Would like your thoughts to help us choose one of these three awesome schools. Our D is interested in Intl. relations/Pol Sci with a law degree down the road. We live overseas so East Coast proximity (to intl. airports) is a plus.
U Conn (Honors) 23K Merit scholarship
GWU (Columbian College of Arts & Science) 19K Presidential scholarship
Carleton College
All three are very different schools in so many ways, which is why it is becoming difficult to decide. Here are a few of our initial thoughts -
Pros:
U Conn - Honors, Scholarship, nice campus, East coast/ OOS but the lowest cost to us.
GWU - Scholarship, Intl Rel/Pol Sci powerhouse/ DC Location for internships/ DC connectivity
Carleton - Academic rigor/ small school - personalized attention/ small class size
Cons:
U Conn - Poor location for internships/ unsure about Pol Sci/Intl. Rel program
GWU - Lack of campus vibe (urban & fast-paced)/ Dining issues (resolved soon?)/ Expensive
Carleton - Full cost to us (~80K/yr)/ very cold/ mid-west location not ideal for career prospects?
Wellā¦that $19,000 a year at GW will still leave you with over $55,000 a year to pay as the cost of attendance is over $75,000 for the upcoming year.
Uconn net cost would be $32,000 or soā¦I added in the cost of health insurance because you live overseas. If this can be waived, it would be under $30,000.
Carleton is $80,000.
If finances are a factor, consider these net costs.
Im a resident of CT. Plenty of students at UConn do internships every year.
I think this student needs to look at why he applied to these colleges in the first place. There had to be good reasons.
Re: Carletonā¦at $80,000 a year, can you do this without parents needing to cosign or take out loans? Same with GW.
And who will be paying for law school? Does this student (or you) want a lot of undergrad debt PLUS three years of law school debt? Yes, some law schools do give merit aid, but not all do.
If you are truly going to law school then UCONN because you should save your $$.
Gw and Carleton will be better to get overseas but Bradley still works or they could get to NYC or Boston, just not as easily.
If you are going to further schooling, your LSAT and work experience after school (more common than b4 for law school) matters.
Perhaps your student will have to work harder to find internships but UCONN is a main school and you can do just fine there. And saving hundreds of thousands of dollars is huge when youāll need to spend more later and you get no guarantees for that extra spend.
I mean Iād choose Carleton but not for $200k more. Thatās crazy !!! To me anyway.
I am a Carleton alum. It is a good school for sure, but I think the others are also good, and much more affordable. Carleton would be a longer plane ride, followed by a ~45 minute bus or shuttle. Not impossible, but not perfect. Yes, the weather is harsh, but you can get used to anything, so donāt let that be the deciding factor.
@thumper1 Yes, the financial consideration is important, particularly with the Law program in mind. Thatās why Carleton is looking like a distant third, despite how good the school is!
However, between GW and UConn, I (as a parent) am leaning towards GW given its location/internships/job prospects/ Law program. Fortunately, we are in a position to accommodate the additional expenses between the two schools.
Our D is still to attend GWās event for admitted students so not sure how she finds the vibe. Yesterday she attended UConnās event, and really liked the campus.
@fiftyfifty1 Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for being candid. Our D went to school in CT so has some exposure to cold weather. I think the financial aid from her other options is working against Carleton.
Gw is a polar opposite of UConn. Like NYU, itās the city etc. no campus.
I would not choose an undergrad in regards to assuming one is going to law school there. You will need to deliver academically and test wise. Plus itās better to go elsewhere from a life perspective.
UConn kids intern. Donāt forget while everyone wants to work in DC, Gtown gw, American, catholic, UMD and more are there. In other words the competition is immense. And off campus housing in dc. Really pricey.
You can also do a summer and or semester at UConn in DC.
Personally, If I was springing for gw, Iād go to Carleton. I mean I personally think gw is over priced and overrated. Just my opinion. And the dining is different although they aim to have a dining hall or one person said two this fall.
Visiting is great though because sheāll either love it or hate it. I donāt think thereās any in between. Good luck.
@tsbna44 youāve raised a few of my own concerns - dining, residence, and campus vibe. Did not fully understand why only 4% of students stay on campus (USNW stat. I believe).
