<p>I got into Swarthmore (no aid) and BU as a trustee scholar, which comes with a full tuition (~35,000) scholarship, and I'm so divided over which I should choose. Any input/advice?</p>
<p>Surfinsofa:</p>
<p>I'm afraid none of us can really offer advice on that. You have the classic merit-discount choice. The whole point of merit-aid discounting is to attract students who, otherwise, would not choose to enroll at BU. Obviously, straight up for the same dollars, nobody is going to choose BU over Swarthmore or Brown or Amherst or whatever. But, throw free tution into the mix and the equation changes. You, and thousands of other students are wrestling with exacty this dilemmna -- choose the better school they really want to go to or save $100,000+ over four years?</p>
<p>I don't know how I would answer that question, let alone how to advise anyone else. It has to be an individual decision with you and your parents, because each set of circumstances is different. For some families, $100,000 isn't that big a deal. For others, it is. I mean, ultimately, it's like buying a car. Every buyer has their own price/value curve.</p>
<p>I don't even feel comfortable trying to "sell" you Swarthmore over BU in this situation. For all I know, your parents may be saying that they just can't swing the difference...and that is a perfectly valid position. So, not knowing your individudual situation, I don't feel right about saying what you "should" or "shouldn't" do.</p>
<p>My D and I are wrestling with similar issues, but different schools. </p>
<p>To my mind (a person who graduated from Whatsa-matter-U and went on to a brand name grad school), I would jump at the chance to save the $$$--and spend it going to grad school. In my line of work, nobody asks me where I went to under grad.</p>
<p>To my daughter's mind, this is her first real choice of school and she wants to pick someplace where she is surrounded by people of similar calibar. She also wouldn't mind hearing a few "oohs" and "ahhs" when she says where she goes. She understands that we can't afford to help her through grad school if she depletes the family's bank account for under grad. But all that seems far away . . .</p>
<p>I am sorry I can't be more helpful. Just know that you have lots of company with your struggles!</p>
<p>Interesting conundrum here. For just about any other school comparable to BU, I think the conventional wisdom would be to take the free tuition and use it to pay for grad school (if available or desired). You'd have a potential "intellectual" advantage over your peers and could use this to your advantage. But BU is a huge school that has a lot of likewise intelligent students also taking the merit reward "bait" and since it is also becoming somewhat notorious for grade deflation, could perhaps hinder your chances of getting into the top grad programs. BU just seems to be a pretty bizzare place. </p>
<p>What attracted you to BU in the first place? Might be another way to approach this...</p>
<p>I would recommend speaking with students at BU. A brilliant student in my son's school who was admitted to many top schools took the free ride at BU, but I don't know how she likes it. Try to find some current students in the same position.</p>
<p>Call up the lady who runs Trustee (the number should be in your acceptance letter somewhere) and ask for the names & emails & numbers for some students. And if it doesn't mention it, I'd advocate for some sort of overnight with a current Trustee. The program has a lot of benefits that aren't listed on their website or brochures, benefits you should know and learn from the current recipients before you make your decision.</p>
<p>Oh, and this might not be a problem, but also look into the scholarship requirements - i.e. GPA. College transitions are tough for everyone, and you never know. BU has kinda nasty ones depending on which college you applied for.</p>
<p>The OP failed to mention that the Trustee Scholar (2.5% acceptance rate) is a full, ride (tuition, books, room, board, etc.)</p>
<p>You would get outstanding recommendations from the TOP BU professors.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your input. </p>
<p>Descant, the Trustee scholarship covers tuition and mandatory fees, not room and board or books, and it totals about 34,000.</p>
<p>I basically applied to BU because I needed a safety and because I liked that it was in a city, I don't know much else, whereas I love everything about Swat.</p>
<p>I have arranged to stay overnight with a Trustee Scholar next week and meet with the director of the program, so I'll get more information then.</p>
<p>As for the money aspect, the extra 100k (or however much it will add up to be) would be a bit of a stretch. That amount of money certainly is a big deal, but it is do-able.</p>
<p>As for going to Swat for the "oohs" and "aahs", not many people have heard of Swarthmore (at least in my home town) or else they don't know of its reputation.</p>
<p>Actually, I believe it does. I have a friend who got it, and is going for free.</p>
<p>surfinsofa - FWIW, Swarthmore is a lousy choice if you want "oohs" and "aahs." Since I was admitted to Swarthmore seven years ago, the following conversation has been a regular feature of my life:</p>
<p>"Where [did you go/do you go/are you going] to college?"
