Agreed! I don’t know much about the music majors at those schools but it certainly will be a different experience than at a state flagship that required an audition. It may be worth asking this question in the music forum so people who know the music programs may be able to give you some input.
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Regarding academics, Hamilton’s CS major has, by reputation, been among the most challenging in its curriculum in recent years. I can’t verify whether this is true (it’s subjective anyway). Nonetheless, your son may want to consider this in relation to what he seeks in a program. In any case, he would be very well prepared in the field if he were to major in CS at Hamilton.
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Good idea. He emailed them to ask about fall start. His admissions letter specifically states no exceptions are granted, but it can’t hurt to ask.
Yes, at the state flagship, his 60 credit hours could enable him to graduate early, complete a double major, and/or do a combined Master’s degree.
I just realized also that the state university is a little more affordable than the private LAC’s, mainly because of cheaper room and board compared to the LACs (but still just a difference of $3-6K per year, which isn’t a deal breaker).
Since he couldn’t make up his mind, I told him I was personally starting to lean toward the state university myself. Quite selfishly, I like it because it’s cheaper, offers every major he is interested in and more, he has priority registration as an Honors student, they accept all his dual enrollment transfer credits, it is close to home in case of emergency, and would enable us to attend his music recitals and theater performances, etc. I told him it’s extremely unlikely we would be able to afford to travel to attend performances in New England or CO, though Davidson in NC is doable. He replied that he wasn’t really that excited about attending a large, crowded sports-oriented school, even as an Honors student. He said he is eager to experience a different part of the country, especially the opportunity to live in New England, experience four seasons, maybe learn to ski, live in Bernie Sanders country, etc. So…perhaps he’s getting closer to making his decision on his own also.
Thanks for all the input…this is so helpful! I keep reminding him, this is a GOOD dilemma to have and there really is no bad choice here!
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Thank you also for letting us know about the Digital Arts major. We were not familiar with it previously, so he is looking into it now.
Update: after a deep dive into the curriculum per your suggestions, he eliminated Davidson today. Apparently Davidson requires all students to participate in a team sport for one PE credit as well as 2 Lifetime Activity PE credits. The Lifetime Activity credit he’s ok with, but he dreads the idea of mandatory team sports, so that is basically a deal breaker. Not surprising, since athletics do seem to be very prominent at Davidson and it seemed overall the least appropriate fit for him culturally anyway, so it’s a relief to be able to cross one off the list.
Conversely, he got so excited looking at some of the options for Midd’s mandatory PE classes: Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, yoga, mountain biking, and even meditation! Not that PE should be the deciding factor, of course, but it’s gradually becoming more clear to him exactly what kind of culture he’s looking for in a school.
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If Midd truly is #1 if fall admission, then he should say that directly in his email. “I will commit to Middlebury with a fall start.” And if he doesn’t hear back within two days, he should call. They may be inundated with emails. Good luck. I know this is so hard!
I am in the camp that it’s fine to ask about fall at Midd, but it’s Feb. All of these schools that offer mid year acceptance do it for a reason – that’s when they have housing.
I’ll add that for some students, avoiding the madness that is new freshmen and their new independence (drinking, etc), can be a plus. It really depends on the kid and on some serendipity as to how this impacts entry.
It sounds like you’re leaning toward Midd. I think this is sort of where you’ve been headed all along – but it’s becoming clearer.
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Note that Hamilton offers nordic skiing on campus and alpine skiing nearby.
With respect to Bernie Sanders, your son might find it interesting that he taught at Hamilton:
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Regarding Middlebury’s policy of not considering appeals to its February offers, I’d say that this should be respected if it has been clearly stated as a “no exceptions” policy. Nonetheless, your desire to pursue an appeal makes it clear that Middlebury represents a first-choice destination for your son. While personally I’d continue to consider Hamilton and CC for their distinctive attributes, I think your son has revealed his inclinations toward Middlebury to the extent that he probably should choose it regardless.
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Since it’s unlikely that Midd will grant a fall start, he should ask admissions if they can connect him with current Febs. They will have insights that he won’t get anywhere else.
If he would consider a gap year, he could ask admissions about deferring his start to Fall 2023.
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Your son should get in touch with some Febs. I remember reading some really interesting stats about them. They tend to graduate with higher GPAs than September matriculants, hold more leadership positions on campus, etc. They’re also more likely to get good rooms/singles because they take spots that upperclassmen vacate when they go abroad in the spring.
You said your son is interested in LGBTQ rights. He may be interested in learning that Middlebury is hosting its first Lavender Graduation for LGBTQIA+ students this year.
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He talked to a couple of Feb admits while visiting Midd and they said they really enjoyed their gap semester. They did things like spend a semester travelling in Europe, hiking the Himalayas, or studying abroad, etc. However, these students are from families with resources that we don’t have available to us. Apparently, it’s expected that families will self-fund the gap semester experience. I actually looked into some of the gap semester options the college shared for Febs. The programs cost at least $16,000 for a gap semester! No way we can afford that. Unfortunately, since he will only be 17, he wouldn’t qualify for many of the work gap experiences. So for him, a gap semester would essentially mean he would stay home and get a job locally, which doesn’t sound very appealing compared to starting at a different college. I’m a bit concerned about how he might fit in with the other Febs since historically Febs tend to be even wealthier than most Midd students (at least based on what I’ve read online). We really haven’t had a chance to connect with any lower-income students at Midd, so that is a bit of a concern (admittedly more so for me than for him.)
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I’d worry less able fitting in. Schools tend to select kids who will make this transition just fine.
I’m also willing to bet your son can find a good way to use the time, paid and unpaid.
Given that he’s on the young side, this might not be all bad either.
I get it - as a parent, you worry! But he sounded like a kid who’s going to find his way just fine.
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I don’t know of reason why he would need to fit in with the other Febs. The goal for all of these students will be to integrate with the students at Middlebury who preceded them.
I think your concerns are legitimate.
Hamilton and Middlebury have a lot in common, so I suggest going with Hamilton.
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Middlebury appears in this Princeton Review list of just 28 colleges nationally that, based on survey information, offer a “great classroom experience”:
https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=great-classroom-experience
Hamilton is on the same list.
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Thinking back to what my fellow spring admits have done, those who had just traveled on their parents dimes were the least interesting. Most who had been abroad had worked as au pairs, like me. One of my closed friends had worked for a brewery.
I imagine that at some point or other, OPs kid will have to deal with the fact that all the elite private colleges in the US admit at least 50 percent full pay students and what that means. I was surprised to learn that the socio-economic mix at public flagships may not be that different. I imagine that it depends on a school’s culture rather than on starting dates how much that impacts the experience of a middle class kid.
Or the middle class kid could be like me and be totally oblivious, having to be told by others about the tells that someone else came from money. I mean, I could recognise an expensive car but others could explain clothes, handbags, even mannerisms hat totally passed me by. I only noticed that somehow I wasn’t friends with some people, who seemed to flock together for some reason I couldn’t tell.
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A lot of offers include language with the phrase “no exceptions”; one of my son’s did. But that school ( similar to Midd) ultimately did make an exception when we asked. My suggestion was to ask bc it can’t hurt.
In any case, OP, your son has such wonderful options. He really can’t go wrong!