<p>I'm torn between which one of these two schools to apply ED. I want to major in Math/Econ and eventually go on to do a PhD in economics.
1)Which school will prepare me better for grad school?
2)Which school has a better reputation?
3)Which school is more likely to give aid to an international?
4)Which school has better housing?</p>
<p>I will not be able to visit the colleges coz I'm an international student a gazzilion miles away.</p>
<p>bump 10 char</p>
<p>Out of curiousity, are these your top 2 choices and you want to apply ED to one? they are different types of school, the biggest difference being between the College and University. It also depends on where your stats match up best</p>
<p>my son was accepted at both these schools
trinity is east coast preppy
not very racially diverse or racially integrated
there’s a strong party/drinking culture
however great academics (he’s interested in history/poli sci etc)
good programs to connect students w hartford community</p>
<p>he liked trinity but thinks oxy is a better fit for him
more racial consciousness and social consciousness
he likes the dip/world aff program
he likes la
the students seem more laid-back</p>
<p>in terms of your questions about reputation and aid etc
the schools are comparable
but not at all comparable in terms of atmosphere, culture, student body etc</p>
<p>once again, a poster confusing Trinity U w/Trinity C. TU is NOT East Coast preppy. It’s in SA, TX.</p>
<p>PurpleMist- You can’t apply ED to either as you are an international requiring aid(like me!!!) both these schools do not allow internationals to apply for aid in the ED round. Thus I have found the answer to your quandry. Worship Me and apply to Dartmouth !!!</p>
<p>In that case, pick Oxy. (if you can). Its not in SA, TX… hence an advantage</p>
<p>My D goes to Oxy (happy in bio program) and her high school roomie goes to Trinity U. The roomie coincidentally applied to Oxy, too, and chose Trinity over Oxy because she got much better financial aid. She was not a foreign national, so I don’t know how that figures, but if she would have gotten the same in aid awards, her preference was Oxy. I think she’s happy at Trinity U, though.</p>
<p>My understanding of Trinity? It’s got San Antonio, which is a lower cost experience than LA. There isn’t the same diversity of people, and the students may be much more conservative than at Oxy. Oxy’s very liberal, and diverse.</p>
<p>What another poster said about ED and financial aid is true. You would have to make a commitment without knowing what is available - but I would speak to someone in admissions about it. They should be very easy to contact at this point of the year.</p>
<p>One more thing: If you have your heart set on a particular grad program, I would try to see if someone in that college’s econ department has opinions about either the Oxy or Trinity U program - work it backwards, so to speak, so you have a better chance of your ideal outcome.</p>
<p>investorscooter</p>
<p>While you need to make a commitment with ED, you are permitted to break the contract/withdraw from elsewhere in the event of insufficient Aid or financial circumstances</p>
<p>so if you dont get enough money through ED, you can withdraw and apply elsewhere</p>
<p>That’s why going ED is very critical for financially needy applicants. They’re missing a huge part of the puzzle - the available aid. I’m not so much thinking about being able to decline an ED acceptance; the financial out is always there. You get only 1 shot at ED - if the ED school hasn’t the funds sufficient for the applicant, the applicant has somewhat squandered their 1 chip. This puts an immense onus on the part of the applicant to guesstimate chances of obtaining sufficient awards.</p>
<p>what do you mean by available aid? Isnt that what your finaid package contains?</p>
<p>What im saying is, they give you your finaid along with admission in ED. if it isnt enough, you can withdraw</p>
<p>Antarius: I think we’re talking about different things. You are right that there’s an “out” in ED - for financial reason. If the family cannot attend due to insufficient financial aid, then they can back out of ED.</p>
<p>What I’m talking about is the “squandering” of an ED application, if the applicant hasn’t done their homework about what type/amounts of financial aid the school might offer. Case in point: a friend of my son applied ED to a very well regarded, hard to get into mid-Atlantic university. When all was said and done, he was accepted by the ED school, and the in-state universities, but no other privates during RD. He was excited by the ED acceptance, but when the parents sat down with the finances and such, he was unable to attend that ED school because they did not give him financial aid. This is what I’m saying, that ED applications really need to be thought through carefully if financial aid is necessary. Don’t squander the ED choice - research it, find out if your stats are within their award parameters, know what the family can afford BEFORE ED applications go out in Nov., etc. Perhaps it makes more sense to apply ED to a private which is generous with aid, whereas most students apply ED to a “most or more selective” school statistically, gaming the process. I’m hoping that I’m making myself clearer with this post, and less confusing.</p>