Picking a School!

College Search & Selection
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A flexible curriculum could give you a greater degree of choice outside of your pre-med requirements. Note that colleges with flexible curricula tend to be accessible as well – that is, most courses are open to most students, irrespective of major or other thresholds (this could be the case at other schools as well, of course). However, I think you should consider the degree of curricular flexibility in the context of all the potential factors of importance to you.

I’d say that you should select your college with a sense that, with the right choice, you could continue to develop your skills and intellect. At the costs you have listed, the LACs may actually be a bargain. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t continue to explore the option of UT-D though, should it appeal to you.

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@merc81 Thank you for continued insights into these colleges.

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hi, op! first, congratulations on all of your acceptances! you’re a very fortunate individual. second, don’t write off uofrochester right away. it’s a very, very good school for what you’re wanting and is your third cheapest option.

your concerns about swarthmore’s workload and possibly not maintaining a good enough gpa are totally understandable. that and the dauntingly low acceptance rate are what pushed me not to apply. however, they did accept you, so they—and i—fully believe you can succeed should you choose to enroll there.

i agree with the above posters when saying kenyon seems like your best option given the price, but grinnell’s offer, combined with the opportunities it provides (fantastic science facilities, research funding, open curriculum, etc.), seems like it will give you the best return on investment.

in terms of the workload, swarthmore > grinnell, but grinnell > most, if not all, of the schools you listed. grinnell’s workload is very demanding, but it is very manageable (according to every student with whom i’ve spoken).

i can’t really speak on either hamilton’s or smith’s behalf since i didn’t really look into either of them when searching for schools (especially not the latter since i’m a boy, lmao), but i do see that hamilton is $10K more a year than what your parents would like to pay, and i, personally, don’t think that’s worth it, but it may be worth it to you, and that’s perfectly fine (if they can make it work).

what days are you visiting grinnell? i’ll be there from april 8-9, so pm me if you’ll be there the same time as i, and we can meet up! :slight_smile:

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I don’t know much about the schools except for Drexel since Drexel is one of the two schools I am deciding between. But if you’re looking to do co-ops and getting paid to pay for school or just anything you want, it would be great especially since it’s located in the city and a lot of opportunities for the major.

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California schools? Cal Grant is only for low income students (same as Fed’l Pell Grant). However, CA instate tuition w/out any aid is 5k-13k (for all cal states and UC’s–even UCLA/Berkeley). Think you should keep CA under consideration…

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@1andonly Even at the price of in-state tuition, the UCs for me end up being a similar price to that of the private LACs and such. I’ve been dreaming of leaving CA and living on my own so I would prefer to leave.

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@kalons @dhd713 Thank you for your opinion! I am leaning towards LACs instead of URochester or Drexel because I really like how professors truly get to know every student in smaller classes and I believe that LACs may offer more support and resources for me as a pre-med. I’ll make sure to keep an eye out during my visits to ensure I like the atmosphere as a whole.

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that’s understandable. that’s exactly why i chose to attend an LAC, so i know where you’re coming from. like i said, though, if you do end up attending the april 8-9 visit days for grinnell, don’t be afraid to reach out! good luck with your decision. :slight_smile:

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@kalons Thank you for your help!

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“The rural area of Kenyon is kinda what throws me off but I will attempt to visit. Is it somewhat like Grinnell’s area?”

Yes, but I’d say Grinnell is even more remote from major airports, etc.

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Grinnell is an amazing school if you don’t mind being stuck in Iowa for 4 years! The campus has a really unique vibe and it’s close enough to Des Moines, so you aren’t too stranded. I have been hearing a ton of negative things about Swarthmore lately from recent alumni living in my town, though I’m not sure how much truth there is. One of my best friends is going to hamilton next year and absolutely loves it! She is a fairly quiet nerd but also likes the sporty side of hamilton.

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Congratulations on all your wonderful acceptances! I am a Smith parent and my daughter has loved her time there (graduating in May). The 5-college consortium is a great way to have the benefits of both a small school and a large one, and NoHo is a great college town. Lots to do, and my daughter never felt isolated, which could be the case at a Grinnell or a Kenyon. So I’d encourage you to look closely at Smith! I’ve never been to Hamilton, but my much younger cousin graduated from there not too long ago, and she regularly goes back just to visit. That’s how much she loved it.

My only other comment/suggestion: since you don’t want to stay in CA, cross all the UCs off your list. They aren’t bargains for you anyway. Another cousin of mine went to Davis, and it’s a great school, but worth nearly 2x the cost of Kenyon? No way! Now cross off Drexel, Hofstra, and UTD. Especially at the prices Drexel and Hofstra are charging you, I don’t think you should consider them at all (jmo). You’ve determined that you want a smaller school, so cross off Rochester. That leaves you with 6 fantastic choices, with Kenyon in particular being an amazing value. Try to visit all 6 and then it should be fairly easy to make your final decision. Good luck!!

