My daughter just got off the wait list at Bates after sending her deposit to Grinnell. Bates has given her a couple of days to commit/decide. Grinnell’s admission includes about a 50% off tuition scholarship. I doubt Bates will offer anything, because, well, NESCAC. That aside, anybody want to weigh in on this choice? We’re prepared to pay if it’s really her choice. She won’t thrive in an ultra-competitive environment. Wants to major in psychology. Runs XC though not a rock star. Loves outdoors, skiing,etc (I know Bates wins that one…) From Rocky Mountain West.
I personally think Grinnell is a better school. It’s not uber-competitive, but it’s known for its academic rigor, research opportunities afforded to undergraduates, and fantastic science programs. It also has a massive endowment which provides lots of opportunities for students; bates has, comparatively, always had a problem with raising a sufficient endowment. Given that Grinnell is offering her money, I think it’s a no brainer. If she wants to do outdoorsy and skiing stuff, she can always take a year abroad in Switzerland! I think Grinnell is fairly good with study abroad stuff.
Agreed, Grinnell with money would be a “no brainer” in our house. Fantastic research resources, collaborative student body, lots of different types of kids, not homogenous.
I could see choosing Bates under many circumstances.
However your description of your daughter’s preferences seems to point to Grinnell. Skiing wouldn’t be a day trip like Maine but Grinnell isn’t going to be confused with an urban environment anytime soon. Lol.
It’s a great school and seems to produce a lot of successful and varied graduates.
If your D had gotten into both schools initially - did she have a clear favorite then? Just curious if her feelings have changed because if the circumstances of her acceptances to both.
I love Bates and my daughter attends, but I would have sent her to Grinnell in a heartbeat for 50% off tuition. Grinnell is a great school.
OTOH, if you really don’t mind paying the extra money, she won’t regret choosing Bates. IMO, Bates is very hot right now (acceptance rate this year was just below 12%) and it’s East Coast location makes it easy for students to find internships, research positions, and jobs. Your D has great choices, best of luck.
ETA: Bates is not competitive. Psych is excellent.
Per student, Grinnell has more resources and expenditure than Bates. Faculty is extremely committed. Very well respected in the Midwest and a lot of kids end up with great internships and
jobs in the Chicago area.
Bates wins on location but I’d choose Grinnell given your family’s circumstances. Bates doesn’t give merit aid so unless you qualify for FA, you’re not going to get a tuition break.
1/2 price Grinnell over Bates would be my choice. That tuition savings would buy a lot of ski trips. 
Another vote for Grinnell. My son will be graduating this month from Grinnell with a double major in psychology and economics. He was able to study abroad and do psych research. He has been amditted to a fully funded PhD with a stipend.
Congratulations on that @mom24boys!
I love all the Maine schools but here’s another vote for Grinnell with your circumstances. They are on a par with each other in pretty much every aspect but one costs half as much? No-brainer.
I love Bates but I agree with the others. Unless there’s a very compelling reason to choose Bates the $100,000 she’d save by going to Grinnell would make the decision in my book.
As @doschicos mentioned the money you save going to Grinnell can buy some very nice ski trips. Both great choices but I would stick with Grinnell.
Next year Grinnell will have an added bonus - being in Iowa, where all the major presidential candidates will be coming through!
This is an easy, clear-cut decision based on OP’s original post in this thread. There is nothing to indicate that Bates should be chosen. Grinnell College is the better choice. Why pay more for less ? (For example, Grinnell College is higher ranked than Bates & Grinnell College has a much larger endowment than Bates.)
I love Grinnell and our son also received the 1/2 off tuition scholarship but has chosen to go to Bowdoin full-price. Has your D visited both schools? Grinnell is warm and inviting but S felt the kids leaned a little more nerdy (in a good way though!) than some of his other choices. I guess it depends on your financial situation and if your D really felt a connection when visiting each school. Grinnell seemed like it should have been the clear winner for us, $100k less over four years, the only school on his list within a 4 hour drive, and a really incredible school in so many ways. He just wasn’t feeling it and, after visiting Bowdoin, felt very strongly that he found his college home. He even arranged to stay an extra night on campus because he wanted to stay longer. If your D did not have a very strong preference for Bates, I would definitely stick with Grinnell.
@homerdog: I think that there are some notable differences between Bates College & Bowdoin College. This seems to be reflected by the number of applications each of these schools receive even though both schools have about 1800 students.
Apps received for the same year: Bates College received 5,316 while Bowdoin College received 7,251 during the same application cycle–over 36% more applications.
Bowdoin College has a superior location.
@homerdog: If the decision was between Bates College full pay & Grinnell College with a 50% scholarship, what would be your family’s choice ?
@Publisher We never visited Bates so I can’t say for sure but my gut says Grinnell. He could have found his people for sure. If S19’s revisit to Bowdoin didn’t make it crystal clear that it was the place for him, Grinnell would have stayed in the running…but my husband went on that trip with him and saw first hand how Bowdoin was a really great fit for S19. He accompanied him to both Grinnell and Bowdoin and so was able to compare. That’s why I was asking the OP if his D has visited both schools.
Grinell. However the candidates coming through Iowa wouldn’t be on my list for reasons to attend. lol.
I know but my point was that visiting is what can make the call on whether to choose one school or another. And one of our schools in contention at the end was Grinnell. Bates and Grinnell are comparable academically so really the only way to make a decision is to be on campus and access the fit. I used our experience as an example.