The hardest decision I will ever have to make.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I applied to 8 schools, thinking I would get into a couple and I ended up getting into all of them. I would be happy to go to any of these schools, but now that I have so many to choose from my life has become a living hell! I don't know what to do, and it's hurting me a lot.</p>

<p>Can you guys help me sort out the pros and cons of each of the schools I got into? I am going to be a pre-med student, but I want a strong liberal arts education. I am likely to take a lot of philosophy courses, literature, writting, math, etc...</p>

<p>These are the schools I got accepted to:</p>

<p>Williams College (good finnancial aid)
Bowdoin Bollege (excellent finnancial aid)
Bates College
Wesleyan University<br>
College of the Holy Cross
Brandeis University (Full scholarship)
Boston College
Tufts University (excellent finnancial aid)</p>

<p>I live a few steps away from Tufts, so I don't want to go there. Brandeis doesn't sound like it is a great school, so I've cut my list down to Williams College and Bowdoin College.</p>

<p>I like Williams a lot, but I am a humble person, and I've heard the people there are filthy rich. I don't know if I will fit in. </p>

<p>Bowdoin sounds like an incredibly nice place. More down to earth. Both have great reputations. Also, Bowdoin will be close to FREE. For Williams, if the situation remains the same, my family may have to fork over $7,000 a year for Williams. That's a lot of money for us.</p>

<p>I do feel pressured to go to Williams, because of tis US News and World Report #1 rank... All my High School teachers want me to go there...</p>

<p>What do I do, guys?!</p>

2

<p>Boston College.</p>

3

<p>No thanks.</p>

4

<p>please help. ;_;</p>

5

<p>To be honest, I would be very surprised if there was an overall difference in wealth between the students at Bowdoin and the students at Williams. Academically, I would give Williams the edge, but you should visit both schools and make a decision based on your feel for the institution.</p>

<p>You might also show the fin-aid office at Williams the package you received from Bowdoin.</p>

6

<p>I'd go to Williams. $7000 a year in loans is not bad at all. </p>

<p>The student bodies are similiar, Williams has slight edge in prestige.</p>

7

<p>Will the debt be worth it? Will it be easier to get into med-school, or will i get jobs easier? Is there any data on med school aceptances that you guys know of?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

8

<p>7k in loans is not a lot. That's 28k by the time you graduate. The general rule of thumb for loan repayment is you take your total debt and divide it by 100. You will pay that much a month for 10-15 years.</p>

<p>Whether or not it is worth it is a judgment call. Many LACs publish data about their students' post-graduate plans. Contact the school and find out how well they fared. Also, visit each school. You might find that you hate one school and love the other.</p>

9

<p>Tufts is out because you don't want to be that close. Boston College and Holy Cross are solid schools, but I would drop them. Bates is definitely out; Bowdoin is a better school with more diverse students. Brandeis is very strong in the sciences, but if you don't like it (assuming you're not just basing on prestige), drop it. Since you like Williams and Bowdoin, I would drop Wesleyan (too different). </p>

<p>That leaves Bowdoin and Williams, which you pretty much knew aleady. Bowdoin for free (nearly) is a deal that's hard to turn down. I personally find its student body more down to earth than most colleges, perhaps because they're relatively isolated. One of my cousins graduated from Bowdoin, went to Harvard medical school, and has done quite well since. Williams does have a slightly better placement rate (on par with Stanford and Duke), but Bowdoin also has an excellent placement (on par with Georgetown, Rice, Northwestern, etc.). </p>

<p>From a purely practical standpoint, it makes a good deal of sense to go to Bowdoin. There's no need to go into med school already in debt; a good record at Bowdoin gives you a shot at any medical school in the country. Would you rather spend the money now and possibly limit your options later, or save the money and be able to spend it on any med school you want? I'd personally choose the latter. Doctors can make a tidy sum, but it's nice to come out making money.</p>

