Hi everyone! I have been absolutely blessed this admissions cycle, getting into basically all of my target schools. So, I am struggling with the amazing problem of not knowing where to go. I’m looking for more information on each of these colleges from what people have heard/personal experiences. I’m touring all these schools throughout the month of April but college confidential has been such a help to me that I thought I’d reach out and get some advice before I see them. I’m interested in majoring in English and the humanities, as well as poli-sci and international studies, so I’m trying to figure out which schools have the best programs for those. I live on the East Coast, but I wouldn’t mind going to Cali for school either. The weather in Oregon is a bit of another story… My family is fortunate enough to be full pay because of a 529 account my grandfather has set up for me since birth, but if I ever wanted to go to graduate school I’d have to take out loans to do so if I pay full tuition for all four years at a school, so that’s something I’m keeping in mind in terms of merit.
Reed (COA $82k a year)
PROS
super intensive strong academics
good for humanities
great collaborative environment
portland is a very cool city
wacky student body (like me)
love the canyon on campus
CONS
not sure how much student activity/clubs there are
worried that the academic environment could be too much
RAINY
doesn’t offer merit
Scripps (COA $84k a year)
PROS
the consortium is an amazing resource with so much available
great humanities
beautiful campus and beautiful weather and beautiful locations
like the all-women’s environment but still with guys around
decent party scene
lots and lots of amazing clubs and activities (The 5c student life newspaper seems amazinggg)
1 hour from LA by train
CONS
I have concerns about some portions of the student body looking down on scripps/ seeing them as a lesser school which bothers me in terms of i don’t want to spend four years fighting to be seen as an equal
didn’t give me any merit
would have to take international studies major off campus
Bryn Mawr (COA $36k a year because of $45k presidential scholarship)
PROS
amazing academics and great learning environment, i especially love their comparative literature major
super cool traditions that lead to close knit student body
beautiful dorms, buildings, and campus
gave me AMAZING merit
all women’s environment with tri-co consortium
CONS
i hate snowy philadelphia and wouldn’t mind being closer to the mountains
(Me realizing I have so many amazing schools to choose from I literally feel so so blessed)
Skidmore (COA $82k a year)
PROS
Saratoga is a beautiful city
it’s the closest to home for me, only 2.5 hours
lots of cool music stuff
pretty campus with a nature preserve
CONS
dunno how good the academics are compared to the rest of the schools
heard a lot about a student-athlete divide and some elitism
SO MUCH SNOW. even more than where i am now
Oberlin (COA $55k a year because of $28k scholarship)
PROS
very amazing music conservatory and I’m a theater girl so I feel like the vocal and performance and concert scene will be amazing
Creative writing MAJOR
I’ve heard the town is pretty cool, my grandpa went here 70 years ago and had great things to say
Super diverse, artsy, and weird
CONS
it’s an ohio and I’m concenred about abortion rights with recent developments
the town feels like it might be a little small/rural
not sure how good the academics are compared to other schools
have heard the dorms are a little old
Again, SNOW
Thank you all for getting this far in reading this. It feels surreal to have made it through the admissions process with so many completely spectacular choices. I’m struggling because as much as I love all the other schools, a COA of $36k a year at Bryn Mawr feels difficult to pass up, even if I can afford to. If it helps, I was also accepted to UVM ($20k a year scholarship) and Whitman ($25k a year scholarship), as well as waitlisted at Pitzer, Vassar, Wesleyan, and Kenyon. I’m sure I’ll learn more as I start to visit schools, but I’d super appreciate any help you all could give me in this process. I know that wherever I end up I will receive an amazing education, and am so grateful that I have these opportunities. Thanks for taking the time to read this!!!
What do your parents say - sometimes it’s not a question of affordability but rather what they want to afford.
At $36K for BM is very difficult to pass up and while you love the consorium, with them you have Haverford down the street and you can take classes there (and Swarthmore too although a bit further away).
Unless you’d really hate it there- yeah, that’s sort of hard to pass up.
My parents say they’re supportive of me choosing whichever school feels like the best fit, although the money piece is also a part of that ‘fit’ for sure. Thanks so much!!
Bryan Mawr is 20 minutes to Philly and a really fine school at a fantastic price, and you can visit a lot of mountains or sun drenched locales with the nearly $50,000 per year savings. Besides, out of all the schools and your Pro/Con list, did you notice BM is the winner with only a single con?
That’s a good strategy, I think that helps me narrow it to a top three. The thing is, the money is in a 529 account, so it can only really be used for my education or a future retirement account— which is the reason I bring up grad school, since that’s the main place it’d be going/not going.
I didn’t notice that!! Honestly I’m really loving BMC but I also love Reed and Scripps, so it’s just hard… obviously taking the price into account is a big thing. I do still want to consider the others though, at least to tour them all and really get a feel.
