Hampshire College vs Guilford College
Academics?
Student life?
Post grad prospects?
Any info or tidbits on either schools would be super helpful.
Also I’m transferring in to be a sophomore.
*my mom think Hampshire is gonna supply the more rigorous degree of the two.
Guilford is a great deal financially though. My mom thinks that if I was invested in motivating for more finaid to go to Hampshire that I’d get it.
It would be a mistake to assume more financial aid will be forthcoming from Hampshire.
Hampshire is a feeder college to Sociology and English graduate programs.
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/infographics/top-feeders-phd-programs
What’s your major? Hampshire students often have to take courses at a consortium colleges
philosophy, sociology and a mix of environmental
I have met quite a few dynamic folks who went to Guilford in recent years and it was a school I didn’t know much about before then. They were all “feet on the ground” types. I realize it’s dangerous to judge a school this way, but if they are typical, the school is doing something right.
Feet on the ground types? Could you please explain/elaborate?
Also do you have any insight as to the quality of the academics at Guilford?
I feel like they are stronger at Hampshire, but not positive.
By “feet on the ground” types, I meant people who seemed well attached to reality, people who would do what was needed to get a job done, people who seemed quite relatable. They are all people who have made things happen in their fields.
I don’t know enough to judge the academics at both. Several of the Guilford people I met have gone on to get doctorates.
You can look at the course catalogs and degree requirements , the bios of the faculty, reviews on Rate my professor, and you will get a sense of how the 2 compare for your needs. Ultimately, you will get out of it what you put in.
Fwiw, I have known people at Hampshire who went on to get graduate degrees. I have also known ones who had zero interest in college but knocked off 4 years of alt life there because their parents insisted that they attend college. And I know one who started in the latter group and ended up in the former.
The only Guilford grad I know, had a Bonner Scholarship and was in the Honors Program. She chose Guilford because it offered her the best financial deal, graduated debt-free, and has no regrets. She is now happily pursuing a career related to the major she completed there.
If you weren’t offered enough aid as a transfer to Hampshire to make it as affordable as Guilford, then there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to imagine that your aid package will somehow magically improve in future years.
What is your likely major? What information do you have from the departments and career centers at Guilford and Hampshire that is solid evidence that Hampshire is enough of an improvement so as to balance out the extra cost?
That your mom doesn’t know anyone who ever went to Guilford other than you (and just for this one year), is not enough reason to transfer.
I’m somewhat familiar with Guilford because it’s a Friends school (like Haverford, Swarthmore, Earlham) and I went oto a Friends HS.
It is also one of the “Colleges that Change Lives” schools: http://ctcl.org/guilford-college/ - some good info there.
One thing that’s sticking in my mind is that the students at Hampshire would me more academically inclined or more intellectual just generally speaking and that I’d get more by surrounding myself with those students than Guilfords.
I really liked Guilford it’s just a bit nerve racking.
Hampshire is going to be the more rigorous of the two, but not by an order of magnitude.
Hampshire is not likely to give you better financial aid.
If your mom is genuinely willing to pay the differential for the slightly more rigorous degree (without making your life heck by hounding you to appeal for more aid), I would go with Hampshire. If not, I would go for Guilford. It’s beautiful, the Quaker tradition has a lot to offer, the weather will be nicer, and you probably won’t end up on Fox News.
Where does your insight come from?
**im transferring from a community college
Hampshire and Guilford are both “Colleges that Change Lives”.
Neither school is particularly wealthy, but Guilford has a larger endowment-per-student, and seems to typically offer better financial aid.
The conventional metrics aren’t really applicable here. For example, Guilford is test-optional and Hampshire doesn’t accept standardized test scores at all.
Neither school has particularly strong graduation rates, but Hampshire’s do appear to be better:
% graduating in 4 years: 57% Hampshire, 43% Guilford
% graduating in 6 years: 68% Hampshire, 59% Guilford
First off, you can’t go wrong either way. If one feels more like your kind of place, trust your gut. It sounds like you want to go to Guilford.
My daughter is also looking seriously at these two schools. I’m interested in hearing more on their strengths and weaknesses, etc.
Hampshire has the advantage of belonging to a five-college consortium with Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and UMass. Guilford will have somewhat milder weather, and Greensboro is a booming city with a thriving arts scene. I think you’ll find the Quaker ethos permeates the environment at Guilford, whereas Hampshire is likelier to have a hipster vibe.