Looking for guidance -- having trouble selecting a school

College Search & Selection
1

I applied to 12 schools and I am currently trying to decide where to attend.

My results are as follows:
Accepted: Colby (doesn’t offer merit aid), Kenyon (no merit), Macalester ($17,000 per year), Mount Holyoke (21st Century Scholar - $25,000 per year and research), Smith (STRIDE - $15,000 per year and research), Whitman ($12,000 per year), and three safeties which are out of of the picture
Rejected: Wash U and Middlebury
Waiting to hear from: Swarthmore on Thursday (99% sure it’s going to be a rejection)

My main goal is to pick a school that will be both academically challenging and inspiring, but also supportive and collaborative. I performed quite well in high school, but I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself, meaning I get easily stressed and frequently worry about failure and inadequacy. Already I’m thinking that I’m not cut out for the schools that accepted me. I’m also not super outgoing or social. I am a bit worried about meeting people, as I am more relaxed in small groups. Orientation activities (and college activities in general) tend to be geared towards extroverts. I want to make sure that I choose a school that will allow me to come out of my shell and feel comfortable. I’m not going to be happy at a party school, but that doesn’t mean I want to go someplace where students study 24 hours a day. Bottom line: I’m looking for balance, strong academics, and a friendly student body.

I’m just hoping to get some information and input about the schools I was accepted to. Colby seems a bit too “New England preppy” for my taste, and I’ve heard some disturbing accounts of racism and extreme partying. Kenyon doesn’t seem worth $60k when I’ve received merit aid almost everywhere else, and it’s too isolated. MHC is fine, but I’m worried about location and the caliber of the academics. It also seems to be falling in the rankings and is not very well known. Whitman is great, but it’s a bit too outdoorsy for me. My gut feeling is that I’ll fit in at either Smith or Macalester. I’m passionate about social justice and politically active, so these two seem the most in line with my ideology. I haven’t visited Mac and I am unable to attend any of the admitted student events. I have visited Smith, and I liked it, but a school full of type-A women (like myself) might be exhausting, and the lack of boys is also a downside. The STRIDE program is compelling, though, and I love the idea of living in houses instead of dorms… I’m at a loss.

Notes: I have not selected a major, which is partially why I leaned towards LACs – I want to be able to explore my interests. Finances are not a concern, as I am lucky enough to be full pay.

Thank you and sorry for the novel!

2

(1) If a college offered you merit aid, that means you’re one of their higher achieving applicants. You may understand that to mean you’re under more pressure to perform well, but it also means that you can relax a bit, without risk of promptly sinking to the bottom of the pool. Certainly, any of these schools will be a lot less stressful than a school where you just barely made it in and are always going to have to struggle to keep up. So, no matter which one you choose, you can take a breath and feel like you’re not under the same stress you experienced in high school.

(2) MHC is “not very well known”??? I disagree - it’s very well known to anyone who knows anything about East Coast colleges. Macalester, on the other hand . . . well, it’s in the Midwest. (Where IS the Midwest, anyway??? :smiley: ) Bottom line is that they’re all excellent schools, and anybody who knows anything would have heard of them.

(3) It sounds like Smith and Macalester are the two you should focus on. (And I think your instincts regarding the others, with the possible exception of MHC, are spot on.) Spend some time on their forums here on CC. Look back through old threads. Contact the admissions offices for both schools and ask if you can be put in touch with some current students. And then follow your gut.

One other suggestion: If you can possibly get to Macalester anytime between now and May 1, go! Doesn’t have to be an admitted student day - just so long as they’re not closed for Spring Break or something.

3

Join the Whitman College Class of 2019 FB group, and lurk or engage with the members. I think you’ll find that there are plenty of non-outdoorsy folks and a lot who are politically engaged. The student body tends to be nice and very supportive of each other. Congratulations on all the great choices!

4

Mount Holyoke is a very good, well-known school. It will not only be academically stimulating but also it will provide a supportive, collaborative community for you and your colleagues. PLUS it’s affordable. :wink:

5

MHC and Smith both sound like very good schools for you. Both are very academically rigorous, but at the same time have very warm and welcoming campus communities that it seems like you would fit in at really well. They’re also both very political/social justicy, Smith probably a little more so. And they both offered you with great programs and aid! Visit both campuses and see which one you feel more at home at.

