Thank you! I did see mention of that program and it sounds fascinating. The focus on ethics is something both schools do well, I think.
I’m glad to hear many of the students are able to double major or minor, as I know that’s something my daughter will likely want to pursue.
Yes, flying into Baltimore and Philly would both be fairly convenient. The difficult, time-consuming part, from what I can find, would be getting from there to Carlisle/Dickinson itself, for the times when a parent is not along to rent a car.
Yes but it’s less usual for it to be mandatory for four years. I’m sure upperclassmen have kitchens in Dickinson-owned housing (my understanding is there’s no off campus housing) so to make a meal plan mandatory, especially one that, by all accounts, is abysmal, is questionable. We’ll find out this weekend.
There is a direct train from Philly to Harrisburg and Dickinson provides shuttles to and from Harrisburg airport and train station at breaks. Alternative, your child could uber from Harrisburg. I recognize there are associated costs but just want to put those options out there.
I appreciate it! At this point we’re working on getting all information possible so she (and we) can make an informed decision about the costs and benefits of each school, so this is all really helpful information.
Hi! I just got back from accepted students day at Dickinson and asked about dorms. I was told that freshmen will not be impacted negatively by the dorm that is being closed for renovation. They’ll use sophomore dorms for freshmen as needed, and sophomores and other upperclassmen will be shifted as needed to housing that currently exists for alumni (I guess they have special housing for when alumni visit?). The dorm we visited was perfectly fine. The building is attractive on the outside, the inside is typical. The room we saw (an actual room, not a model room, girls were there and very chatty) was nice sized. We were told definitely no triples and freshmen would not have any housing issues. Hopefully this proves true.
FYI I shared my impressions on a thread someone else started about Dickinson Accepted Students Day if you’re interested. In a nutshell, we left with a very favorable impression.
My son has also narrowed his choices to St. Olaf and Dickinson. We live in Pittsburgh but have family in MN. For the reasons mentioned the decision isn’t easy. I would be happy to chat further with you.
Thanks! Agreed that the decision is not easy in the least. For various reasons, I think she’s 90% decided on St. Olaf. She did a hard comparison of the pros and cons between the two schools (for her) and St. Olaf came out ahead slightly ahead. I wish we’d been able to visit Dickinson one more time for clarity but we wouldn’t have been able to until this week, and she decided for her own mental health it was better to not add additional uncertainty to the mix that could come from a follow-up visit at this late stage, when she was pretty sure of her decision. Haven’t deposited yet, but I anticipate doing so on Saturday. Once we’ve done that everything will feel a lot more real!
It’s really hard to close an excellent door, but she can only attend one school.
My kid is at Olaf. The calendar at Olaf is a great thing - interim is a unique and valuable opportunity. Olaf is huge on music. If you are not a musician, you won’t feel out of place. But if you are a musician or like to sing, there are way more exciting opportunities at Olaf. Great place to be if you kid doesn’t drink, do drugs or party. There IS drinking and there IS partying, but it’s not central to the social experience. Lots of dry fun is had. It’s definitely a liberal campus, but I think it offers a more grounded perspective then many selective or highly selective LACs. If you kid is really into extreme progressive activism, there is some of that, but it’s not a central part of the culture there. It’s a very grounded place.
