He got into our state school but does not want to go. I also think he is not 100% sure he wants to do state politics only . It is what he has done. But he also is thinking of starting at the state level and see where it takes him.
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Solid activity in state politics can lead to outstanding federal opportunities. A remote and little known out of state LAC will not help. It may not hurt, but will not provide any advantage in pursuing state political opportunities.
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Apologies if I missed this, but is cost important to you?
What is the annual cost to attend each school?
He has very good options.
Iām glad he has money to offset Penn.
Let us know how your visits go. Other than GW heād have to do a 180 to want a small LAC.
My daughter has a final interview with a state agency today for an internship. Knock on wood. Really great gig for her and not a school of these pedigrees.
I donāt think where he goes - even the less prestigious on the list - will hinder him with government jobs. We often look at certain schools for these as better but I think itās moreso a higher percentage of attendees seek these jobs vs these schools give you better access due to name.
Have fun on the visits. If he liked Bowdoin, heāll love W&L. Itās way nicer - of course thatās opinion - and a cool town right down the hill.
He has no wrong choices if he wants to work in state govt (or federal) as long as all are affordable.
Best of luck to him.
Ps - the GI Bill - is that earned by him or a parent ? Just wondering you noted his hs size. Is he coming from HS or is he an older student ? If so that might impact where he would choose.
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Taking $$ out of the decision, I would narrow the list to UPenn and GWU (heās already eliminated American, it seems) due to location and easier access to opportunities in your studentās areas of interest.
If $$ is a consideration and that brings rural colleges into the mix (as it sounds based on your comments), I can answer questions about W&L as I have a current sophomore. Although, I would take cinnamonās offer to connect your son with the student they know who is both a Johnson and interested in politics. I echo her other comments about happy kidsā¦ and the excitement on campus about Mock Convention.
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Congratulations to your son on so many great choices!
Just my two cents, but I won a full scholarship to W&L a long time ago and had really, really impressive options- really big names- who offered me admission. It wasnāt as well known back then.
I went to W&L and I never looked back. I actually didnāt pick it for the money. My family could have afforded those big schools, too. I think Iāve had the same professional and personal offers that students at those other schools received. And I received an excellent education that is respected everywhere.
Really, he canāt go wrong here. Congrats to him and to you, parent.
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With respect to classroom experience, LACs such as Hamilton and Bowdoin tend to be rated very highly by their students:
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I agree unless you work in the state the small LAC is located in.
He is coming right out of HS. Family GI bill
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I hope you didnāt mean this the way it sounded 
because W&L is a good school in a beautiful setting as well.
W&L is rare among the most selective schools in offering such generous merit.
In my opinion if your son wants urban then thatās that, he should go to Penn. But if thatās not the driver I do think you should do a bit more investigating wrt W&Lās opportunities. I think you are mischaracterizing/discounting them. Didnāt your son have to go through the on campus interview weekend for finalists?
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Those are all excellent schools, heās so lucky to have such great choices. I canāt imagine turning down a full ride from W&L unless I had a really, really good reason.
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Of course was only talking about as a fit for him. It is an amazing school.
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But how much can you afford without trouble saving for your retirement or paying for any other kidsā college? Also, how much will the family GI Bill pay?
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I have two children at W&L. Both had opportunities at UChicago and Cornell. W&L offered them generous merit scholarships that will allow them to graduate debt free. They both know their professors very well; they both enjoy leadership positions in extracurricular activities and they both enjoy Greek life. I echo those that speak to expenses beyond tuition, room and board. Greek life is easily $5000 and up; band requires a tux and Spring Term abroad is not cheap. W&L is worth every cent.
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Are you visiting on the 24th? My daughter and I are coming from Philly burbs.
OP, if your son is interested in any sort of politics, this is the first, biggest element. It is difficult to overestimate just how badly paid it is - esp relative to costs!- it is until you are pretty far up the ladder. And yet, so many people want to get into the field that organizations get away with paying little for lots of qualifications.
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This wonāt be a popular comment, but if it were my child, I would have a very frank conversation about W&Lās boardās staunch refusal to remove Robert E. Leeās name from the institution; the shocking and undoubtedly related lack of racial and socioeconomic diversity that is a result; and the implications all of this could have on a career in politics.
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A free-ride to a college is universally accepted as a great reason to attend by any rational voter.
I canāt imagine what kind of bubble is that doesnāt consider a $350k scholarship.
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On the other hand, could see it as an opportunity to fight for/bring about change and show determination in all climates. I guess it depends on goals for going into politics. But politics takes some grit and allyship in this climate.
Iād take W and L for free over Bowdoin, especially in light of his interest in politics. However if itās affordable for your family, I would take Penn over both. W and L is not for everyone in part because of its small size, and Penn is medium size, even if the biggest of the Ivies.
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