning for learning sake. Any insight into the above schools would be appreciated. Thank you.

I’d immediately scratch Gettysburg because of the Greek and party scene. I can’t speak to the others as well but would think American might be the best option considering your son’s interests.

Thanks. I agree that Gettysburg is probably not the best fit. I was wondering what the culture is like mostly at F & M, Dickinson, Conn., and American.

F&M has a more serious academic tone than Gettysburg College. Conn College is very social.

Definitely F&M for the serious student! Conn College is social and preppy.

F&M also has a very active Greek scene.

I see F & M and Gettsyburg mentioned but nothing about Dickinson. Our daughter, who is a serious student, has the Ivy Blues, but has acceptances from F&M and Dickinson. She is a musician, but also wants to study Chinese and study abroad at some point . She also is considering GW and Rochester

Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson would be my picks for Ancient/World History, in probably that order. Both schools have some of the better course offerings in classics and archaeology among liberal arts colleges. Dickinson is also very good for international studies.

For Spanish and especially Arabic, that may be the case.

For Latin and Ancient History (and arguably World History as well), no. American offers neither Latin nor Greek, and its Ancient History offerings are virtually nonexistent.

The History and area studies programs at American focus almost exclusively on modern political history, and few classes touch on topics prior to the 19th/20th centuries. It lags behind virtually all of the other DC schools (Georgetown, GWU, CUA) in this regard.

My son visited Dickinson and loved the atmosphere, walking distance to town, and connections with the staff. Connecticut College has offered the max merit scholarship ,with Dickinson and F & M not offering any aid and Gburg and American offering some. He liked CT’s honor code and campus, but is concerned about the distance from our home near Phila. American is appealing to him as well. My son is very shy bookworm and is trying to find a balance between the schools that offer the most interesting History, Classics, Languages and possibly Environmental Science courses with a non-party school atmoshphere.

Dickinson seems like the best fit of these to me. Conn and Gettysburg don’t sound like a fit with his personality. American might be a good fit if domestic politics were a strong interest, but I don’t get that feeling from your post. My kid also was also a little underwhelmed at the quality of a class she attended there. In general I’d pick Dickinson over F&M for social sciences and languages. My kid definitely found a “friendly serious approach to learning for learning’s sake” group of peers at Dickinson. If you can swing the finances, that is what I’d pick. PM me if you want more info.

Less than a week to go before Decision Day and my son is not even close to a decision. Ugh! We visited Connecticut College and it feels like the best fit for my son because of the course offerings and honor code, but a 4 hour train ride may be too much for my homebody. I am afraid that he will choose Ursinus just because it is the closest and offered the most aid. He also likes American bc it is in DC and a faster train ride, but it does not seem to offer the best program since he really enjoys the Classics. Dickinson and F & M are still in the running though. Any thoughts on these schools would be appreciated.

We just visited Dickinson last week and my shy-ish homebody daughter loved it and we were both impressed. Don’t know about the classics department, but Dickinson is known for their international, global approach so I imagine it would be strong in languages. I had an impression that F&M has a good bit of Greek presence, maybe not as much as Gettysburg, but more than Dickinson.

I also agree that Dickinson is strong in everything your son is interested in. It has a wonderful foreign language department (my daughters have experience with 6 of the 13 languages they offer), has one of the best study abroad programs, is great in environmental science and sustainability (consistenly winning awards for being one of the greenest campuses in the nation) and has great history and classics departments. PM me if you have any further questions. I have a Senior and a Freshman there.

Do check Dickinson 's languages and study abroad programs. If memory serves me right, they do not allow you to do programs other than the ones they run, and that can rule out a lot of interesting options. Not necessarily a downside, but unusual for a LAC.

With that said, fabulous school with a very nice environment-really balanced.

^We visited Dickinson recently and that must have changed. The information session included multiple ways of studying abroad, with Dickinson’s own programs and others as well.

^ I see that on their website now. It says 70% of the students who study abroad do a Dickinson program. Good change, I think, for that handful of students who needed something D didn’t offer. With that said, it looks like there are some hoops to jump through and FA may not be portable to those programs. If this is of interest, do your homework to be sure you can do what you hope. My guess, based on the % of students who do their programs, is that the odds are in your favor. But not a sure thing!

All great choices, and I know kids who have gone to these schools. It comes down to personal preference, ability to switch programs within the school, finances.

The feel of the school is something your son has to evaluate. Does having a Greek scene bother him? Would being close to DC be a draw to him? Is money a factor?

I wouldn’t diss Ursinus either. I know some very happy, successful Ursinus grads who enjoyed their years there.

Dickinson hands down if financials aren’t an issue.

Thanks to all of you who have kindly offered your thoughts. We are off to Dickinson for another visit and possibly another look at Ursinus as well.

We visited Ursinus and Gettysburg. Yes, Gettysburg has Greek life, but we met so many great students who weren’t involved. Ursinus on the other hand - a big party vibe.