Holy Cross vs Skidmore vs Brandeis vs Conn vs Fordham

College Search & Selection
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Hey everyone! I am a graduating senior with no clue how to decide what college to attend.

Top choices, listed in order of preference:

  • College of the Holy Cross (RD) full pay
  • Skidmore College (RD) full pay
  • Brandeis University January Admit (RD) full pay
  • Connecticut College (RD) 21k/yr merit scholarship COA 55k
  • Fordham University (EA) 32k/yr merit scholarship COA 50k

Other options, still considering but not as high on my list:

  • Kenyon College (RD) 15k/yr merit scholarship COA 60k
  • Franklin and Marshall College (RD) 15k/yr merit scholarship COA 70k
  • Binghamton University (rolling) 15k/yr merit scholarship COA 30k
  • Clark University (EA) 21k/yr merit scholarship- COA 50k
  • Union College (EA) 20k/yr merit scholarship COA 60k

Still considering, but very unlikely to choose:

  • University of Tampa January Admit (EA deferred->RD accept) 10k/yr merit scholarship COA 40k
  • UMass Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts (EA) instate tuition 33k
  • College of Wooster (EA) 38k/yr merit scholarship COA 35k
  • University of Kentucky (rolling) 12.5k/yr merit scholarship COA 40k
  • Endicott College (EAII) 20k/yr merit scholarship COA 35k

Waitlisted colleges Iā€™m interested in, in order of preference:

  • Colby College (RD)
  • Bates College (RD)
  • Oberlin College (RD)
  • Bucknell University (RD)
  • Denison University (RD)
  • Dickinson University (RD)
    • note: my applications to Dickinson and Denison were both incomplete and they then sent me an email saying they withdrew them, but I still got waitlistedā€¦???
  • Occidental College (RD)

Career plans: I have no idea what I want to major in, but Iā€™m more of an English/history/social sciences person and am pretty sure it wonā€™t be CS/engineering. Iā€™m also thinking of law or business school after completing undergrad.

Finances: Iā€™m very fortunate that price isnā€™t too much of a factor. My parents would prefer not to pay full price if they donā€™t have to, but are willing to do so if thereā€™s a college I really love. Right now, my top choices are Holy Cross and Skidmore, both of which I received no aid at but which I like the most out of the colleges I was accepted to. I also like Brandeis, but thereā€™s not a lot of information about the Midyear program and I donā€™t know how keen I am on the London program/starting in January.

Academics: I have ADHD, so Iā€™m looking for somewhere thatā€™s academically rigorous but also has some support systems in place, ranging from okay-to-exceptional, but this isnā€™t a top consideration. My parents have often been concerned that at a more rigorous school, itā€™ll be harder for me to stand out and form close relationships with professors, get internships, etc., but I donā€™t really know how valid of a concern this is, or how much it should affect how I go about picking a school, so if anyone has any input on this it would be really helpful.

Iā€™m also thinking of transferring after 1 year; itā€™s not something Iā€™m dead set on, but it might be something to consider.

Campus Life: Not the biggest factor for me (as much as I hate to say it, brand name/academics are more important to me/my parents), but if two schools are equivalent at that level, I would prefer somewhere in an urban area or small city (like Middletown, CT, where Wesleyan is located). I havenā€™t visited almost all of the colleges here besides UMass but am going to do so in the coming month.

Thank you so much!

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Eliminate all WL colleges and those the the bottom of the list. A WL is effectively a no.

Please do not consider doing this. Go into college with the mindset that you will immerse yourself in your experience. One of the biggest mistakes is to arrive thinking of transferring immediately. It makes it very difficult to form friendships and engage in classes if you think youā€™re going to leave. And if you think you will transfer into a WL school, itā€™s very unlikely.

Iā€™ll be honest here, if your parents care about the name brand, your best choice is Kenyon or Fordham, IMO. Given your top choices, it seems you prefer the slightly more sporty and traditional vibe, and that you like the Jesuit aspect. For that reason, I think you should look closely at Fordham, especially as they gave you merit. Holy Cross is great, but hard to justify compared to Fordhamā€™s offer.

