Colby at $76k v Carleton at $55K v Kenyon at $48k v Macalester at $50k
Introverted super collaborative DD who may minor in music and major in environmental science (Arctic science)
She knows she wants to be around kind people and professors who will give extra help. She struggles with some types of writing and excels at other types. I can see her getting involved with politics of Arctic ecology. Looking for inclusive, low drama atmosphere and fun encouraging people. We want her to love her school so we are willing to ask for help to make it happen, so weâd especially like input about the vibe and the profs. thanks!
I hear great stuff about Mac - in regards to the people.
Iâd rule out Colby. No doubt a great school but not a nationally known school. Sure, itâs known by people who follow rankings and on the CC but ask 100 people about Colby, 10 will know itâs a college and two that itâs in Maine. No different than the others, btw. But at $76K - you can save too much elsehwere.
Have you been to the others? I know Mac is internationally focused and in a cool city area. Carleton not hugely far and Kenyon in the middle of nowhere - literally.
YOu should go see them all - I mean, Carlton and Mac you can do together. Where does she feel a spark, get a great vibe - thatâs where Iâd be at.
As for loving school - we all over analyze but it truly is a crapshoot. You get a bad roomie and your year stinks. You can go to the worst for you school and meet your BFF.
Iâd look at the strengths of each, ask for a kid to speak with - and if you know what want to be in society, than Mac is your answer.
Hereâs some more info - not saying arctic or worth $21K more but Colby is strong as are Mac and Carleton - to me, city or not. Good luck.
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We visited Carleton, Mac and Kenyon with my D20 back in 2019. She ended up not applying to Carleton (didnât feel artsy enough for her). Got into both Mac and Kenyon with merit, in addition to a few other Midwestern LACs. Ended up at Kenyon and absolutely loves it. We were very impressed with Mac, tooâgreat neighborhood, smart friendly students. Carleton is in a charming town about 45 minutes away from the Twin Cities. Kenyon is in a small village but the campus is spacious and gorgeous. Columbus is only an hour away (plus thereâs a normal town, Mt Vernon, only 10 minutes away by car, and there are shuttles between the campus and the town), so itâs not exactly in the middle of nowhere. She was also looking for a warm, collaborative atmosphere, and she found it at Kenyon. The administration and professors are very caring and work closely with students. She played in the wind ensemble in the fall and took piano lessons. In the spring freshmen are remote; she continues with piano and is involved in a virtual theater festival. Lots going on campus even during the pandemic, and everybody we know talks about a very close-knit community there (an upside to a somewhat isolated location)-- and her experience confirms this. She loves all her classes. But sounds like Mac or Carleton would be a good fit for your daughter, too (Colby seems too expensive given your other options).
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I agree that digging into specific areas of interest at each school, in addition to visiting/talking to current students, would help a lot, especially with LACs that have a lot in common.
I didnât think Carleton awarded merit aid. Or did Colby miss something in the FA application?
I think Colby is a great school to apply to - but applying to a Mac, Kenyon, a W&L like my daughter or even lesser ranked schools - Denison, Kalamazoo, Beloit, etc. is smart because Colby goes not do merit aid - so you likely know up front if youâre well off that youâre not going to score. Still ok to apply - but also great that you applied to these folks that could cut you a break as these did.
So congrats on that!!
Yes, we were baffled. We are closing in on retirement age and I think Colby counts assets differently. It was a shock though, especially since Colby makes such a big deal about making it possible for families that come in under $200K.
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So my daughter got into W&L. At my income, 88% of people get $38K a year on average. We, of course, got nada. The COA is $81K - you know, tuition and R&B is $75, etc. but then they add the miscellaneous - or they estimate it.
So I asked - whyâd I get nothing.
They all say an income level with an * that says assuming average assets.
To them, average is 2x income. So if you make $150K and have more than $300K - not a lot today - you are toast. They do not include retirement but they do include home equity.
So maybe you have 100K in stocks but $400K in home equity. Now you are $500K.
Every school is different - so you have to ask.
I talked to Cornell early after their NPC said $0 - and they said if you have, for example, $1 million in assets which is a lot but today not really - no one will give you a nickel. Itâs not to be a handout - you need to invest in your kids.
