<p>I am surprised and lucky to have been accepted to these 3. I visited them all, and liked them all a lot. I can't decide!
Here are my concerns: what do you think?
F&M: very tough academics, students working too hard to do exracurriculars or have fun?
Gburg: very white, conservative, insular, mostly from PA / MD?
Hobart: very isolated, cold, full of NYers who couldn't get into ivy league?</p>
<p>Those concerns might be right. I haven’t gotten the chance to visit Gettysburg yet so I can’t speak from personal experience, but my guidance counselor told me that she prefers Gettysburg over F&M because the atmosphere is less serious and it seems like the students there have more fun. She said students at F&M are very academic so the campus seems more uptight.</p>
<p>Of the three, G’burg is known for the most drinking and IIRC the highest Greek %. Take that as you will and confirm stats before you quote.</p>
<p>F&M sounds the best, especially if your concern is tough academics (which is a good thing :D).</p>
<p>Thanks for your input everyone (and sorry I mispelled quandary!). But I still feel stuck, and the clock is ticking.
I am amazed at the widely different colleges some people are choosing between on this website; I feel that my choices are so similar, that’s why I’m stuck!
The only place where I had that “gut” feeling that a college was right for me, is a college where I was wait-listed!</p>
<p>Horus – Do you have any idea what you want to do with your life? Are you contemplating any particular major? What do you like to do when you are not in class or studying? If you gave us a little better insight into what makes you tick perhaps we could offer some ideas as to what might make a particular college a better bet for you.</p>
<p>Horus,</p>
<p>What about practical considerations like finances and distance from home? Which college will cost the least? Which one is closest/farthest? Do you want to be far away for your college experience? My daughter initially wanted to go further from home but now is glad that she’s within a 2-3 hour driving distance. Many schools have five breaks each academic year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, short Easter break, and the trip to/from the school in September and May). So that’s 20 back and forth trips overall, and some of them may not be doable due to cost, hassle, weather, or other practicalities. I’ve also known students who’ve gotten very sick, especially during freshman year, and then parents had to fly to bring them home, etc. I know these are boring considerations, but it’s just another factor to keep in mind.</p>
<p>I’m a Gettysburg parent, so I can’t offer any information on the other schools. The quality of academics at Gettysburg is quite strong. The library has become my daughter’s second dorm room and there have been no easy A’s or even easy B’s. </p>
<p>As far as the Greek culture - this has been discussed on the Gettysburg threads, so I’d direct you there. 26% of girls and 38% of boys on campus are Greek; whether that’s a lot or not is up to the individual to decide. And you probably know yourself well enough as to whether or not you’d enjoy parties or whether you’d prefer other activities. Some people seem to have a hateful stance toward the Greek system, but for all the negative attitudes towards it, lots of my daughter’s friends visit her from other colleges because the parties are so much fun. My daughter did join a sorority (something she swore in high school that she’d never do) and loves it but half her friends did not. She’s also involved in many other non-Greek activities, has a job on campus, etc. The key is to balance your academics and social life no matter what college you choose. </p>
<p>And the good thing is that since you feel that the colleges you’re choosing among are very similar, you’ll probably be happy at any of them. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Take it from a person who applied ED to gburg last year, then got wait listed because I failed a class. I look back and would have applied to f&m ED because of how great the academics are. The campus is more involved in terms of extra curricular’s whereas at G-burg the students are more involved with partying. G-burg is a great school, but f and m is just that much better. The f&m campus is more laid back and students tend to compete with each other, but any grad school admissions counselor will tell you that f&m students are some of the best.</p>