<p>I scored a 27 composite score on the act and have approximately a 90 gpa in high school, which has increased every single year. I know Dickinson's act average is above a 27 and my grades are obviously better than my test scores so do you think I should not send my act scores at all?</p>
<p>Stevo, don’t bother with Dickinson. Their admissions/finaid is notoriously awful. Besides, Dickinson has no real identity. Everyone confuses it with Fairleigh Dickinson which is an actual school.</p>
<p>My D got great merit aid from Dickinson. And… Dickinson has a much higher SAT range than FD. </p>
<p>OP, as you probably already know, Dickinson is test optional. Per the range on their website, your ACT score is at the 25% mark (and I think that is just of students who submit their scores). I would choose not to send your ACT scores if I were you.</p>
<p>I would recommend not submitting the ACT score. I think they would rather see the improvement in GPA.</p>
<p>Dickinson has an excellent reputation, my daughter got excellent FA from them, the admissions office (and pretty much every office we dealt with over her four years) were easy to work with.</p>
<p>My SS received scholarship money to every school applied to accept Dickinson (10 in all) the admissions department was non-responsive and underhanded. i don’t care to bash them outright, but my experience with them was truly awful. Feel free to PM me if you want details! Best of Luck!</p>
<p>Also, I’ve lived all over the county and never heard of Dickinson. Neither have my Yalie friends…</p>
<p>We found the financial aid and admissions people very easy to work with, and my D got great scholarship money.</p>
<p>hey Stevo, I know the whole college admission thang can be stressful and ppl can get wacka-doodly about their kids schools. PM me and I will impart my take on who in the department to avoid. Take it or leave it; no offense taken…</p>
<p>I think the OP has long since made his decision, but I still think I need to respond to CarolineH’s posts. According to her, a school is only good if she or her friends have heard of it. Using that as the criteria, schools such as Haverford, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Davidson, Amherst and Williams would also be lousy schools because I, too, have loved all over the country and I can assure you most people have never heard of those schools either. Let’s face it, if a school doesn’t have big-time Division I basketball or football programs, most people don’t have a clue about them. Hmmmm, but when it comes to hiring, I can assure you, many people in important places have heard of all those schools, as well as Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Middlebury, Colby … the list goes on. Dickinson is a great school. Nough said.</p>
<p>The same Yalies who have never hears of Dickinson College probably also don’t recognize the names Benjamin Rush or John Dickinson. But obviously CarolineH’s SS had in fact heard of Dickinson, or he wouldn’t have applied there. That he was offered aid at all his other schools suggests that this was the only school to which he applied that required the NCP profile. In fact, the very fact that they didn’t offer merit aid suggests that they are the best school, as they are selective enough that they didn’t feel the need to encourage him to attend, because they have plenty of strong candidates.</p>
<p>OP - I can assure that not everyone thinks “Dickinson” means Farleigh Dickinson - in fact around here, if you say Farleigh Dickinson you’ll get strange looks (because Dickinson is named for JOHN Dickinson, a signer of the US Constitution). Farleigh Dickinson may be better known in some circles simply because it is much larger, and easier to get into. In some circles, people confuse the University of Connecticut with Connecticut College.</p>
<p>Dickinson is known to those who matter - the people in a position to make hiring decisions following graduation.</p>
<p>Caroline - what “good” well-known schools offered your SS financial aid? Did any of them require the non-custodial CSS Profile? Did Yale accept him and offer aid?</p>
<p>I totally agree ! " knowing a School" should not be equated with prestige or the quality of education! I had already entered medical school and I asked a classmate where he attended as an undergraduate. He responded “bodin” which was Bowdoin. I never heard of it and when I read the name obviously mispronounced it! I " thought " I knew my schools. Boy was I wrong!</p>
<p>There are some advantages to going to a big name school such as Harvard or Yale as the name will open a few doors for you. Connections and networking may be important, depending on your field. On the other hand, I know plenty of successful people who went to less prestigious schools. The important thing is to find the school where you can thrive academically and socially, ie the right fit. Speaking of names, when I was at Penn, we used to have T shirts that said, " Not Penn State."</p>