I would personally avoid the January admit at Brandeis with full pay. Skidmore is great too, but the vibe is a bit more creative and alternative from your top choices, such as Holy Cross and Colby. Iā€™m surprised Kenyon isnā€™t higher on your list. You are obviously a desirable student if they offered you a scholarship. Itā€™s a stunning campus and has a very nice mix of creativity and tradition. It rates very highly for classroom experiences and is known for good professors. I would describe Kenyon as an ideal mix of being a bit arty, sporty, and academic all the same time.

I donā€™t think the other choices you listed are better options than anything mentioned above, but Union is also good and I think might have the atmosphere you seek.

You canā€™t possibly visit all these colleges, so you have to be ruthless. Just eliminate the ones you really are not interested in.

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F&M has no merit. How did you get merit ?

Transfer - if youā€™re looking at that, go to community college. No point in going somewhere with one foot out the door.

You say money isnā€™t important but your parents donā€™t want to pay full. That means itā€™s important.

You canā€™t have a school you love and be looking to leave right away.

Btw you can see WL stats on the common data set. Most WL far more than they even admit. Itā€™s unlikely to get off a WL.

You have lots of fine options.

Fordham is different than the rest. Iā€™d consider CC
Or Kenyon given your interests.

Congrats on great admits.

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Agree with @Lindagaf to let those WL schools go mentally.

I would also let your ā€˜unlikely to choose schoolsā€™ go as well. If any of them stick in your mind after youā€™ve bid them goodbyeā€¦maybe then reconsider.

I might start putting some of the ā€˜topā€™ schools up with Head-to-Head competition.

If you had to choose between Holy Cross and Fordham - which would you choose?Skidmore vs. Kenyon? Union vs. Brandeis? Connecticut v. Franklin & Marshall?

Why would you go to Franklin & Marshall over Connecticut, Fordham and/or Kenyon? It isnā€™t a better brand name and itā€™s more expensive.

I think there are a lot of schools on your list that should be easy to jettison. You have a lot of great acceptances but you can only go to one. Start rejecting.

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THIS!

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Thanks for the advice! Iā€™m definitely not thinking of transferring immediately, but I was thinking that if it does happen, I wouldnā€™t want to end up say, somewhere where I would pay full price for the year just to end up transferring (Iā€™ve heard of friends with guaranteed transfer options choosing state schools for their first year for this reason).

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Thank you for the advice! Iā€™m not too sure about the F&M thing, haha, but I didnā€™t apply for need-based aid and it said it was a merit scholarship (very confusing as they say they donā€™t do merit). I looked at the CDSā€™ and none are too optimistic, so just wondering how much effort I should put into LOCIs.

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My own son had a transfer option to USC. He is a senior at Bing and loves it. Most students do not actually transfer, tbh.

Be sure you like the school as the current YOU, not for the ā€œjust in case I transferā€ scenario. Whatever school you choose, assume you are there for four years. Most of the schools you are considering have very high freshman retention rates. That means kids are happy and they stay.

Holy Cross does have a very high retention rate, at 95%, which is the same as Union College. Perhaps look at Union more closely.

I do not think the following colleges sound like what you want, which seems to be a bit of traditional mixed with a bit of creativity.

  • Brandeis
  • Clark
  • Conn Coll
  • F&M
  • Skidmore
  • Binghamton

@tsbna44 F & M says they now offer very limited merit aid. This student must have received that.

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There are 14 additional colleges then for you to visit in the next three weeks. I would very strongly suggest that you start eliminating colleges, and plan to visit your top three or four choices.

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Agreed. In fact, it will be virtually impossible to visit all those colleges between now and May 1.

Do not visit any WL colleges, as it will be a total waste of time. Just get rid of the ones you donā€™t feel drawn to. At most, it is only practical to visit three or four of these colleges, if you are lucky. Read about them on Niche, look at their social media, look at their virtual tours.

Disregard the ā€œI might transferā€ option when you are considering. It is not relevant to reality.

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Interesting. Hadnā€™t seen that. Theyr wensite says this. Guess theyā€™re putting out multiple statements.

https://www.fandm.edu/map/financial-aid

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Well, that is very odd. But this person says they got merit aid, so I guess we have to go with that.

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From CC descriptionā€¦

ā€œIn 2022, FandM awarded 1,231 need-based scholarships to students, giving away total of $64.4 million to help students with financial need cover the cost of school. An additional $1.83 million in merit-based scholarship money was awarded to students without demonstrated financial need.ā€

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I also read what @Catcherinthetoast posted above.

