<p>Since I'm incredibly undecided, I'd like your guys' opinion on my choice between Carleton and Davidson. Yeah, I know, they're fairly different but I honestly do like them both. What complicates things is that I've had Carleton as my top choice since 10th grade so getting accepted was essentially a dream come true, yet Davidson gave me a pretty big scholarship (along with financial aid) and also seemed to actually want me. </p>
<p>I've talked and met with the Davidson admissions counselor in my region quite a few times and he seems really excited to have me on campus and I'll be honest, I really enjoyed it at Davidson. BUT, I also immensely enjoyed my time at Carleton, despite the very different campus cultures. At both schools, the people were nice and just overall pleasant to be around, with Carleton having a more "earthy" twinge and Davidson having a certain "preppiness" to its niceness. I've met so many people that I would be honored to call my classmates and friends at both schools and it's so incredibly hard to choose between them. See, I naturally feel myself more at home with the people at Carleton, yet I can also see myself amongst the people at Davidson. To complicate this decision, my parents love Davidson, if only for the proximity to home and the fact that they visited (though I know they would love Carleton if they visited...and if it was below the Mason-Dixon line).</p>
<p>I know that academically, I really can't go wrong. I hate to go into rankings but #1 vs #2 in undergraduate teaching is an absolutely negligible difference, if any difference exists. I'm still undecided, and although I feel I may go into the sciences, I really don't know if a major difference exists in the quality of their programs, except I know that Carleton's science department is much larger. Financially, Carleton is technically cheaper, though it includes loans in its package (this is without the NMF scholarship) so overall, Davidson might end up being around 2k-4k cheaper. </p>
<p>I've spent much of my time on their Facebook pages and I just imagine what could be if I went to Carleton...and then I go to Davidson's Facebook page and do the same thing (to a lesser extent though, because man, Carleton has a really active Facebook group!). I honestly can't believe there was a time where I thought I would get in nowhere...and now I can't decide where I want to go. It's such a hard choice, and I'm just wondering if any of you have advice?</p>
<p>You have a GREAT problem. Comes down to very tiny nuances, geography, WEATHER, whether want closer to home or further away, whether want a little bit of athletics excitement (Davidson bball and soccer, etc). If you are OK with the Davidson southern prep feel (which is a very nice version of that with great kids), then it really is a toss-up. To complicate matters, you would not regret either choice.</p>
<p>I agree that this is a toss-up and you should go where your heart tells you to go. I think Carleton is perhaps better-known nationally (apart from the bump Davidson might have gotten from the NCAA tournament this year) but both are excellent schools and will offer you excellent preparation for whatever you want to do in life. If you are from the south, that could be a reason to stay in the south OR to use the four years of college as an opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of another part of the country. Good luck.</p>
<p>One more thought…I personally would pick Carleton over every New England LAC. Davidson throws a monkey-wrench into that because it also is in a different region, with its own difference in culture/vibe, but of the same class. Again, great problem. Would be curious to hear how it turns out.</p>
<p>Also, I’m geographically in the south but culturally, I live in a city (Miami) that’s far from either culture so going to either of them would be a fairly big change in that respect. And I know, I won’t regret going to either because they’re both great options and I’ve visited both and really enjoyed my time at both, it’s just that choosing which one to go to is the hard part!</p>
<p>Are you interested in possibly going on to graduate school in the sciences? If so you might find this interesting. Carleton ranks #6 on this list, while Davidson is not on the top 50 list. I know Carleton does very well in PhD production for both Biology & Physics; my D was interested in both, and this one reason Carleton was on her list. She was accepted, but decided this week to attend Harvey Mudd instead. This article is from 2010, and the date is from 1997-2006. But I don’t expect the picture has changed that much in the past few years.</p>
<p>OP, I grew up in Miami too so I know what you mean about the cultural differences from the rest of the south, although Miami certainly has some southern influences. When I was your age I applied to a lot of southern schools but ended up in the midwest. I liked it enough that I never left. Minnesota is a great state and at Carleton you wouldn’t be too far from the Cities and everything they offer.</p>
<p>Have you considered the difference in academic calendars? At Carleton you end T-1 at Thanksgiving and return very early January. T-3 finishes in June. If you want to study abroad in the winter, Carleton only gives aid for one term.</p>
