I was lucky enough to get into these five wonderful colleges, and receive an 18k a year scholarship from Oberlin. Aside from that, I’m full pay at all these schools and an international at McGill. Georgetown is still out but I’m not expecting much.
I would like to major in Philosophy and English (or maybe PoliSci?) and am planning on visiting Oberlin and Colby for overnights, and McGill for the day. I’m a city kid but I wouldn’t mind living out in the country for a while, the city has been getting me down recently. I’m also looking for a fairly intellectual vibe, but also want to be in an atmosphere where people know how to socialize and have fun!
How do these schools compare for someone looking to go to grad or law school? Is the expensive elite education worth it? What’s the vibe like at each school? Which has the best quality of education and life? Thanks!!
Sounds like from an academic standpoint you are describing Hamilton. All excellent options though. The vibe is going to be different, so think carefully about that and where you would fit best.
McGill is the outlier in this group. It is a large, urban research university in a large mostly French speaking metropolitan are. it will prepare you for law school just as well as the LAC’s but you will also get an international experience with a diverse group of students from around the world.
And at McGill you will not have to search out a frat party since the drinking age in Quebec is 18.
Oberlin has a great English & Philosophy Departments. It’s one of the 10 top liberal arts colleges for graduates that go on to get a PhD. Law school wise, you’d find Oberlin grads at all the top law schools (like Colby or Hamilton grads). Quality of life and the social scene? Oberlin would be completely different from the other colleges here. Great music is always available. Students can choose to manage their own housing and dining at one of the Coops. It’s a great place, Cleveland is close and Columbus isn’t too far away. Colby is great too. Different, more outdoors with a buttondown collar look. Sports means a lot most on campus. Waterville is thriving and growing with Colby’s new investments. It’s an isolated campus, but everything is available on campus. We visited Hamilton last summer. The campus is nice. The people we met seem great. But it feels even more isolated than Colby or Oberlin. McGill…well it’s awesome, but as TomSr. says it’s the outlier…big, research, urban, big classes… Still McGill is great.
Law employment is strongly related to law school ranking which is strongly related to law school admission selectivity: https://www.lstreports.com/schools/
Law school is very expensive, so consider whether you want to reserve some of your college money to reduce the amount of law school debt you may need.
Obvious parent advice, here. Over the next four years you may change your mind regarding law school. I’d go to the school you find the most interesting. These are all fine schools so you can’t go wrong.
First step is to narrow the search. These are the schools that closest to each other culturally and educational approach. All are excellent schools.
Oberlin vs Reed
Hamilton vs Colby
McGill
Then take the three finalists and eliminate one.
Based on your goals. My quick guess would be -
Oberlin
Hamilton
McGill
If you dont want the larger urban environment. And prefer the LAC size and approach.
You now have two.
Oberlin and Hamilton. Based on location and your stated goals.
Hamilton
You could end up with a different result of course. But don’t try to pick one. Use a methodology or a decision tree of sorts. It’s an easier way to process decision making.
I don’t see Hamilton as being advantaged for location or stated goals.
IMO, attainment of stated goals is per #6 above, these days, and differences found in #1 relate mostly to proportion of student bodies interested in pursuing this path in the first place. Not many oboe majors heading to law school… Of the rest, likely a higher proportion of future social workers and teachers, by choice. This does not harm chances of those pursuing other careers like law, though it may reduce the reported overall proportion who do so.
I have a data base of one that suggests to me grads of Oberlin with required GPA & LSAT can get in to great law schools. In recent times.
They are both not right near anyplace special, and IMO Cleveland beats Syracuse for getting a big concert, professional sports, etc. Oberlin is within a 20 minute drive of Cleveland suburbs that have various malls etc. The charms of Utica are not widely sung.
Utica is in decline, a textile mill town.
Oberlin students seem to rarely get over to Cleveland but they can. Cleveland Orchestra is top five in the WORLD,
after Berlin, London and Tokyo.
Oberlin has a lot of social life on campus, and a fun social life. Its known for top music and biology but I bet pretty good for English/prelaw. Ask where their grads go to law school.
Reed is an up and coming western city, Portland Oregon. I would try to visit Reed College. It has the intellectual vibe and hiking very close by. Its very “west coast” if you have not experienced that before, it might be fun to try it! Reed students are known to get PhDs in the sciences, business, law, medicine. Its an academically demanding school, with a west coast chill attitude.
Upstate NY other than Ithaca and Rochester, and Hamilton is very far from both,
cannot match the social and cultural options in Portland Oregon or greater Cleveland for fun.
Upstate NY is very poor, and depressing, and its so snowy and cold, that you will not leave your dorm or a library cube much from November to late March. There should be hockey and skiing nearby but nothing like the western skiing near Portland. See Timberline on Mount Hood, Oregon ski trails.
While you would be full international pay at McGill if you are in the Arts faculty tuition would be about US$15,000/year which would be the cheapest of the bunch even considering Oberlin’s grant.
@Coloradomama: It seems questionable to suggest that New York State might be deficient in seious winter skiing when it has hosted two Winter Olympics. Beyond that, Hamilton offers cross country skiing and ice skating on campus. In any case, since it appears from your post that you haven’t been to Hamilton College or the charming village or Clinton, you might find this recent NBC story informative: