I am having trouble deciding between LMU and Saint Mary’s. I was also waitlisted for Wellesley. I don’t know if I should give up on Wellesley or if I can still have a chance. My GPA is 4.3, 28 ACT score, and I do a ton of extracurriculars. I plan on majoring in biochemistry. My financial package is pretty equal for the two schools. LMU is still more expensive. I have visited both campuses and I like them both. I am looking for a college where I can get the best academic experience, make lifelong friends, and get a high paying job after graduation without being in an insane amount of debt.
Youe like them equally, but one is a bit cheaper. So it is OK to choose that one.
It also is OK to stay on the Wellesley wait list. If you are offered a spot later on, then you can decide if you like it better than the place you have committed to.
Are you considering l Maryland or l Marymount?
Also I have heard nothing but great things about St Mary’s. Congratulations on such wonderful choices. I know you’ve worked hard and it is nice to have these options.
I am very excited, and very interested, to know what you decide between LMU and St. Mary’s.
In reading about St. Mary’s (no chance to visit yet) and perusing what I could find on their social media pages I found I really was drawn to the way they approach the things my son is interested in studying. To be a small place, and one about which I hear very little, the impact of St. Mary’s educational and social environment on its students seems phenomenal; to touch core for the students, and to provide them a set of tools for giving them both the confidence and foundation for forging a place in the world.
Have you thought about what a school’s location will mean for you, and is that important at all?
“I am looking for a college where I can get the best academic experience, make lifelong friends, and get a high paying job after graduation without being in an insane amount of debt.”
So much of what you desire to be in place will depend on you and how committed you are to putting in the time and work toward achieving these goals. If you know the academic experience you seek - the majors, minors, opportunities for study abroad (difficult for a biochem major?), internship placement assistance, access to professors outside of class, etc. - can be had at both, maybe you just need to figure out the intangibles that will help you make your decision.
Maybe you have some questions such as…
Will you be able to -do you want to- continue with some extracurriculars that you’ve already engaged in?
What kind of access to, and relationship with, the surrounding community has the school already set in place to provide a wider experience for students beyond the perimeter of the campus?
Which one has the best meals? (I ate at LMU…nothing mind blowing, but pleasant. The students with whom I engaged were nothing short of fabulous for their energy, abundance of joy at their place in life, and with each other)
It is always a good idea at this time to take a look at the Cleary Reports for school safety reports/crime stats. (Be mindful that if a school’s property extends significantly beyond the understood grounds of the campus and its buildings, and if the surrounding community has free access to these grounds, the Cleary Report will also take into account any reports of police contact which occur there as well.)
There are websites which can give you projections on what the “average” salary is for a graduate of an institution 10 years after graduation is, as well as information on how successfully graduates place into graduate programs for more study from any given school. (You can probably find links to them right here at CC. Sorry I don’t have any names right now.)
Reach out to the schools and see if you can speak with a student or two.
Sometimes the schools will assign their students to call your home in the final days just before May 1st, and encourage you to ask them questions you may still have unanswered, and tell you how much they look forward to having you on campus in the fall.
Good luck to you as you think things through. Good luck with Wellesley, as well.