<p>My daughter got off the waitlist at Richmond and we are visiting tomorrow thru Thursday. She really likes Dickinson, and would be happy there, but this is an opportunity definitely worth considering. Money was taken out of the equation since both FA packages are very similar, with Richmond being a little more expensive ($1500/year more).
She was able to visit Dickinson twice and stay overnight, and has met many people from students, staff, alumni, parents, etc. We had also invested of course the deposit, but also emotionally, knowing it is a good fit for her.
Richmond was a last minute addition to her list, and she liked it enough to apply. It was already late to visit (mid December) so we decided to wait until she was accepted. When she was waitlisted we didnt think she would get off the waitlist and decided again not to visit. She did accept a spot in the waitlist and here we are. She doesnt know many people, we are just going to visit when school is out and there wont be many people on campus.
How can she make an informed decision? Are both schools that much different that she will be able to notice right away?
If you have a S/D that was taken off a waitlist, please share any experiences or advice as to how to handle all of this.
Thank you</p>
<p>If she’s happy with Dickinson, don’t second guess the decision. </p>
<p>Time to buy the Dickinson sweatshirt and fully embrace the idea of becoming a member of their freshman class. :)</p>
<p>I pretty much agree with nysmile. Richmond is a great place, beautiful campus, strong academics, etc. but so is Dickinson. Obviously there are a few distinctions, particularly if she is a sports fan or prefers to go to school in a larger town, prefers a milder climate, etc. However, unless there some specific programs of interest available at Richmond but not at Dickinson, or once she visits she feels she simply “must” go there, I think she’d do well to stick with her initial plans and start celebrating.</p>
<p>I’ll disagree with the two above posters, and say go for Richmond. In any case, visit before making your decision. </p>
<p>When I visited Richmond with my S last spring, we were both really impressed. It had the most gorgeous campus I’ve seen, with the student center overlooking the lake. The students seemed so friendly - several people offered to help with directions when they saw us looking at a map. The school seemed to have such a supportive environment. Richmond has been steadily climbing in the rankings and becoming much more known. </p>
<p>Dickinson was on the maybe list for my S, but didn’t make the cut, and he didn’t end up applying. He did apply to Richmond, but withdrew after being accepted at WashU. I’ve got statistics for both on my spreadsheet, so I opened it up to compare.</p>
<p>Princeton Review (from last year) rates Richmond higher than Dickinson for Quality of Life (85 vs. 79) and Academic Rating (93 vs. 89). Richmond is more evenly gender matched (51M/49F) than Dickinson (45M/55F). </p>
<p>Does she know what she wants to study?</p>
<p>I second Richmond. It has more upside potential and a better location.</p>
<p>Additions to my post #4:</p>
<p>When my S withdrew his app from Richmond, he got a very nice personal letter from the admissions office wishing him well at WashU. It was a small thing, but really left a positive impression about the school. </p>
<p>At the Richmond info session, they emphasized how many students double majored. They also talked up study abroad.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. She wants to study environmental studies/science, languages (italian, russian…, already speaks spanish, french) and a strong study abroad program is important.
Its going to be difficult to judge the school by only going to the official stuff (tour info session).
Any advice on where to venture out?</p>
<p>My H went to Dickinson and loved it. My kids toured it and loved it. S1 didn’t have the stats to apply and S2 is still a junior. Last winter my H went to an alumni meeting where the Pres of Dickinson was speaking. He said he spends a huge amount of time developing relationships with top 20 grad schools and takes a personal interest in getting his Dickinson kids into those programs. Something to think about…</p>
<p>The only negative that S2 saw in Dickinson is that he thought it was way too “green” and way to “global”. Others would see this as a positive. </p>
<p>For me the only negative was travel. Coming from Minnesota makes it a little tricky to get to Carlisle. </p>
<p>They are both great schools and your child will do well whatever the choice.</p>
<p>Hi acsvcr! The UR website has some good info on the city: [Explore</a> the City, University of Richmond](<a href=“http://www.richmond.edu/city/index.html]Explore”>http://www.richmond.edu/city/index.html). Also, UR seems to have a focus on Study Abroad that we didn’t see in too many places. Is that of interest to your D? Little things that set UR apart for us: </p>
<p>When my daughter sat in on classes one day we were looking for her class. A student saw that we were lost. She stopped, asked where we were going and walked my daughter to her classroom.</p>
<p>My daughter received emails from all three professors she sat in on inviting her to ask questions of them and offering words of encouragement.</p>
<p>Take a look at the police blotter found in the school paper. It made us feel secure that she is going to a seemingly safe school. [News</a> | The Collegian ? University of Richmond](<a href=“http://www.thecollegianur.com/news/]News”>http://www.thecollegianur.com/news/)</p>
<p>Good luck to you! Your daughter has a tough decision to make!</p>
<p>This is a very nice choice to have. My son applied to both but favored Dickinson. I think he got a “preppy/snobby” vibe when we toured Richmond last summer. Plus, as a possible French minor, he liked Dickinson’s study abroad program. </p>
<p>For the record, I was with him on the Richmond tour and didn’t get the same vibe. So YMMV.</p>
<p>OP, you may have read this comment already over on the Dickinson thread, but we visited 20 campuses, and went to the study abroad office at nearly every campus because D1 has some “unusual” study abroad requirements. The Dickinson study abroad office was more knowledgeable and helpful than any other office we visited. D2 is a Dickinson soph now headed off campus to 2 different places next year, and they have continued to provide excellent support to her throughout the process.</p>
<p>No knowledge of Richmond’s study abroad process at all, but Dickinson’s is definitely a strong suit.</p>