Hamilton vs Grinnell [undecided major, probably science or math]

Hi! so im trying to decide between Grinnell and Hamilton and im pretty stuck. both schools are pretty similar, they both have open curriculum and strong career centers which are important to me, so im having trouble deciding. im not sure what i want to major in but prolly something more stem related. anything helps, thanks so much!

Grinnell
pros

  • students seem nice and laid back
  • i liked the town, it had everything in walking distance and the restaurants were really good
  • cool to be in a state that i wouldnt be in otherwise, and not have to compete with lots of other top colleges
  • really strong in stem
  • lots of people go on to get phds- which i might want to get
  • lots of things going on on campus, kinda work hard play hard from what ive heard
  • gave me lots of merit aid
  • huge endowment, impressive alumni
  • admission has been getting really competitive in recent years
  • more diverse, racially and economically
  • professors i talked to were really nice, though im sure thats the case everywhere
  • quirky
  • alumni were super super friendly, gave this “grinnell is special” vibe
  • feels different and cool, and more out of my comfort zone

cons

  • iowa
  • i have pretty much always imagined myself going to the northeast for college, and its hard to let go of that
  • very stressful
  • hard to succeed? heard lots of people drop out of the chem department for example
  • more of a ultra woke sjw vibe, which seems scary?
  • lower average starting salary then hamilton
  • only one dining hall, seems repetitive and people say lines can be long

hamilton

pros

  • beautiful campus and town
  • really good housing
  • though i talked to less people, the people i talked to were really nice
  • really strong alumni network
  • alex counselor or whatever it is- helps you navigate resources, which seems really helpful
  • just seems generally like there is lots of help built in
  • everyone live on campus- close community
  • someone described the people as freakishly friendly which is my type a vibe
  • higher graduation rate then grinnell
  • i think less stressful/ rigorous
  • part of nescac conference which i have friends in! even though that doesnt really matter it feels like i am closer to them, and the nescac conference itself feels prestigious or soemthing
  • more dining options
  • prolly has a better reputation on the northeast, which is mire likely where i wanna be
  • felt more at home there i think

cons

  • more preppy
  • less diverse
  • more expensive
  • town is so small it doesn’t even have a grocery store, you have to take a shuttle to get to one
  • more in my comfort zone, which feels good but is maybe bad

thanks for your help!!

Cost difference ?

How important is money to your family ?

Btw Grinnell location was a pro and con. Which is it really ?

With respect to sciences and math, in fields such as chemistry, biology and biochemistry, these schools offer similarly excellent programs and facilities. Their math and computer science programs, as well, are roughly comparable.

However, Hamilton’s breadth in the sciences extends further than Grinnell’s, mostly because of the presence of its geosciences department, which can serve as a source of interesting electives in topics such as hydrogeology, soils, meteorology, geomicrobiology, paleontology and volcanology. You could also, of course, major in geosciences at Hamilton, an option that would not be available to you at Grinnell. Hamilton’s physics department — which has received recent, significant recognition from the American Physical Society — is also outstanding.

Regarding Hamilton’s higher initial cost, note (as you seem to have already) that Hamilton grads earn 25% more in their early careers than those from Grinnell based on information in U.S. News. Although this statistic reduces complex aspects to a single figure, it nonetheless could offer you confidence if you were to choose your more expensive alternative. This Forbes article also may be of interest: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2017/04/26/10-expensive-colleges-worth-every-penny-2017/amp/.

I wouldn’t give the starting salary factor much weight. Hamilton students are probably, on average, getting jobs in higher cost of living areas. I seriously doubt that there’s any meaningful difference in salary prospects for an equivalent student (same major and qualifications) graduating from Grinnell vs. Hamilton, if they were to apply to jobs in the same geographic area. Taking the cost savings that Grinnell is offering you and investing it is much more likely to create a difference in your economic prospects than any potential starting-salary difference!

That said, either school could be a perfectly reasonable choice depending on your preferences and priorities, and depending on how big the cost difference actually is.

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College Scorecard gives the following early career pay levels from IRS data of graduates who got federal financial aid as students for various STEM majors and some other popular majors at both schools.

Major Grinnell Hamilton
Biology NA NA
Chemistry NA NA
Computer Science NA NA
Geology NA
Math NA $74,628
Physics NA NA
Economics $55,487 $84,359
Political science $49,481 $56,960
All majors $59,488 $74,340

As @aquapt notes, Hamilton’s location may be part of the reason for the higher pay levels, especially for economics (and perhaps math) majors who are closer to major financial centers like Wall Street at Hamilton than Grinnell. Both colleges apparently have too few students in most majors for median pay levels by major to be provided.

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The Hannaford in Clinton is within a mile from the edge of Hamilton’s campus. You can take the free Jitney one or both ways if you prefer not to walk.

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Hamilton, in Brief (Opinion)

Legacy of having been two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases manifests in enhanced academic, social and architectural dimensions and balance. Academically strong across humanities and fine arts, sciences and math and social sciences. Rarefied student profile. A writers’ college, for those who wish to enhance this skill. Beautiful, spatially luxuriant campus, overlooks a valley. Proximity to suburban amenities, access to Adirondacks. Clinton offers photogenic charm. Two main dining halls provide distinctly different atmospheres, or simply convenience. For additional variety and off-hours service, choose from four more places to eat on campus. Winter snow suitable for the adventurous — find your inner Buck. Unlike with Grinnell, cannot claim romantic appeal of railroad traversing campus. Surrounding area among the safest locations anywhere, with zero reported violent crime in a recent year.

For what it’s worth, Grinnell’s student body is 20% international. Additionally, it’s one of the most socioeconomically diverse colleges among LACs considered most selective.

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I am not a fan of the starting salary # for comparable schools as this is so driven by job location. My kid accepted $20,000+ less (2 offers, same job in different cities) for more take home $ post rent and tax and better quality of life. But in this context, it would appear “worse”.

It’s really hard to compare apples to apples.

I think the vibe at these schools is a bit different.

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Or just the fact that some schools send more kids to Wall Street, which attracts more kids who are attracted to Wall Street, and so on. It’s certainly relevant if you’re interested in that track, but it’s of limited relevance to people who don’t want to head in that direction.

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This aspect may make it difficult to compare geographically disparate Grinnell and Hamilton by salary information. Nonetheless, for context, it seems notable that Hamilton graduates earn more in their early careers than those from any of the other nine NESCAC LACs, followed by those from Williams and Amherst, schools with geographical proximity to Hamilton and comparable curricula. This can represent a reassuring element to some students when selecting an initially more expensive alternative, and as they proceeed in their studies there. In any case, the OP introduced earnings potential as one of their criteria.

This student is comparing Grinnell and Hamilton.

And even within NESCACs, you may be looking at “connected” kids vs not. Or ones who can afford to take a flyer at a start up. Or any number of things, from industry to geography. I feel like this is one where the details matter. And we don’t have them.

If it makes them feel like ir can pay off, fine. But to compare 2 schools? Mmm…

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My experience at 3 schools was that a good % of the kids who landed choice positions on Wall Street were connected on some level. It doesn’t mean that their Dads were great friends with Jamie Dimon. But I often encountered at least one parent at a Hedge Fund or truly in i banking (as opposed to wealth management or some of some of the other arms of the banks) with senior positions. Or the parent was a senior executive at a publicly traded company or a known political figure.

I also saw other kids make their way there, but for sure I’ve seen kids of the wealthy head that direction more often than the other kids. This is often just a matter of self-selection, but not always. I came to know some kids who had no idea what the options in finance really are or how to get them, even though they were at schools that could have made it possible for them.

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What did you decide, @E_F?