<p>These are the choices my daughter is currently considering before that deposit is due May 1.</p>
<p>Here are some pertinent facts:</p>
<p>We live in New England, very close to Wellesley, so that may be a little too familiar to her.
We would be full pay at Wellesley.</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke gave her a $25K per year merit scholarship. I am an alumna.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr gave her a $20K per year merit scholarship. Will be visiting the school a week before the deposit is due because it's the only school she hasn't seen in person. She chose to apply because it sounded like a good fit for her.</p>
<p>Scripps was her first choice for a long time, but has faded just because it has been so long since she visited. She is prone to winter depression, so CA is a good choice. We would be full pay at Scripps. </p>
<p>We can afford to pay for college, but hate to waste free money!</p>
<p>I honestly think D would be happy at any of these schools.</p>
<p>Any insights?</p>
<p>What majors is she considering? I’m a student at Wellesley, and I love the college, but these are all excellent schools.</p>
<p>She doesn’t know what she wants to major in, but she likes English, history, French, music (piano and voice) and chemistry. I know all the schools have good departments in those subjects.</p>
<p>I went to high school in rural Maine and can totally relate to winter-induced mood swings. I looked at several colleges in New England, but was amazed by the temperate climate at Bryn Mawr. It’s just enough south that I found the seasons to actually be seasons (not just varying shades of winter with a couple months of sun). Bryn Mawr was also the only school I waited until the last minute to visit since it was also the farthest. The visit is what absolutely sold me. I’d encourage you to speak with as many students on campus as possible to get a feel for the environment. Best of luck to you both!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t waste free money; they are all great schools! I’d choose between Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke. Both have great consortia; MHC has Smith, Hampshire, Amherst and UMass-Amherst nearby whereas Bryn Mawr has Swarthmore, Haverford, and Penn. I get the sense that the Five College Consortium is more isolated in Western Mass whereas Bryn Mawr is only 10 miles from Philadelphia.</p>
<p>On face, I think I would choose Bryn Mawr over Mount Holyoke. But a visit may make things more clear for her!</p>
<p>Maybe visiting would help her decision? And also, Scripps is in the Claremont Consortium with Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer. And you really can’t beat California weather!</p>
<p>If quality of teaching is a factor, your daughter might want to consider that 14 of the 300 best professors in the nation teach at Mount Holyoke according to a 2012 guidebook published by the Princeton Review. Mount Holyoke has the greatest number of the “best professors” of any other college or university in the country.</p>
<p>Went to Wellesley. Love Wellesley. However, Mt. Holyoke is a very very close second and if it were my daughter I’d jump on the MHC offer!</p>
<p>Well, folks, thanks so much for your input. My daughter chose Wellesley. She went to a gathering for accepted students and was very impressed by the women she met there, has a mentor who graduated in the class of '48 (yes, really!), has corresponded with a student involved in the Christian fellowship there, and found a roommate who seems to be a kindred spirit. What’s more, the president of a highly-respected Christian college near us told us that Wellesley was truly a classic liberal arts school (not many of those left, IMHO) and that she’d get a great education there.</p>
<p>So I sent in her deposit.</p>
<p>Great! I’m glad to hear she found a good fit. I hope she has a great experience at Wellesley–I know I certainly have.</p>
<p>YAY for her choice being made and I think it is a GREAT one!!!</p>