My D has narrowed it down to two colleges, her first choice Smith and Wheaton (MA) where she received a nice merit scholarship. Smith gave her a grant, but she would still have a considerable amount of debt after four years. She plans to go to graduate school and is trying to decide if a degree from Smith will stand out more than Wheaton?
Yes, a degree from Smith will stand out more than one from Wheaton.
But debt is not good. And Smith is not a good fit for everyone.
Wheaton has made some nice investments in its future in recent years. Consider the Mars Center for Science and Technology, for example. Even with costs aside, Wheaton rivals Smith in at least some ways in this NEWMAC comparison.
i mainly looked at nescacs, but toured wheaton as a safety and was very impressed by what they had to offer! beautiful campus, engaged president, and a good career/internship center.
What kind of debt are you talking about? If it is only the standard student federal loans ($5,500 freshman year, $6,500 sophomore year, $7,500 junior year, and $7,500 senior year), then that that could be manageable. It will work out to be in the range of $270 each month for ten years.
However, if you are in a situation where your daughter would need to have a co-signer (probably you), or you would be taking on debt in the form of parent loans, then the answer is likely to be different.
Smithie here. Class of 1993. Smith education and alumnae network is worth every penny. The housing, the campus, the traditions are all amazing. I live in the next door over from Norton where Wheaton is and not only does Wheaton’s campus not hold a candle to Smith’s Norton is a completely boring town surrounded by boring towns. Smith is in Northampton with a very vibrant life and just down the road from Amherst with more vibrant, college life ( connected by free bus). Also Smith has the 5 college consortium if you want to experience other campuses and classes. If you can swing it everything about Smith beats Wheaton, but I guess it’s not for everyone. Please feel free to ask more questions about Smith or general questions about the Wheaton campus or location.
And yes a degree from Smith WILL stand out. More so than Wheaton.
The difference would be debt of $95k after 4 years versus $50k.
Depends on what she majors in. If it’s lowing paying then I guess I’d stick with Wheaton even though the Smith degree might command a slightly bigger paycheck. If its a higher paying field and then it might be ok to go for the better school. I’d have a long talk with her about quality of school vs high debt. Also did you try to negotiate with Smith’s financial aid office? We are doing this with a few of my DS’s schools. Might knock something off that debt.
I would be uncomfortable with the higher debt personally. nice to have choices! Both are good schools. I heard Wheaton students can take classes at Brown. I am not certain of that but that would a neat perk.