"Swarthmore."
"Where's that?"</p>
<p>Sometimes the last line is "That's in New York, right?" or "I thought that was a women's school," but indications that someone is impressed are very rare. The school is well-known, and very highly regarded, in the admissions offices of top graduate schools, but it is not a name that will impress people at cocktail parties.</p>
<p>yea, that's already started. I've gotten the "women's school" comment more than once, and half the kids I've talked to know nothing of the school. Oh well, not going for oohs or ahhs.</p>
<p>yeah, NJ Pitcher,
My S has had that conversation for almost three years now.
"Where do you go to school?"
"Swarthmore."
"Isn't that a women's college in upstate NY?"
"No, you're thinking of Skidmore, and that went co-ed quite a while ago."
Fortunately, he doesn't care what anyone thinks!</p>
<p>Same here. When it is the educated crowd and one says Swarthmore, they seem impressed. From the guy selling gas at the Exxon station (if he cares) it's a blank stare.</p>
<p>Personally, I don't care. However, I can understand how someone wants to say Harvard or Yale and everyone knows it. However, everyone has heard of the local community college, too.</p>
<p>Yea I'm not looking at swat for the prestige and bragging factor. I love it because of the intellectual, open-minded atmosphere, and the emphasis on social action and for all the benefits of a small, liberal arts college over a large, impersonal university.</p>
<p>On the other hand, at BU in the trustee scholar program, I don't know how much that offers a small college atmosphere within the larger university, and I also don't know what their academic philosophy and atmosphere are.</p>
<p>WOW, surfinsofa, I have the same dilemma as you!!</p>
<p>USC (Univ of Southern California) is offering me a Trustee's Scholarship, full tuition, about $33k...</p>
<p>I love Swat sooooo much, but this is going to be a tough decision!! I only wish that fin. aid and scholarship$ were not concerns for my parents. Or if Swat could bump up my fin. aid.................
:(</p>
<p>I guess what it comes down to is whether going to Swat will be that beneficial over going to a second-tier college thats still good. And I'm not so sure what the benefits are anymore.</p>
<p>The main benefits are that at Swat you will be surrounded by brilliant students who are focused on academic issues and you will be forced to learn to write well. The honors program is similiar to grad school work.
Its an intense place and quirky. Most grad that I know say they will never again spend time with so many scholarly and brainy people. Some people find that sort of environment horrible...its not your typical college in many ways. I have also heard that Swat students are the most outstanding scholars in grad school. I hope your trip this week is informative! Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks mommamia!</p>
<p>I have the same dilemma, too...unfortunately. I am choosing between Washington and Lee University (full ride), Wellesley College, and University of Chicago (both of which gave me zero financial aid). Washington and Lee is a very good liberal arts college; it's just not as recognized as Wellesley and Chicago and I am scared that attending will diminish my chances for medical school. On the other hand, Wellesley and Chicago are very well-known and could open many career doors and pave the way to medical school. I'm just not sure it's worth the 160,000 price tag. Ahhh, it's so aggravating! Anybody have any ideas?</p>
<p>Med school should be the last thing on your mind choosing among those three schools. You need to be spending some time thinking about campus culture issues and what will be comfortable for you. Chicago and W&L are so far apart they aren't even on the same planet.</p>