6

Smith and Mt. Holyoke are part of the 5-college consortium (UMass, Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, Hampshire College)… they are all a very short shuttle ride apart, and you can take classes at any of the other schools through cross-registration. The fact that you have this many colleges and universities really close together really opens up the possibilities for clubs and activities, opportunities for activism, and just a range of different parties and social opportunities… if you are concerned about the lack of men if you go to a women’s college, I think you have the best of both worlds by being in a consortium.

7

MHC is a fantastic school- and wow the money they are offering! Do try to visit MHC (and Macalaster, Whitman etc.) if you can. There is nothing like spending time on campus, meeting students, going to classes- a visit will really help you decide. Congrats on your excellent options so far :slight_smile:

8

Thank you all so much for the feedback!

@dodgersmom‌ , thank you for the perspective on merit scholarships. I have a bad habit of doubting myself once I’ve accomplished something. As for MHC, I was probably being unfair. My friends and family aren’t super familiar with the school, so I think their doubts (and mine) stem from this lack of knowledge. I am under the impression that Smith is a bit more rigorous academically. Am I wrong in thinking this? I unfortunately cannot visit any schools before May 1, but I think I can make a pretty good decision with the information that is online. Right now, Smith is looking a bit more attractive because of the opportunity to work on a research project for two years. Also, the environment seems very supportive and welcoming.

@harvardandberkeley‌ , do you know if students actually utilize the consortium offerings? When I visited Smith, it seemed like most students hadn’t visited the other campuses (at least first years and sophomores).

Does anyone have experience with either the 21st Century Scholars program at MHC or the STRIDE program at Smith? They appear to be intentionally similar.

9

Well, on the face of your self-description, Mac sounds like a great choice for you. It is in a city, but St. Paul is relaxed and a bit sleepy, but with fun places to go out in the evenings. Rigorous academics, not preppy at all, “Minnesota Nice” is not just a saying, it is pretty much a reality.

Downside? Winters. You will definitely get 4 seasons, and winter will be cold, but the Fall and Spring are glorious.

I have heard nothing to suggest that Mac is cutthroat or overly competitive.

It is too bad you can’t visit. Do some more research, get some more opinions here and elsewhere, and join the admitted student FB pages for all the front-runners, which might help you make some friends.

Good luck!

10

I’m not familiar enough with MHC to be able to answer this, but I’d expect that at both Smith and MHC, you’d have small classes and engaged students . . . and what else do you need? It strikes me that neither one of these is a school anyone would choose if all they want to do is slack off for four years.

Looking at the common data sets for the two schools (available on each school’s website), it looks like the SAT score range for incoming students at the two schools is comparable, as are the schools’ retention and graduation rates (with the latter being ever so slightly higher for Smith). There appear to be more course offerings at Smith, so you may want to take a closer look at the courses offered in your particular areas of interest. (Smith is also one of the very, very few LAC’s that offers an engineering degree.) You should get in contact with students (and faculty) at both schools to find out more about their respective research programs.

They’re both going to be very different from Mac, and I think they’d both challenge you in ways that Mac would not.

I’m sorry you can’t visit between now and May 1, but, as someone suggested earlier, you can visit the FB pages for the schools, and maybe get a better feel for them that way.

11

I’m a big fan of MHC and the consortium. To answer your question, many students take at least one course at one of the other schools in the consortium (the figure I was heard was 90%, but that is probably overstated). U Mass and Hampshire students are probably the biggest users of the consortium academically, but students at both Smith and Mt. Holyoke definitely take classes elsewhere. MHC is the farthest away from the other schools, and is a little “quieter” overall. However, it is immensely supportive, academically quite strong, and you can have a very active social life if you want. If money is a concern, then I would not hesitate to recommend MHC.

12

@123wombat My D is a bio major at MHC and knows students at Smith. PM me if you would like to get in touch with her to ask any questions or just chat about the two schools.