<p>I agree jbroadway. You can certainly be successful having attended a lesser known school but if your life’s path takes you out of central PA then you likely have a tougher time with smaller networking circles etc. Especially when your most notable alum is Holly Patraeus. </p>
<p>I also live in CT and of everyone I’ve told where SS is going only one person had heard of it. These include those who work and employ people. If you’re faced with a stack of resumes and looking for ways to whittle it down then coming from a little known school won’t help your case.</p>
<p>SS had never heard of Dickinson and neither did his mother who has worked for Yale, Trinity, and Barnard. She hired a college coach who unearthed the name. SS wasn’t offered aid because admissions was bribed with access to millionaires through SS. Admissions did not process the application as filed and circumvented Dickinson’s own process for applicants. They were underhanded, unprofessional, and uncommunicative.</p>
<p>Well, of course Holly Patraeus would be more notable than a president of the United States and a chief justice of the Supreme Court. Jeez.</p>
<p>And what percentage of graduates come from “big name” schools? Ask the kids in your local high school where they’re going, and the vast majority are going to schools that are well known locally, but many of those going out of state are going to schools you’ve never heard of.</p>
<p>As for notable alumni - ever heard of Alfred V. du Pont (DuPont Chemicals?) President James Buchanan? Chief Justice Rogen Brooke Taney?</p>
<p>Aside from the Ivy League (which Dickinson doesn’t pretend to be), how many colleges have a President and a Chief Justice among their alumni?</p>
<p>"Everyone keep your hands outside the bars of the cage, and WHATEVER you do…</p>
<p>…PLEASE don’t feed the trolls."</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Um…yeah. All alumni from prior to 1818. I’m sure my SS will blow away the competition in his non-existant job interview with that impressive list. Huge networking possibilities to be gained from Dickinson’s decayed notable alums.</p>
<p>So glad we’re taking out more mortgages for this reputable institution!</p>
<p>“Dickinson’s Decayed” I like how that rolls out!</p>
<p>Caroline H:</p>
<p>Of the 29 posts you’ve made here going back to December 2010, 28 of those would likely be viewed (by an objective person) as a “bashing” of Dickinson. I am sorry you feel that you have been unfairly treated, but I am confident you have made your point of view abundantly clear to any interested readers.</p>
<p>By way of my background and experience, my daughter was accepted EA and was, I think, fortunate to have received from Dickinson a meaningful merit scholarship. She may or may not attend. She and I had an opportunity to visit the campus, tour with an amazingly well-spoken and mature student tour guide and to, along with my wife, attend a local admissions event hosted by an alumna. My daughter also had an opportunity for a local interview and, at that time, again meet with an admissions representative. Throughout our interactions with the college, its representatives and its alumni, my family has been nothing less than thoroughly impressed in every way.</p>
<p>To say the least, your and my respective experiences vary wildly. My daughter is extraordinarily fortunate to be nearing the time to choose from several wonderful and exciting options. In the end, she may or may not select Dickinson, but should she decide to attend I would be delighted and entirely comfortable that she has made an outstanding and well-informed life-choice.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you, your family and those who are considering Dickinson College.</p>
<p>My D “networked” her way to an excellent job throught a Dickinson grad before she graduated last spring. Her boyfriend who graduated at the same time also got a great job. Both of them are now actively serving on alumni committees and helping out with alumni networking events. I think Dickinson is actually quite strong in this area.</p>
<p>My D is a Dickinson graduate who was accepted at many highly ranked medical schools, and offered residencies at top hospitals across the country. Her undergraduate education was top notch, and allowed her to do research, publish papers, and have a summer internship at a major pharmaceutical company. Many of her Dickinson friends are equally successful in a number of fields (most outside of PA).</p>
<p>This is ridiculous. CarolineH is no help to anyone regarding Dickinson. She has made 26 or 27 posts (of her total of 29) since 1/1/2013 against Dickinson. It is obvious that CarolineH wanted her kid to go to the school but the package was not enough for her. I live in CT and am amazed at the childing comments being made about the school. Yes you had a bad experience, get over it and move on. You are not helping anyone at all in making a decision. And yes I have heard of the school and many other parents have (let’s see, they are ranked #2 in the country in DIII lacrosse, a big deal in lacrosse circles as just an example) as well and I graduated from an Ivy as well.
I think the school is charming and if my kid wants to go there, I would be very happy</p>