I am a high school senior, and while doing my college search, I was struck by how awesome this college is. But many doubts came as a result of its high acceptance rate (70%.)
Can anyone illustrates how such wonderful college have this high acceptance rate and small class size!?
Not many people apply. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
@Muad_dib
I am afraid that there is something hidden about this college which I believe is a good fit for me
It is a fantastic college for students who have the qualities Hampshire values; independence, self-motivated, activism, extroverted. Both of our kids went there, and I think that they greatly benefited from the experiences. Certainly, they are now much more accomplished writers and communicators, and they seem more capable of handling complex and nuanced thoughts and ideas, when compared to their peers. As mentioned earlier though, this will not work well for everyone. If you are not a ‘self-starter’, Hampshire is not the place for you. It certainly would not have been a good choice for me, a rather inside-the-box kind of guy.
If you can, you should do an overnight visit and get a real feeling for how things work. You’ll know if it feels right for you.
I agree with ALF - my older son graduated from Hampshire a couple of years ago. It was an amazing experience and the perfect place for him. You definitely should visit and do an overnight if you can and also attend a class or two to get a feel for it.
I am an international student, so I can’t do this visit thing.
But I will give it a try, thank you both.
I think the pool of applicants is pretty self selecting. It either is or isn’t your place. If you can, maybe you could plan a trip to the US in the month of April to visit schools where you have been accepted via EA or regular decision before deciding.
Exactly. A high acceptance rate doesn’t mean a school is a bad school. It should make you look closer, to see WHY the rate is high, and in this case it’s reasonable to conjecture that it’s because it’s a unique school with a self-selecting population.
Another thought. Hampshire is pricey. Other schools in the Pioneer Valley are able to offer more competitive Finacial packages. I think many of the accepted students would love to attend, but simply can’t manage the price tag.
Hampshire was underenrolled this past cycle and has financial issues resulting from this.
I actually MUST agree with @momneeds2no. Hampshire gave me a pretty crap financial aid package my first two years. Then, because I applied to transfer to Reed College while I was on academic leave from Hampshire, they upped my financial aid for my last two years significantly so I could come back and finish my degree. It was worth it: I got nearly a full ride my last two years.