I am a freshman at a community college in the northeast. I have applied to several liberal arts colleges, my state university, and Concordia University in Montreal. I recently got into Concordia, but I have to commit to Concordia before I will hear back from most of the colleges in the U.S. that I applied to. Concordia is affordable, and I am excited about it, but I am wondering if I should commit to Concordia as being white, female, middle class, and unhooked, could mean that I get little aid as a transfer student to one of these other schools. My state university is a good option and the acceptance rate for transfers is pretty high, but it is likely to be around the same price as Concordia or a few thousand higher (per year).
Stats-wise I have applied to a range of reaches, matches, and safeties. However, the chance of getting accepted + needing a significant amount of aid makes me wonder if I should just take the option I currently have. My parents and I are at a slight loss as to what the next step should be.
My biggest concerns about Concordia is the size of the school, adjusting to the Canadian system, and the possibility that I might have to live off campus.
I applied to very few schools as a high school senior and ended up getting waitlisted at a 2 competitive LACs and getting into a 2 other schools that ended up being too expensive, so my fear is that foregoing the Concordia option could repeat last year’s mistakes as well as missing out on a new opportunity.
Thank you for any information about Concordia/advice about the situation!
What state are you in and what are you looking to study? How much is the deposit for Concordia?
The deposit for Concordia is $100, but the bigger issue is the housing application deadline happens simultaneously with the decision releases from the other schools.
I am in Vermont, and I am hoping to study French combined with either public health or environmental studies.
You can commit to Concordia now and withdraw if you receive an acceptance that you like better.
Agree…but know that you will lose any deposit at Concordia.
And that doesn’t reflect badly? I wasn’t sure if that would be seen as dishonest/ a reason that they would rescind the offer.
Concordia is of course quite different from a liberal arts college. It is fine on the “liberal arts” part, but is as you have said relatively large. I generally think of it as quite a good university, perhaps approximately on a par with UVM (which I also like a lot), but which suffers a bit from comparison with McGill that is just down the street. We did take a tour of it for one daughter who then decided that she wanted a smaller school.
Concordia will offer a nearly unique opportunity to study at an English language university, close to home for you, in a very interesting city where French is the primary language of communication. Of course the part of Montreal around Concordia and McGill is largely bilingual, but you will have a lot of opportunity to speak French in your everyday life in Montreal. To me it sounds like quite a good option if you want to study “French combined with either public health or environmental studies”. It is going to be a lot easier to learn French well if you get to use it on a daily basis.
Bishop’s University (in Lennoxville Quebec, right near Sherbrooke) would be the closest thing to a LAC that teaches in English but is located in a bilingual town next to or part of a French city and near Vermont. However, it is probably too late to apply for this year (I have not checked the transfer application dates). Along with Concordia and McGill it is the other English language university in Quebec.
I think that your choices would be to: (1) Accept your admissions to Concordia, put down your deposit, apply for housing, and risk losing your deposit; or (2) Turn down Concordia, and risk staying where you are for at a minimum another semester and quite likely another year.
Personally I would risk losing the deposit. I would accept the offer from Concordia.
Universities know that sometimes students accept offers of admissions but then get another option late, sometimes off a waitlist, and change their mind. The universities will not take this personally.
@Vtkid It’s not being dishonest if it’s your best option at the time you commit. Why would they rescind? Canadian schools in general don’t care at all about whether or not you withdraw.
@Vtkid - If nothing else the $100 gives you a little more time to decide. Outside of UVM are there other schools you are considering? Have you run the cost calculators for those schools?
That makes sense. I was unsure if it had the same general rules as an ED agreement where it is seen as dishonest to withdraw for reasons other than financial difficulties.
Thank you for all of this information! Not being Canadian, I have been trying to find out more information about the school and general area of Montreal. Thank you for the advice as well!
Yes, I applied to several liberal arts colleges in New England that are predicted to be affordable. However, the predictions are mostly for incoming freshman who colleges tend to be more generous towards.
I did just get into one of the other schools today, and it is definitely affordable.
Thank you for your help!
Congratulations!
Best of luck with the rest.