Middlebury vs. Bowdoin vs. Brandeis vs. Wesleyan

College Search & Selection
1

Okay, so… in retrospect, I may have applied to too many colleges.
I now find myself (thankfully, don’t get me wrong) with many seemingly similar options.

I have narrowed it down to these four colleges listed above, however I was also accepted to Colby, Vassar, and Colgate, so if you think I should reconsider any of those, please chime in and explain why.

I did apply for financial aid, but, even though Vassar has yet to send me a financial aid package, I have been offered $0 everywhere so far. We will be able to make it work, but my parents want me to take out some loans to help out.

I plan on double-majoring in economics and math. I am generally more drawn to LAC’s, however Brandeis offered me $17,500 in merit aid, and so it is worth keeping in the running.

If you could please comment on the differences between the academics of these schools generally, but also my majors, specifically, that would be helpful. I think I would fit in socially at all of these schools, however I am hesitant about the “jock culture” at Bowdoin (and also possibly Midd). Furthermore, I am still uncertain as to whether or not I will attend grad school, so which colleges, in particular, will provide the best job opportunities directly afterwards?

I am still waiting on Cornell and Brown this Thursday, but I am not expecting acceptances from them, and I think I would prefer the environment at a small liberal arts college, anyway.

2

Nice options. I’d say that Midd has just as much of a jock culture as Bowdoin.

How much in loans would you need to take out? If it’s substantial, turning down $17.5K per year from Brandeis might be hard to justify.

3

While Brandeis is not a LAC per se, it is quite small for a university and (thus) might have a bit of a LAC feel, albeit with some grad students around and in a city (most LACs are small-town rural, including Midd/Bowdoin/Wes).

And ~$70k savings over four years isn’t chump change.

I’d say if they are equal on fit, Brandeis should have the advantage because of the cost savings. But if you develop a clear favorite in terms of fit – academic, social, environmental, dorms/food – and your family is still willing to pay $60k(ish) per year (you can only take out $5500 in loans your first year…), then that school could be the choice.

Can you tell us a little bit about why you are choosing Bowdoin, Midd and Wes instead of Colby, Vassar and Colgate? Aside from your majors and a small campus/LAC feel generally, what are you looking for in a school?

4

I think you should have a talk with your parents and determine exactly how much in loans they expect you to take out each year – and determine if going to Brandeis mean graduating debt free.

5

@doschicos It will probably end up being about $50,000 over the four years, which is daunting, however I think my parents are doing it so that I will be more personally responsible for my college education, and, possibly, so that I will take college and my life after it more seriously. I think that they may help me pay them off afterwards, and so I will just owe them instead of the lender

6

Middlebury, Wesleyan and Colgate would be among the best choices in the country for the study of economics:

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html

Brandeis would also be superb for economics.

Bowdoin appears in a PR sampling, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors,” and would be a solid choice for study in this field.

Vassar would be academically competitive with the best from your group and would offer a less sports oriented option:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9

7

@prezbucky Personally, I find the Brandeis campus quite unpleasant and ugly, and am unsure of how well I would fit socially, which is why I am still conflicted.

As to why I prefer certain LAC’s over others:

I have yet to visit Bowdoin, however I think the campus is beautiful (from what I’ve seen in pictures, anyway), I love the location (its proximity to both a plethora of outdoor activities and civilization/urbanization), and I also value the high quality of life there, whether it be the food, dorms, etc. But, as I said, even though I do play sports–although I don’t plan on playing varsity in college–I am wary about the prevalent jock culture (and preppiness) at Bowdoin.

I visited Middlebury and absolutely loved the campus – the location, environment, facilities, everything. I also might like the size of Middlebury over that of Bowdoin, both regarding the student body and campus, in general. However, I have the same social concerns as with Bowdoin.

Admittedly, Middlebury and Bowdoin are my top considerations right now, but I have kept Wesleyan on there because of the different, perhaps more desirable, culture there than at Bowdoin and Midd (more open-minded, laid-back, hippy-ish).

Even with the differences, I feel as though I would be able to fit in well at any of them

8

Bowdoin and Middlebury have more in common socially than Wesleyan and Brandeis. The latter two are less outdoorsy and share a certain tradition of progressive politics.