<p>However, I agree with shizz that fit is very important. Definitely spend an overnight visit if you can.</p>

10

<p>oh, its a terribly easy decision because you cant make the wrong choice! your two finalists are both outstanding schools.</p>

<p>as the previous poster mentioned, try to visit both schools again. pick the one that feels right. the last thing you should do it make a decision based on a number in a magazine.</p>

11

<p>Hmm, Williams is 1st and Bowdoin is what? 6th!!! OMG- what a disgrace!!!! Really, how could you live with yourself????</p>

<p>Anyway, all sarcasm aside, if you don't have your heart set on Williams and if money is a big consideration, Bowdoin is an excellent choice...even if it is a whole FIVE spots below Williams in the rankings. <em>gasp</em></p>

12

<p>The prestige and quality differences between Williams and Bowdoin are negligible. Don't be a slave to minute ranking differences in US News.</p>

<p>Williams is more isolated--smaller town and surrounded by mountains. Bowdoin is in a bigger town and is near the ocean--giving it a less-isolated feel. I've been to both places, and much prefer the vibe at Bowdoin. I'm also pretty sure Williams has more big-money students from NY/NJ than Bowdoin, and it has less middle-class New Englanders than Bowdoin. Go to Bowdoin, and don't believe people who tell you Williams is $28k better.</p>

13

<p>Brandeis..tuition in med school is going to be tough..Since Brandeis is "free" go there.</p>

14

<p>Pick Bowdoin. It was one of the places I wanted to go to, but was too expensive.</p>

<p>Aside from my biased reason, I don't have anything else to say except that it's just a great school. :P Don't worry about rankings and where your teachers want you to go. Williams is not worth $28000 more than Bowdoin. Besides, those rankings are subject to change from year to year.</p>

15

<p>Bowdoin is equal academically to Williams.</p>

<p>Sounds like you would prefer Bowdoin.</p>

16

<p>"I like Williams a lot, but I am a humble person, and I've heard the people there are filthy rich. I don't know if I will fit in."</p>

<p>Not true. Like half the people there have like full ride(or close to it) financial aid.</p>

17

<p>This is just a general comment from someone who is 30 years older than you: </p>

<p>Enjoy this time and remember it because I guarantee you that this will not even come close to being the hardest decision you will ever have to make! You will some day look back on this and smile with amusement that you could have imagined that it would be. </p>

<p>There is a lovely expression to describe these kind of problems - they are called 'golden worries'. Think about it - and enjoy wherever you end up!</p>

18

<p>I'm always very surprised by the anti-Williams sentiment on CC. </p>

<p>I actually found Williamstown to be less isolated than Brunswick. It's less than an hour from Albany, and substantially closer to NYC. W-town and Brunswick are probably equidistant from Boston. It would also surprise me if Bowdoin was more diverse than Williams, given that Williams places a tremendous effort of recruiting URM and first-gen college kids. </p>

<p>Williamstown is removed, but it's location is ideal for weekend trips to many cities (NYC, Boston, Montreal). Bowdoin is relatively close to Boston, and quite far from any other major metropolitan area.</p>

<p>In terms of quality of education, both are excellent, but Williams' curriculum has more depth and breadth. Again, visit and let us know which you feel more comfortable with.</p>

19

<p>I'm not at all anti-Williams. In fact I have long family ties to the place, and have spent a lot of time there. Being "...less than an hour from Albany" wouldn't seem to do much to relieve isolation. Let's face it, both of these schools are a nightmare for someone who wants easy access to a big city. I just find the Maine coast to be a little livelier and less claustrophobic than the Berkshire villages.</p>

20

<p><a href="http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Check that out, it ranks schools on getting into the top 15 grad schools..I'm not sure how old it is, or how much it even matters..BUT perhaps it will be interesting. Even with Williams doing so well in rankings, I'd agree with bobbobobbobob about academics and go with a free Bowdoin in your case.</p>