<p>I was just accepted to Dickinson the other day, and, although it's one of my safeties, I've been looking into it and am really starting to like it. I've also applied to Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, and Macalester (among others..those are just my top choices). I've been accepted to Mac, but am still waiting on the others.
This brings me to my question: How does Dickinson compare (academically, opportunity-wise, and even in prestige) to these other schools? Are there any current Dickinson students here who have turned down these schools to go there?</p>
<p>Most people in the country will not have heard of any of your schools. Does that make them bad? Of course not! Those are some of the best schools iin the country. </p>
<p>You need to go visit the ones you are accepted at. See which one you like the best and will be happiest at. If you are happy, you will do well there. If you do well there, you can go to any grad school in the country from Dickinson. Dickinson is particularly strong in several departments. Those departments are better then some of the other schools on your list. For example, if you wanted to major in Environmental Studies, Dickinson would win that battle hands down! Languages, foreign/world affairs are also particularly strong at Dickinson. You have to find the school with the best fit for your personality and your major or interests. The best school for YOU. Yah, the food matters, the students matter, the professors matter, the city matters and the dorms do matter. The rest is all piddly stuff. Don't underestimate Dickinson.</p>
<p>Well, the problem is that I live in Malaysia so I can't visit any of my schools. I also know that most of my schools are quite obscure (at least my top choices are), and that the name doesn't always matter.<br>
But since I can't visit any of them, I have to rely a lot on the facts and figures of the schools. Therefore, I'm just looking for some insight into what may be the advantages (or disadvantages) of Dickinson over these (at least a bit more) well-known and higher-ranked schools.</p>
<p>What are you interested in? That should help you decide. Also, do you want rural, suburban or urban? </p>
<p>Amherst is very preppy with a heavy drinking culture. It has cross registration with several other really good schools (read up on its consortium). Williams is more sciency and very isolated, Macalester has a small tight campus and is strong in languages with a super friendly student body (midwestern friendly), Bowdoin I don't know much about. Dickinson has a high international population, so that may make you feel more at home? I guess what you need to do is read about the culture on campus. Good luck. I can't imagine spending all that money for a school and not even looking at it! Wow.</p>
<p>Well as of now (I'm kind of indecisive..heh) I'm planning on doing a double major between English and Russian lang/lit, which is what really has drawn me to Dickinson in the past few days.
Williams has been my first choice since September, mainly because I love the vibe I've gotten from the website and the prospectus. I've been in the same situation with Bowdoin as well, but they're not as strong in the Russian stuff, so that's put me off a little bit. Macalester, on the other hand, has the potential to be really good for it, but the campus (from the pictures I've seen) doesn't really seem my type. I think I'm more of the 'traditional' look campus type of girl..if that makes sense.</p>
<p>And yeah, it's a bit nerve racking to never see my future school until after I've already paid for it! I think I've gotten over a lot of the 'prestige-mania' I was hit with junior year, but I'm still a bit apprehensive about turning down 'good' schools for a 'less good' one. Crazy, I know.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help, by the way! =]</p>
<p>Star girl, it may help if you are on facebook and view the facebook group "Dickinson Class of 2012"--these are kids who mostly have been accepted either ED I or ED II, but also RD--they are all chatting up a storm and are excited to meet in person. I would suspect there are similar facebook groups for the other schools you are interested in. In those groups you could ask those kids why they chose that particular school over others. Maybe that will give you more of an "on the ground" view. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Williams is often considered the top Liberal Arts College in the country. It is a beautiful campus in a wonderful, although somewhat remote, part of Massachusetts. There are many other good schools very close to Williamstown. It has a reputation of being preppy. Dickinson is also very pretty, and a good school, though not as good as Williams. The competition to be accepted to Williams is fierce. I know a lot of students, including my daughter, who were not accepted at Williams, but were accepted to an Ivy League. Amherst is probably also better than Dickinson, and also a pretty school. If you are a student at Amherst, there are four other schools you can cross-register at: Smith, UMass at Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire. All good to excellent schools. This is a wonderful resource, and obviously increases your course and social offerings infinitely. It's unfortunate that you can't visit any of the schools that you applied to. I guess that's a real problem for internationals.</p>
<p>How would Dickinson compare with Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall?
I appreciate if u all rank these 3 colleges.</p>
<p>Just keep in mind that "more selective" doesn't always mean "better." SOME very prestigous colleges are really just riding on reputation ( but I am in no way saying that Williams and Amherst aren't WONDERFUL schools, I just personally don't know that much about them).</p>