We read about the food insecurity issues there but figured the reopening (or new) Hastings dining hall with the unlimited swipes would take care of that. Yes, DC is certainly more expensiveā¦in all respects.
The visit may cure this. You can love GW and UCONN but you might also see the contrast. We left the GW tourā¦just wasnāt for my daughter. But she loved American (suburban) and is at Charlestonā¦urban but a campus.
If youāre willing to pay for UConn and gw then let her decide, just remember she needs to be there for four years, day after day after day.
Didnāt know anything about food insecurity but eating in restaurants or your dorm small kitchen for every mealā¦not healthy and my kids couldnāt pull it off. Theyād have low blood sugar.
Iām just not a gw fan :). Donāt see the value. Overpriced. Outcomes are ehhhhh. But in the end itās up to your family.
I would eliminate future law school attendance though as a factor.
Although @tsbna44 and I donāt see eye-to-eye on GWU, we agree 100% on this.
We also agree that GWU doesnāt suit everybody! But: for a particular set of students, I think that GW is the ne plus ultra option. IF your student is a go-getter who is really into polisci/IR you just canāt beat GW for opportunities. You can have meaningful internships all year round in a way that just isnāt possible other places- for two reasons. First, geography: it might seem that Georgetown & AU are ājust as closeā- but irl, they arenāt. You can walk from GW to hundreds of agencies / NGOs / etc. The other is scheduling flexibility, which is built to accommodate internships. Now: all of this takes initiative on the studentās part: there are loads of contacts, but you have to apply. There are ways to make the scheduling work, but you have stay on top of it. It really isnāt for everybody- but for those who are really into it, it is fantastic.
One side note for UConn: if you are a star there there is a lot of support. They have a good rep on Truman scholars, for example.
The better choice for your child is GW, because of Location, Location, Location. Ask GW to increase their merit money offer, to bring it closer to what UConn is offering. If you cannot swing it financially, then UConn.
UConn net cost for this family is in the $32,000 a year range. GW net cost is in the $55,000 a year range. I seriously doubt that GW is going to give $20,000 or so in additional merit aid to this student.
You misunderstood what I wrote. āAsk GW to increase their merit money offer, to bring it close to what UConn is offeringā, meaning, obviously, the offered price of attendance at UConn. I wrote that the family should try to get GW to give them more merit money, in order to match the cost of attendance at UConn.
There are political internships and jobs outside of Washington DC. There are think tanks, state agencies, advocacy organizations, political campaigns, not to mention the day to day grind of running a city, county or region (which obviously happens all over the country).
This kid does not need to be in DC to have a high quality and challenging experience getting involved politically, or seeing government up close.
Location, location, location can also mean Storrs CT where a summer internship could be Boston, Hartford, NYC, or even heading North prior to the New Hampshire primaries next presidential cycle.
Another vote for UCONN. GWU has great social sciences, but I donāt think theyāre worth another $20K per year (IMHO).
For reference, Iām currently deciding between UCONN and two peer schools of GWUāGettysburg and Dickinson. But theyāve given enough merit to compete with UCONN (in-state).
Itās worth mentioning that Storrs is within 90 minutes of three state capitalsā¦and if you stretch the range to 150 minutes, three capitals becomes five.
@parentologist and @thumper1 I appreciate the comments and the vibe Iām getting here, particularly after @collegemom3717ās response was that GWU is a better choice with the caveats of additional cost (~25-30K/yr) and whether our D can take advantage of the obvious locational advantages DC has to offer over Storrs. Correct me if Iām oversimplifying, but these are genuine issues to consider. A campus tour of GW is still pending for our D, which will certainly help her decision-making.
@schoolstruggles Would you say the academic rigor at GWU is higher than that of UCONN in general? Being in the honors program at UCONN, I am assuming/hoping those classes will be more challenging with lesser students per class.
Just need some logistical guidance here: should I (as the parent) call the admissions office and ask for the reduction or take a slightly formal approach with an email outlining the reasons and her other options? Thanks!
My opinionā¦the student should contact GW. They should say that the school is their top choice and be prepared to commit immediately if they up that merit aid.
How much more aid are you hoping to get?
You donāt have a peer school offer to show GWā¦really, I seriously doubt GW will consider the offer or net cost you have from Uconn.