I’d say that they are a draw in terms of economics and math although I wouldn’t be surprised if Brandeis, because of its sizable graduate school, had more academic stars (I lost count how many past and present faculty belonged to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences when I visited their Wiki page.)

Middlebury draws a lot of language majors and places well with banking and management firms, particularly at their overseas branches.

Wesleyan alumni cover an incredible amount of territory, including VIPs in sports, politics, literature and the performing arts. It also boasts the highest number of MacArthur “genius” awards of the colleges mentioned so far.

9

If Brandeis has a lot of STEM majors, wouldn’t that point to less political activism in general – more mainstream, center-left or -right people?

No doubt that by rep, anyway, Wes is the most liberal (student body, culture…) school of the four and the least preppy. They are known for attracting artistic types, so this sort of makes sense.

Finally, Bowdoin is the one campus – of these four – which I have visited. I found it to be pretty, fairly small (as you’d expect), and flat. I didn’t see all of it, but I walked on or around probably 10-15 acres of the “main” (?) area (the round-topped building, the antarctica museum, the building with the polar bear in front of it, etc.), and it was all flat. I would consider that a plus unless you’re into sledding in the winter. hehe

10

If you’re not enthused by the sporty culture, you may want to take Middlebury and Bowdoin off your list and put Vassar on.

I would try to revisit. Smaller schools definitely have vibes, and it sounds like you will know what you’re looking for when you see it. You can explore departments when you’re there (although I would advise looking through a course catalogue before you visit so you know what you want to explore further in person.)

11

In this analysis that considers outcomes, Colgate finishes first among all U.S. LACs:

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-colleges-in-the-united-states-2016-8

12

I agree with gardendestategal. Vassar or Wesleyan may be better fits for you. Go visit.

13

@prezbucky - Brandeis doesn’t seem to have that many more STEM majors than Wesleyan, Middlebury, and Bowdoin. According to its common data sets, Biology/Life Sciences pops up as a popular area of concentration, but, that is in stark contrast to single digit percentages in Math, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science. It’s hard to tell definitively, but, I’m betting a lot of those bio majors are premeds.
BTW, I think $50,000 is way too much debt to have hanging over the OP once they graduate. The family should make clear now how much of that will be the parent’s responsibility and how much the OP will be on the hook for.

14

Great choices. as @Merc81 noted, Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Colgate all highly ranked for economics. I wouldn’t be so quick to rule out Colgate. Beautiful campus. Yes, in the middle of nowhere but not too far from Syracuse. Have you joined the accepted students pages on FB for the colleges? That will give you some idea of other students who might be your classmates. I would highly recommend going to accepted students days for your top 3 - 4. Spend some time looking at the course catalog for these schools, too. Do they have the courses you want/need? How many required classes are there? You are in an enviable position. Let us know what you decide - and why!

15

If you’re considering grad school, note this advice on one of the Middlebury econ department pages:

They’re all good, but internship opportunities may be better in the Boston area (where a Federal Reserve branch is located) than at any of the LACs. Brandeis course offerings must be broader, too, considering the freedom to cross register at other area colleges (including Tufts, Wellesley, and Olin). Add the $17,500 in merit aid, and Brandeis looks pretty appealing.

16

If the OP is concerned about the cocky/preppy culture at Midd and Bowdoin, I think the OP is correct in removing Colgate from the list.

17

Both my son and daughter were accepted to Colgate with great financial aid. They both visited. Both turned off by preppy rich kid culture. My daughter was turned off so quickly so fast that she refused to do the overnight, said that all anyone on campus talked about was how drunk they were going to get at the frat party on the weekend. Daughter ended up at Rice and son at Vassar. Both are doing great and are exactly where they belong. Vassar has its rich kids but is anti preppy: no frats sports of the radar , iconoclastic, artsy. Rice is just wonderful period.

18

Your parents know you can only borrow ~$5500/year on your own, right? They’ll have to cosign for the rest.

19

Bowdoin does have a pretty vibrant arts scene, as I can attest to, having attended a fair number of theatrical and musical events there. It’s not all jocks. :slight_smile: I freely admit that I am prejudiced, but Brunswick is a great town.

20

Every time I want to type jocky, it autocorrects to cocky. I meant jocky. Maybe autocorrect know something I don’t. :wink: