DS accepted to UPenn , Bowdoin, GWU, William and Mary, Oberlin, American, Bucknell, UNC Honors, Hamilton and Washington and Lee (Johnson Scholarship)
He wants to study Government, Political Science and Public Policy. The only price difference is Washington Lee offered a full ride. I would say he is between UPenn and Bowdoin and W and L but would love to hear feedback on all schools. We are from the MidAtlantic and DS High school is around 2000 students.
are the others all full pay?
a full ride at a very reputable school (actually it’s a pretty prestigious one) sounds hard to pass up unless money is no object to you at all. certainly I wouldn’t pay full price for a similar LAC like Bowdoin.
are you in state for UNC? honors there with in state tuition might be a consideration if he wants a bigger school and D1 sports.
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If he wants a LAC WL as a Johnson scholar seems like the obvious choice. If a bigger school is key then Penn or UNC honors make sense. The rest really do not
We are OOS for UNC but good merit aid. With W and L wondering a bit about the size and somewhat rural location.
According to a prof we met on campus, per capita they place more in DC than any school except Sewanee.
Have you visited ?
Johnson is unreal but perhaps the campus is not for everyone.
On an ROI basis it’s the best here. Is that right for you - go look and see.
Different thread but some have issue with the name and perhaps that would provide you cause.
Btw the town is down the hill from the school and is very nice. And another college, VMI, is a stones throw away.
Good luck.
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For the study of public policy, I’d generally recommend Hamilton, partly because of its long-established semester in D.C. with associated internships. Hamilton places among of the strongest schools nationally for this interdisciplinary field.
I’d suggest Bowdoin as well based on the reputation and strength of its Government and Legal Studies department.
These sites may offer you additional perspective:
Since economics (along with political science and philosophy) represents a foundational field for the study of public policy, this analysis also may be of interest: https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html.
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Net price at UNC? Are all of the others besides WLU at list price?
How much does the price difference matter?
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You must know W&L is super connected in Washington. The Mock Convention also provides pretty unparalleled speakers (which the students can meet, have dinner with etc) for such a small rural school. Plus there’s a Washington semester program as well. My son’s not interested in politics, but his best friend is and the opportunities are pretty breathtaking. I could see if that boy would be willing to speak with your son, if you’d like. He is also a Johnson scholar.
One factor I weighed when my son was deciding was how happy the students are. Of the schools we considered, W&Ls were the happiest (I think Bowdoin scored pretty high too). W&L is also 1st, or tied for 1st in the country for highest graduation rates and highest retention. Plus they have a very strong alumni network.
Your son has all great choices, I only know W&L well, which is why I focused on them.
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We will visit towards the end of the month. I just want to make sure it is a good fit which we will find when we visit.
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Thank you for your input. It is a hard decision for sure!
UNC is about 20. I think as far as LAC colleges go W and L makes the most sense. He really likes Penn.
Based on this Forbes article, UPenn may be worth additional expense, especially since your son likes it generally:
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Does he “really like Penn” b/c of the name, or b/c he has spent some time on the campus?
Is money no object, so when he needs $$ so that he can take a no/low pay internship are you willing and able to stump up to subsidize him for the summer? To get him the professional wardrobe he will need for that internship? When he needs a lump sum for 3 months rent up front (first, last, deposit) for that woefully underpaid but great foot-in-the-door first job? And when he needs grad school (which he will, in 3-5 years, if he stays on this path) are you planning to pay for it? If the answer is yes to all of the above, then….
He will get the most opportunities for internships at GWU- by a lot! It is the best bet for the student who knows what they want and are ready to go get as much hands-on experience as possible.
UPenn has more of a campus feel, but with the buzz of having a city. Possibly b/c of proximity, possibly b/c until recently it was seen in DC private schools as a (relatively) easy admit, it does not have as much of the “ooh, it’s an Ivy response” in DC as you might think (it would be seen as comparable to Georgetown). I say all that just in case your son is thinking there might be a meaningful difference in status in DC.
W&L is the antithesis of GW & Penn in terms of campus life & would suit someone who is looking for the full college experience plus good DC connections/access/oops. Note that it’s a 3 hour drive, or a 4.5 hour Megabus (1x/day) to DC.
Given those options, UNC-CH, Bowdoin & Oberlin are outliers for a student looking at government / public policy etc. All of them are fine options, all of them have some sort DC semester and solid opps /connections- but you would choose them for other reasons. I will say that imo the Venn diagram of students who would be equally happy at Oberlin and W&L is very very small!
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Penn is city - and these others aren’t. Well GW is and UNC half is. W&L is in a cute town. I was at Bowdoin this summer - small town but ehhhh.
The question is - did you get any need aid at Penn.
Next year COA is over $89K. On the other side, W&L is free.
He may love Penn and you may decide to shell out $400K for a school he really loves.
But I"m guessing $400K can do a lot of good in your life/his life - and that would be a tradeoff you would have to decide if it were worth it. If Penn has need aid, then obviously the delta is less.
I would think after Penn maybe he’d like GW for the city (and DC).
How did you pick the final three ? GW didn’t make the list. You have fairly large Penn and two small ones.
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And he can choose from these three…which is fine. Good luck. They are all wonderful options.
On prestige alone, Penn would win. The LACs listed are all close enough in rank to be identical level. GWU is significantly easier to get into and while it has many good internships, DC is overrun with GWU and AU kids. Penn would be helpful if he ever leaves DC, but the fullride at WL is impressive too.
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We will most likely use GI Bill if he goes to Penn. I should clarify that he also wants to start with state politics. He has interned and worked in that area. I am not sure W and L would be on the list if not for the scholarship. Really looking for a place he will be happy, have good professors and opportunities and thrive.
I think he picked them because W&L is free, Bowdoin is a good school and beautiful setting and Penn is Penn. We are still going to visit Bucknell, W&M, GW and W&L before he makes his final decision.
I think this is a good question and I think the answer is both. He likes Penn for the name and for the school itself.
For state politics, it will be hard to compete with your in-state flagship for connections and opportunities. Of the colleges listed, only Penn would equal that, and frankly not in all areas. But he might prefer the experience at Penn to flagship.
In my state, the political kids are very active while in college-serving on state wide political committees, managing local campaigns and even running for office themselves. They are appointed to governor’s boards and mayors’ committees
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