Oh wow, I didn’t even know that was possible. That’s pretty amazing. BMC looks harder and harder to pass up LOL
I’d definitely put it top 3 with Scripps and Reed. I think I’ll get a more solid ranking list down when I tour them all, and I’m touring Reed very soon so that should illuminate things
Congratulations on great choices!
My daughter had both Reed and Bryn Mawr on her short list since she loved them both. I also thought they were both fantastic. I do think I’d pick Bryn Mawr in your case - that’s a great price for a fantastic school and as a potential English major who might be attending grad school I think it’s very smart to think ahead. As for the snowy weather: can you do a study abroad one winter (esp since you were being smart and saved so much?)
Regarding Reed’s intense academic vibe: my daughter is like you in a sense that she was both intrigued and excited but also concerned a bit regarding its academic intensity. It is something you either love it or not. The current student who she chatted with loved it. But it’s a fit thing! When you visit Reed, try chatting with a student or two - it might help you decide.
I don’t know much about Scripps since my daughter was not a fan (but I think it’s a great school)!
Honestly you have GREAT choices. Congratulations!!
This is so helpful, thank you!! I’ll definitely try chatting with some students when I visit both schools. Also, a winter study abroad would be a good idea for sure
I have friends that went to Scripps. It’s an absolutely amazing school and a highly respected member of the Claremont consortium. I’d choose Scripps for the environment, quality of education, consortium and reputation.
Doing an off-campus major at Scripps is not a hassle at all. My daughter double-majored, with one major at Scripps and the other at Pomona. All she had to do was pick an advisor, meet with the advisor, and get a form signed. Everyone was 100% welcoming and supportive. Cross-registering doesn’t require any special effort - the whole consortium shares a common registration portal, and you can select courses from other campuses just as easily as selecting Scripps classes. As for attitudes about the various campuses… what my daughter found was that among first-years, there was a somewhat annoying preoccupation with the various stereotypes… but once settled in, everyone got bored with that and went on with their lives. Most classes have mixed populations from all the campuses, and everyone’s contributions are respected. Having the resources of the whole consortium at one’s fingertips means fantastic opportunities.
All that said, would we have chosen Scripps at 84K/year over Bryn Mawr at 36K/year? Nope!! That’s an amazing offer - congratulations! In our case, Scripps came out ahead because they did offer merit, albeit not as much as BMC has offered you - Scripps’ max merit doesn’t even go that high!
I really don’t think you should look at the 529 money as “might as well spend it since it’s committed to education anyway.” Yes, there is that constraint… but as you noted, starting in 2024 you’ll be able to make yearly Roth IRA contributions from your 529 (and Roth funds are relatively easy to access - you can use the principal to buy a home, for example. It’s only the earnings on the principal that you really can’t touch until retirement). You can also transfer funds to a sibling or child, or use them to pay off a spouse’s college loans… or worst-case, withdraw with a penalty which is still far better than never seeing that money again.
Call me stingy, but I wouldn’t choose any of your full-pay schools when you have such great merit offers. There are pros and cons for all of these schools, as you note, but the differences don’t (IMO) justify paying more than double for Scripps or Reed or Skidmore over BMC. That’s a really stark difference in price among schools that are all peers and all have appealing strengths. You’ve got Oberlin there in the middle, but it’s still 150% the cost of BMC and I’m not hearing that it’s clearly a better fit.
I know there can be a little bit of a “golden handcuffs” feeling when the financials point so strongly toward a school that gave you merit. But when that school is every bit as attractive as the ones that didn’t give merit, I think “love the school that loves you” is the order of the day.
These are all excellent choices! Congrats! Just a question, I know you received a merit award for BMC but have the other schools released their need-based financial packages yet? If not, you are comparing apples to oranges when it comes to price (unless you did not apply for financial aid). I went to Reed and loved it , but of course all of these schools are excellent
Eliminate Skidmore, it’s a fine school but, especially at that price, you have other better options.
I’m biased, but Bryn Mawr seems like best fit to me, plenty of non-BMC students around with Haverford and Villanova basically down the street. Beware that my daughter didn’t love her tour - she had decided on BMC sight-unseen (overseas during pandemic). When we finally got to campus she loved the vibe but after all the virtual tours and “hangouts” she has done she practically knew more than the guides and wished we had been able to go inside more buildings. It was a general tour in the summer so perhaps admitted students get a better one.
There is a clear winner here, and it’s Bryn Mawr. It’s a fantastic school, but it’s also part of the Quaker Consortium and you will be able to cross register for classes at the other three schools.
Bryn Mawr has put their money where their mouth is. They are saying loud and clear that they want you. Go for it!
Frankly, cold weather is meaningless to most students, except those few who genuinely have mental or physical ailments negatively affected by cold. You can learn to enjoy winters, as shown by the many students who choose colleges in cold parts of the country.