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@sugarski Wow, thank you for your comments! I have pretty crossed out the UCs, Drexel, and Hofstra, but UTD’s price seems like such a bargain it’s difficult to give up. I do know that UTD probably doesn’t have the resources I am looking for though. I am really looking forward to Smith and its college town, as well as Hamilton, thanks to everyone’s support.

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@Andrew2199 I saw your post just now and you do bring up really great questions. Location isn’t super important to me but I would like a hospital nearby so I can volunteer and perhaps more food options than just the dining hall. I will do my best to visit and I really hope that one does call to me. Thank you!

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@umohahyeah

Of the LACs you are considering, Swarthmore, Smith, and Kenyon are going to give you reasonable options for dance on campus. Things may have changed, but when my daughter looked at Grinnell, there wasn’t enough depth in dance there for her. I have no information on Hamilton or Middlebury’s dance offerings.

Kenyon is in a teeny tiny town and the campus is stunning. It’s about 40 minutes from Columbus. Grinnell’s town is bigger but it’s harder to get to.

Hofstra is very good for dance, but the academics are not at the level of many of your options. For the price point, I think you can do better.

At UT-D, you could take dance in the community if the classes on campus aren’t what you’re seeking. The honors program is worth checking out. It would be a better option than Hofstra academically, IMO, and is a sensible choice financially.

You have great options and all are reasonably affordable. Congrats!

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I think the dance department at Hamilton would be adequate for a minor. There are performance opportunities through the year, but it’s definitely something you should look into to see if it would fit your needs.

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@mamaedefamilia @Trixy34 Thank you for your insights into the colleges’ dance programs. This certainly helps narrow down the colleges a bit.

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Grinnell is between Des Moines and Iowa City, which are cities of about 250,000 and 80,000, respectively. It’s about four hours from Chicago and the Twin Cities and a bit farther from St. Louis and Milwaukee.

Iowa is full of nice people and great pork tenderloins. I’m not sure what people in Grinnell do for kicks, but here in Davenport we tangle with the Mississippi River and while it is not Colorado, there is some decent hiking. For lakes, Minnesota and Wisconsin, which are both infested with them, are nearby.

I’m going to put these in order, from cheapest to most expensive. If any two (or more) schools are tied based on fit, I would use cost as the tiebreaker.

UT Dallas – 10k
Kenyon – 18k
U of Rochester – 26k
UCR – 27k
Grinnell – 29k
UCSD – 31k
Smith – 33k
Swarthmore – 33k
Hofstra – 33k
Hamilton – 35k
UCD – 35k
Drexel – 35k
Middlebury College- 37k

Separating out the LACs:
Kenyon - $18
Grinnell - $29
Smith, Swat - $33
Hamilton - $35
Midd - $37

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Congrats on your fantastic choices. I do think you can’t go wrong with any of them.

My son is a junior at Grinnell, so I can’t resist putting in a plug for it. It’s a wonderful school, great academics, beautiful campus. A great choice for someone who is looking for a collaborative, intellectual environment. I don’t know anything about its dance program, though.

I’m not sure what @mamaedefamilia means about Grinnell being harder to get to its town than Kenyon. Grinnell College is about 3 or 4 blocks from the main streets of the town, a very quick walk. There’s not a ton to do there, so it’s not the place for a student who is looking for a lot of outside stimulation off campus, but it’s got some charm and there are some restaurants and coffee shops that my son and his friends do go to. It does have a hospital.

The college is between Des Moines and Iowa City, about 45 minutes from each. Some students do take advantage of them, particularly Iowa City which is s great college town and has music venues. Grinnell College runs some weekend shuttles there and to airports but it’s also easy to get rides with students who have cars.

I also know a good deal about Swarthmore because a close relative has taught there for many years. It’s also a great school with smart students and engaged faculty. Also a beautiful campus which is an international arboretum (beware students with allergies!). I personally think its reputation for intensity is overblown and just part of its hype. The students there seem to be able to experience fun, and activism, and personal drama, and extracurricular activities, and just plain vegging out as at any other school.

I hope you’ll let us know what you think of the schools after you visit.

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Just to add: I didn’t mean to imply in my post that there isn’t a ton to do at Grinnell College, just in the town itself. The College itself always has a lot going on—concerts, lectures, movies, improv. Swarthmore is similar in that regard (in fact, kids often choose it because it is so close to Philadelphia but Swarthmore faculty often comment that few students actually take advantage of being so close to Philly).