Hi all,
The choice will ultimately be my D27’s, but I’d appreciate the insights of this wise community!
Grinnell with a COA at 27k vs. Lawrence U with COA at 12k. We can make both happen, but is Grinnell’s prestige/connections/endowment worth the extra 15k per year? Int’l relations/math major. Grad school/law school probably in her future.
We have visited both schools, daughter likes both a lot and is knowledgeable about what each offers in terms of educational opportunities. Thanks!!
For the major and future plans, no.
On paper, since you can afford both, absolutely.
Hi, thank you for your input! What do you mean by “better on paper” if not better for education and career? Do u mean bragging rights? Thanks for clarifying. 
Grinnell is known. In my opinion, Lawrence isn’t.
In the world of academia, if it happens, I don’t think it matters. So if you go to law school, a great LSAT will matter. Maybe work experience will matter. Grinnell vs. Lawrence vs. I never heard of it won’t matter.
For career and I think it’s up to the kid moreso than the college - especially in an area like IR, Grinnell is at least a known entity. If it’s math, it’s a great major and Grinnel is a great name.
Curriculum wise - Grinnell is open. Lawrence has distribution requirements - not sure how inflexible - does that matter.
I hate rankings - but if you went by US News - one is #15 and one is #63. On the flip side, #63 is cheaper and that matters.
Why - if I knew grad school - especially law - was it - I’d save the dough if you like them both. But that’s me.
100% go with fit first, especially with Grinnell. It is it’s own (fairly isolated) world and if she isn’t excited to be there now, in a couple of years it is going to claustrophobic (study abroad helps!).
Second, “IR, maybe Law school” to me signals a student who doesn’t have a focus yet- which is just fine! LACs are great for that- but IF IR shows signs of being a serious interest, know that grad school will be necessary, but less likely to be Law school. For example, the various Masters programs at Georgetown’s SFS are generally accepted as the top programs for IR (you’ll find the rest of the heavy hitters in that field here: The Best International Relations Master’s Programs – Foreign Policy).
IRL, however (as with medicine!) most students who start out saying ‘IR’ or ‘Law’ find a different path once they hit college- and it will be interesting to see what way the math takes her. If the math side steps up, she may find herself going completely different directions- and she should look for summer internships that will let her explore those paths (the place I know that IR & math overlap is security; for example, the NSA has summer internships for math majors, and has been known to send students internationally).
That’s the long way around of saying I wouldn’t worry too much about the differences in prestige, connections or endowment between them: she can find ways to get anyplace from either of them. The key is to get to know profs, and to start looking for summer internship opportunities before the winter break.
Thank you all for your insights. She originally really wanted the open curriculum so that might become a big factor. She seems most concerned with the cost, which is great but I agree that fit is #2 if importance. I appreciate the link to IR grad schools. DD has added offers at Kenyon and Lafayette to her list of options, making the choices even harder!
Follow the $$ if they’re not close. Kenyon and Lafayette are wonderful but not at the expense of big $.
Thanks tsbna44. Kenyon gave 25k merit and basically fully paid for with grants. We just have to consider possibility of losing grants in future due to financial changes.
So one year is paid but other years May have cost due to income changes ?
But how much are the others? One year free is still a big deal ahd $25k merit is sweet.
Others, like Grinnell, gave around 34k merit, but less in grants.
I agree with you, though, tsbna44. Getting through the first year paying almost nothing is a great start, whatever happens after.
I meant - what is the total cost of attendance of each - the actual $$ given matter less than the actual cost - so what would you pay for:
Kenyon
Grinnell
Lawrence
Lafayette
Using tuition + room/board minus free money (don’t include loans)
Kenyon $200
Lafayette ~$25,000
Grinnell $28,000
Lawrence $12,000
Wooster $16,000
The above are coa with the grants and merit.
Back in 2020, my daughter chose Kenyon over Grinnell, although the cost difference was relatively small ($5K more per year at Grinnell). She liked them both, but Kenyon seemed to be a little better fit for her interests at the time (and a little cheaper). My husband and I are both academics, and we consider them peer schools and didn’t worry about the ranking. We have a friend who is a professor at Grinnell and she confirmed that they view Kenyon as a peer school. Our daughter is super happy at Kenyon and would have also been very happy at Grinnell most likely. All these LACs are more similar than different.
Also, don’t forget that financial aid is calculated based on your tax returns, so from two years prior. So, even if your financial situation changes dramatically in the future, your child might be almost done with college by the time the change impacts need-based aid.
So assuming this doesn’t hold for years 2 through 4, you’re still about $9400 a year ($28K*3) ahead going to Kenyon.
The delta is less with Lawrence (about $4k a year) and Wooster (about $5.3K a year).
Because Kenyon is so highly respected - and assuming what if your income doesn’t change - it’s a slam dunk - assuming your student can be happy there. Have you been?
So in the future, Grinnell gave you $9K more in merit - so that is a factor.
Can you talk to each school’s aid office and run them through possible income increases that you’re expecting to see how that would impact grants.
I believe Kenyon, Grinnell, and Lafayette all meet need.
The Kenyon deal is a hard one to pass…but only if you’re looking at money…but I assume for someone who needs aid, money is going to be a critical thing!!!
Good luck.
Congratulations on being accepted to these fine LACs. All will do a wonderful job of educating your daughter.
I would look at fit variables like academics (majors, courses, degree requirements, academic calendar, etc.), location/weather/environment, and social vibe. You have mentioned that all are affordable – that’s fine. Keep that in your back pocket, then, and use cost to break a “fit” tie or near-tie between schools.
Prezbucky thank you for the great advice on factors to compare. We could make them all these wonderful schools happen financially, but we really need to save whatever we can for our retirement, our younger child’s college, and possibly grad school.
Money is crucial for us. Even though we have a sizable increase in income coming in the future, we have a son in high school who is almost college age and someday we would like to retire! And for now, we need all the help we can get.
Your calculations make so much sense, especially since Kenyon is a great fit and excellent education. If nothing else, if my DD is favoring another school, she can ask them if they can meet Kenyon’s offer. If not, Kenyon will be the one!
Thank you all for helping me parse the details. It’s a bit overwhelming!
Great point, Motherprof!
Your last phrase after the comma is so important. Others should heed this, especially with the markets so jittery today whereas everyone is planning for perfection.