SoâŠanyway, Colby is great but you got lots of great options!! As long as you find one, youâre fine.
Weâre going to a âlesser schoolâ - College of Charleston where my D is in Honors, is in a co-hort of 12 kids within Honors - Intl Scholar and frankly had a huge spark with the school.
W&L is like the schools you are looking at - and pedigree and likely outcomes is much better. But my daughter loves C of C and I"m saving $47K a year. Thatâs a lot.
People put themselves under strain. None of these are cheap choices.
I was wondering about this, too, I didnât think Carleton awarded merit. This was another reason we didnât end up applying. But the difference between Carleton and Colby is huge here. Itâs interesting how colleges use different formulas to calculate need. Our daughter got a huge merit to Oberlin (32K), but the COA was still 10K more a year compared to Kenyon.
Thank you, tsbna44. I wish we could visit, but many of them are closed. It is virtual admit days. I agree that visiting is best.
This site seems reasonably thorough in its inclusion of colleges strong in environmental studies (although highly selective schools appear to be favored):
Iâd recommend Kenyon from your daughterâs group for most creative arts, however.
I appreciate your explanation of the calculation too. You explained it better than the financial aid rep we met with at Colby!
Yes, Oberlin is pricey. Mine too, in with lots of meritâŠbut that was an easy one to knock off the list because my daughter just wasnât enthusiastic about it and it costs more. She does have a much lower cost option as well in St. Olaf, which starts significantly lower and is very generous with aid.
It would be helpful if D could narrow this thread list of four down to one or two so sheâll have a smaller list to consider. (Colby and Carleton are reach schools so sheâs whittling down a bigger list than we expected and has never been to any of the ones on the list here.)
Minor in music? Much more generous? Iâd take a long hard look at St Olaf again.
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Given the $, I would choose Carleton. It sounds like your D would like the vibe, and the sciences are very strong.
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We visited Kenyon and Macalester recently. Iâm happy to answer any questions about the campuses/vibe. Students were out and about on the sunny days we were there. This helped us think about âfitâ.
Kenyon was gorgeous and serene and very, very rural. Students who want an intellectual retreat would like it. Beautiful consistent historic architecture throughout with a new modern sports facility. The âtownâ is a post office, hotel, bookstore, coffee shop and deli. Students were friendly though we didnât see much diversity. The take away word we both had was posh.
Macalester was fun and lively and urban. The campus itself is mostly self contained with a mix of older architecture and newer. Surrounding area is fantastic: French cafe, donut shop, Patagonia, record store, coffee shop, Whole Foods, and on and on. We walked everywhere and had a blast. 15 min drive from major airport and easy and safe public transportation. Take away word was vibrant.
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Our daughters have similar college lists. We considered St Olaf, too (theyâre indeed very generous with aid, and the fact that they stack academic and âtalentâ scholarships helped a lot). We actually liked St Olaf more than Carletonâbut, to be fair, Carleton was our last visit out of 5 on that trip, and we were exhausted (plus our guide wasnât overly enthusiastic; and my daughter is more into the humanities and arts). St Olaf had happy students, a pretty campus, and the creative vibe my daughter was looking for. But Kenyon basically matched the St Olaf cost, and Mac and Grinnell werenât far behind, so it fell off our list, but we had a great impression from our visit. Your daughter has great options, so it will come down to finances/academic fit/some logistical details (what environment she prefers, how she clicks with the student body if you have a chance to explore it, how far you want her to be from home, etc.). Congratulations!
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I agree, if the cost difference is not an issue (compared to Mac and Kenyon, not Colby obviously :)).
Just looked on their website - $2K to national merit scholars. Thatâs it.
I guess thereâs enough demand that these kids donât need to. W&L easily has the best merit of any top LAC - but they got a $100 million gift to support it - The Johnson Scholar. Every kid should apply there - even if itâs not ârightâ because monetarily, you can figure out how to make it right - if you win Johnson - which 10% of the class does.
Sorry - meant enough demand that these colleges donât need to - give merit aid.