<p>To balance what intparent said, Davidson does very well with med and law schools. There’s your difference between “earthy” and “somewhat preppy”. Carleton may produce more Ph.D.s and Davidson produces as many or more M.D.s, J.D.s, MBAs. Davidson also half the distance to Charlotte than Carleton is to Twin Cities.</p>
<p>Carleton allows financial aid to transfer to study abroad programs for up to an entire YEAR - the one term limit on transferring financial aid only applies to NON Carleton sponsored programs (and Carleton sponsors a lot of terrific programs).</p>
<p>My simple words of advice (with money essentially a wash): </p>
<p>Go where you think you’d be happiest these next 4 years.</p>
<p>With regards to my interests in the sciences, I mean, at this point in time, a school’s strength in sciences is somewhat important to me. However, I know that my interests will change over time; whether I’ll still be interested in science in two years is still up in the air. I know that although Carleton is much more well-known for its sciences than is Davidson, I was fairly impressed with Davidson’s scientific facilities and offerings as well. Even though I’ll be more of a minority there than at Carleton, I don’t think it’d make a huge difference. With Carleton though, I personally like what the trimester plan offers (a faster-paced curriculum with the opportunity for 4 additional classes after 4 years), but I can see how it can be frustrating for the schedule to not be as compatible as Davidson’s. </p>
<p>And as to where I think I’d be happiest for the next for years…it’s honestly hard to say. I’ve leaned towards Carleton for a long time, but I can see myself being really happy at Davidson. I was lucky enough to get a merit scholarship at Davidson in addition to my financial aid, and I’ve already met people at both schools that I could absolutely see myself being with for the next 4 years. I think I might just flip a coin, haha!</p>
<p>Where do you see yourself on the “earthy” vs “preppy” continuum? I could be wrong because I do not know Carleton as well, but I’m guessing Davidson has a more active, bigger social life in terms of partying/bands/events and that Carleton is more partying in smaller groups and maybe more smaller-dorm-oriented social scene. That said, academically, both are demanding and hard as heck.</p>
<p>I was almost thinking the reverse. If you’ve had an in-love dream school for 2 years, and you get in, and then you’re not sure it is the one, then why not? And maybe that means the other one is the one? What would be the motivation to talk oneself into Davidson?</p>
<p>@dodgers, well a lot of that has to do with the fact that I pulled this version of my post from the post I had made on the Carleton College Class of 2017 group. I could’ve picked the one I had posted on the Davidson College Class of 2017 group and you may feel the reverse is true, haha.</p>
<p>I see myself as, in terms of fashion, “preppy”, but in terms of mindset, I’m fairly “earthy”. I know Davidson has a more traditional social scene (with Greek life) so there’s that, while Carleton doesn’t have any sort of Greek life.</p>
<p>I honestly think your answer lies somewhere in the social realm. These are very much academic equals. Both will require tons of studying and there will be little to no grade inflation. I don’t think of Davidson as “pre-professional” but to the extent that the Ph.D. thing is true I suppose it leans more pre-professional overall than Carleton. I think Davidson has plenty of preppy, earthy kids, and it is social and has a southern feel, but I would just reiterate that it is a nice version of that. And you probably need to be honest with yourself about the weather. Davidson will have 4 seasons but the winter will not be brutal and spring will come almost a full 2 months earlier. I say this partly because you’re coming from Miami.</p>
<p>Sounds like you’re in a good position to try the coin toss test. Not the usual one. Here’s the variant that I like:</p>
<p>Decide who’s heads and who’s tails, toss your coin up, and just notice what you’re feeling as the coin comes down. Then note your reaction at the ‘winner’. If you are happy, choice made. If you are disappointed, choice made. Get it?! You go with your feelings, not the coin toss.</p>
<p>It happens fast, so there’s no time to overthink. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>One more thought, which could be viewed as a plug for either choice. I looked at the stats of admitted students for both schools (you can do this on collegenavigator.gov). Carleton’s students are slightly stronger overall. The fact that Davidson offered you merit suggests that you would be at the top of their stats range (you are very likely near the top of Carleton’s, too). What that also tells me is that Davidson really wants you. And it can be nice to feel wanted.</p>
<p>Sorry to resurrect the thread but I ended up choosing Davidson. I absolutely loved my first year and I have had no regrets on my choice! If anyone, in the future, is facing a similar dilemma, feel free to message me! </p>