Letā€™s just believe the OPā€¦.especially since they said they didnā€™t apply for need based aid!

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And remember Holy Cross and Fordham will be closed from this Thursday thru next Monday. There might be some people around but not many offices open.

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Fordham is worth keeping in consideration. It has very good English, history, social sciences. It also has a very good business school. It is a T20 undergrad business school according to Poets&Quants, if you care about rankings. But more important than rankings it has a good reputation among people who actually hire. A person can start out as a history major, and transfer or double major in the business school (Gabelli) as long as you have a decent GPA. It has decent supports for ADHD.

Whatever school you end up picking, the trick is that you must prevent problems, not wait to fix problems. So you start going to office hours the very first week, and go every week whether you need to or not. For papers, you go to the Writing Center multiple times for each paper (planning, rough draft, final read-through.) For math classes, you go to the Math Center at least once a week to check your understanding. You commit to this for at least your first year to get started on the right foot. I disagree with your parents about rigor. You want rigor, and you are smart enough to handle rigor. But you also have to commit to accessing supports before you need them.

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You have a couple of Jesuit schools on your list, one of which is at a significant discount in the ultimate urban area (NYC). Iā€™d visit Fordham and HC. Wooster is a small nice community, but not sure I would qualify it as urban. But perhaps that style of educational setting would resonate with you vs the City that Never Sleeps.

But your ADHD suggests you might want want to contact yoru top schoolsā€™ disability office to see if you can get a sense how supportive/accomodative they are

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If you think that law school is a legitimate possibility, you might want to talk to your family to see if they would be willing to use any ā€œsavingsā€ from your college expenses (i.e. if you go someplace thatā€™s less than Holy Cross or Skidmore full pay) and apply that toward law school. Law school is very expensive, and for some of these schools, thereā€™s some significant differences in price. Having $100k (or more) of debt is a lot, which means that NOT having an extra $100k in debt is a big gift. Law school is likely to cost way more than $100k in loans, so any reductions you can make, the better. For business school, itā€™s often best to work for a few years, but the number of companies willing to pay for an MBA are getting fewer and fewerā€¦the funds could be used for that, too.

In terms of cutting your list:

  • Eliminate the 7 schools on your waitlist.
  • Eliminate the 5 colleges that youā€™re very unlikely to choose.
  • Eliminate Brandeis as a January start is usually very hard to do well.

That leaves you with your top 4:

  • Holy Cross: $77k COA
  • Skidmore: $82k COA
  • Connecticut College: $55k COA
  • Fordham: $50k COA

Andā€¦ #5-9:

  • Kenyon: $60k COA
  • Franklin & Marshall: $70k COA
  • Binghamton: $30k COA
  • Clark: $50k COA
  • Union: $60k COA

In terms of visits Iā€™d look at Connecticut College (CC) and Fordham to see if you think youā€™d be happy at either one of them. If so, then I wouldnā€™t bother looking at Holy Cross or Skidmore, since your parents would prefer not to pay full price and you might be able to use the ā€œsavingsā€ for grad school or perhaps something else (including helping your parents to have a more secure retirement).

If CC or Fordham arenā€™t your cup of tea, then Iā€™d look at Binghamton (which really has an excellent reputation, and for $30k!..frankly, I might have this be a visit with Fordham and CC) and Clark. If none of those seem appealing, then look at Union and Kenyon.

You are blessed that your family is willing and able to be full pay at any of these colleges. But if youā€™d be happy attending a school that is less than the maximum at one of these others (and the school seems to provide good supports and services), then I donā€™t necessarily see a reason to pay more. If Holy Cross and Skidmore end up being the only ones that feel like a good ā€œfitā€, then youā€™d want to pick one of them, but I suspect that a good fit might be found among the others that are less expensive than those.

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Holy Cross is in Worcester, not Wooster, and Worcester is definitely a city. Clark is also in Worcester.

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My 2 cents, given that I have 2 kids with ADHD is to strongly favor smaller schools. It is easy to fall through the cracks at a big school, much harder st a small one. Given your admission record, you are able to manage the academic side. But, managing course registration, remembering to start and manage the job application process etc etc could be more difficult for you than a neurotypical student.

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