@citykid I meant it was harder to access from the closest airport, and that a regional airport may have fewer flight options.
Sorry for the confusion.
Admittedly I haven’t read everything here fully after the first few posts, but it sounds like Rochester is the best bang for your buck - little on loans, open curriculum you want, not in the middle of nowhere yet still a nice campus, and solid and challenging academics. As others have said, congrats on what seems like an amazingly well-done college admissions journey!
@umohahyeah, Northampton is listed.
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-small-towns-in-america
Kenyon, Grinnell or URochester, all three great choices and within budget. No way would I advocate for paying 2-3x for any other school on your list.
My d15 seriously considered both Grinnell and Kenyon. I would say Kenyon is much more remote than Grinnell. The Kenyon campus is beautiful but the town is really just a village of one block. There’s a larger town a five minute drive away. The town of Grinnell isn’t great but it’s a real town with restaurants etc. Iowa city, which is a great college town, is 45 minutes away. Des Moines is also about 45 minutes away. Access is from either the Cedar Rapids or Des Moines airports. Congrats on having so many great options! I would stick to your budget.
Thank you to everyone who responded! I’ll take what you guys said under consideration when I make my decision.
I have an update: I got into Vassar as well! The financial aid decision just came out, and without loans it will be 29k. I didn’t think that I would get in or that it would be so comparable. I did some further investigating into the pre-med advising services each school had and Hamilton and Vassar seemed to come out top. On their websites, they offered the most help with the process. I would even say Vassar may be better with the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI). However, I will still reserve my decision until I finish visiting all the schools. Also, I don’t know much about Vassar’s reputation and atmosphere, so I’m hoping someone can offer some advice?
Another factor is that Swarthmore’s dance director reached out to me and said they were impressed by my dance supplement. This does make me feel really included.
Furthermore, I just got back from visiting UT-D and I’d say the facilities aren’t bad at all (and large!). Actually, I was surprised at the pre-med emphasis I saw during the tour (Greens Fellowship & the Living Learning Communites for premeds). However, I do have a pretty bad sense of spatial awareness and to me it seems like every school is huge (even Grinnell haha) and alright. I’ve also heard terrible reviews from other posters on CC about UT-D’s premed so I’m definitely wary. I also have a question: has anyone ever tried to gain Texas residency in order to apply to Texas med schools?
Overall, I’d say I’m still more inclined towards the LACs, mainly Hamilton, Vassar, and Swarthmore. Of course this could all change when I go visit so who knows?
Vassar leans towards an English major/fine arts veneer and a noticeable gender imbalance, though these characteristics are laid over a nicely intellectual environment that includes a traditional curriculum in the arts and sciences. Even though Vassar is highly selective, you should not be surprised that you were admitted given your other acceptances in a similarly rarefied range.
During your visits, spend some time imagining yourself studying in these schools’ respective science buildings. Vassar’s is fully new. Hamilton’s has been redesigned with a retention of its former traditional elements. Others from your list will offer distinctive elements for you to consider as well.
OP - I think you can safely take Swarthmore out of the running. It’s a great school with a gorgeous campus, but, IMHO it has nothing over Vassar. Poughkeepsie is also home to Vassar Brothers Medical Center:
https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ny/vassar-brothers-medical-center-6214140
We were actually very impressed with UTD Pre-med options and especially all their research options. The funding for the school is incredible, especially in the sciences. And it is in a nice suburb with reasonable access to Dallas. An international community and smaller classes if you are part of the honors college. We actually found the honors benefits to be substantial and it felt like the best of both LAC and University resources. Good luck with your decision.