<p>I am choosing to enter an economics field in either Bates or Grinnell. Both schools are so similar and I cannot make a choice. Is Maine a better location than Iowa? Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>I would say Grinnell, Bates is one of THE most expensive universities in the nation, whereas Grinnell offers amazing Financial Aid. I dont know if Maine has a better location than Iowa… there both very rural areas.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. I believe that Bates was ranked one of the most expensive schools to attend because the listed cost was a comprehensive fee. In the end, their costs are actually in the same ballpark. I think we should put costs of attendance aside for this comparison. Thanks again :)</p>
<p>Which one gave you more money? If you don’t like one particularly better than the other, I don’t think there’s a big enough difference in prestige to warrant choosing one over the other.</p>
<p>EDIT: Haha I posted at the same time as you! Nvm</p>
<p>Hahahaha thanks for that input! Grinnell gave me more money than Bates, but the difference in price is still not enough for me to pick the former over the latter. Maine is not too far away from Boston and New York, while Iowa is a long way from Chicago. Should that be a factor?</p>
<p>Where do you live? I think they’re both relatively in the middle of nowhere, but I didn’t apply to either so I can’t give too much input. Have you visited both? I’m assuming you recently got off the waitlist of one, or you couldn’t decide so you put down deposits on both (which is technically against the rules).</p>
<p>I’ve been to Grinnell, and I live in Maine, probably about 30 minutes from Bates. I personally would choose Bates without a second thought. Bates is not too far from Portland, a neat city with lots of good music and other cultural events. You would also be only a few minutes from the ocean, and if you like to ski, you have to drive only an hour or so to get to a nice resort. You can also drive to Boston in a little over two hours, or take the train or bus.</p>
<p>My husband grew up in the midwest, and he is surprised that southern Maine is not colder than it is. He said Wisconsin got MUCH colder.</p>
<p>Good luck in your decision! You can’t go wrong, either way.</p>
<p>“Where do you live? I think they’re both relatively in the middle of nowhere, but I didn’t apply to either so I can’t give too much input. Have you visited both? I’m assuming you recently got off the waitlist of one, or you couldn’t decide so you put down deposits on both (which is technically against the rules).”</p>
<p>I live in Thailand… so I can’t easily visit both schools. I deposited Grinnell, but yesterday Bates took me off their wait list, and I have to reply by July 15!</p>
<p>"I’ve been to Grinnell, and I live in Maine, probably about 30 minutes from Bates. I personally would choose Bates without a second thought. Bates is not too far from Portland, a neat city with lots of good music and other cultural events. You would also be only a few minutes from the ocean, and if you like to ski, you have to drive only an hour or so to get to a nice resort. You can also drive to Boston in a little over two hours, or take the train or bus.</p>
<p>My husband grew up in the midwest, and he is surprised that southern Maine is not colder than it is. He said Wisconsin got MUCH colder.</p>
<p>Good luck in your decision! You can’t go wrong, either way."</p>
<p>Thanks for that MaineLonghorn. You made Bates so convincing :D. Good to know about the outdoor sports, the ocean, the weather, and the relatively short ride to Boston.</p>
<p>Coming from Thailand, I suppose “distance from home” is not a factor :P. Good luck with your decision! I think MaineLonghorn has some valid points. I think another thing to consider is which one would be easier to get to, considering you’re flying in from outside of the country.</p>
<p>I didn’t choose Middlebury after I realized that flying in from NY would be just as much of a hassle as driving would be and the drive was too long for me (I also thought it was too small… but that’s besides the point :P).</p>
<p>rainbowrose makes a good point. I think it would be much easier to get to Bates from overseas, because a lot of the flights come into New York or Boston, and it’s just a short flight from those two airports into Portland.</p>
<p>"Coming from Thailand, I suppose “distance from home” is not a factor :P. Good luck with your decision! I think MaineLonghorn has some valid points. I think another thing to consider is which one would be easier to get to, considering you’re flying in from outside of the country.</p>
<p>I didn’t choose Middlebury after I realized that flying in from NY would be just as much of a hassle as driving would be and the drive was too long for me (I also thought it was too small… but that’s besides the point :P)."</p>
<p>Bates is easier to get to from Thailand compared to Grinnell. And I think that is one valid point :)</p>
<p>I think Grinnell is the better school, hands down, and it has far more resources to work with. For location I suppose I’d choose Bates, though that’s actually a tough call, because Bates’ immediate vicinity has nothing to recommend it, a gritty, run-down industrial town that has not much industry left. It’s just that at Bates you’re less than an hour from Portland and less than 3 hours from Boston and relatively close to the Maine coast, which is lovely. But realistically, how often would you avail yourself of that? Maybe 2-3 times/year? As opposed to Grinnell’s daily abundance of resources as the LAC with the 4th or 5th largest endowment?</p>
<p>I’d go for Grinnell.</p>
<p>We visited both and S choose Grinnell ED. While Maine has a lot to offer recreationally (if you have transportation), the town of Lewiston is not very appealing. We were also very unimpressed with Bates’ facilities, especially the science facilities. Grinnell’s were state of the art (and included an observatory). Grinnell’s intro class sizes were also smaller (nothing larger than 24 students) and the mentoring and advising is outstanding. S liked that there were no distribution requirements. The freshman tutorials ensure that you know your advisor well. Grinnell is also academically more rigorous and much less preppy. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/grinnell-college/438138-why-grinnell.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/grinnell-college/438138-why-grinnell.html</a></p>
<p>Bates has a beautiful campus and is really close to Portland, which offers great opportunities. I would choose Bates any day! </p>
<p>Sent from my iPhone using CC</p>
<p>Grinnell would be my vote too. the link, “why Grinnell” pretty much sums up my reasons. See above^^. Stay with Grinnell.</p>
<p>I don’t think you will go wrong at either place. I know people whose kids attend Bates and they love it. </p>
<p>However, my son also chose Grinnell over Bates, even though it was much more difficult to get to! For him, it came down to a question of perceived fit: he (and I concurred) that Bates would be more like his high school experience (read: preppy, although he went to a public school). He felt like he could find a “niche” at Bates, but at Grinnell, he just felt “at home.” </p>
<p>I agree with M’s Mom observations all around. Personally, Bates’ campus did nothing for me, and the surrounding area is not appealing. We found Grinnell’s campus much nicer, prettier, and more charming. It is two blocks from a small, but historic downtown area. The immediate countryside is wide open sky, rolling farmlands – quite pretty. </p>
<p>With transportation, there is more to do at Bates recreationally and with access to better cities than are nearer to Grinnell, although most kids find plenty to do on campus. (These liberal arts schools are really campus-driven no matter where they’re located).</p>
<p>Grinnell has more student body diversity, which continues to increase with every incoming class. The class of '14 is 60% white at Grinnell, while it’s 75% white at Bates. (I added the “ethnicity unknown” number to the white numbers for each school, figuring students who don’t report are white… you can check the numbers on each school’s common data set).</p>
<p>To sum up (IMO):
The advantages of Bates: proximity to mountains, sea and cities, and the spring term.
Grinnell: greater intellectual rigor (both in and out of the classroom), student diversity and facilities.</p>
<p>to add to my above post: the self-governance system at Grinnell is also a unique feature, and it contributes to the sense of community and engagement on campus. </p>
<p>Also, I don’t know about funding at Bates, but the endowment at Grinnell allows it to provide enormous opportunities for its students, for research, internships, etc. It has a huge commitment to social justice, and backs it up with money to make opportunities happen for its students and the wider world. The new president is really amazing, and as a student, you can choose or not to have interaction with him, but as a parent, I think that he is an intellectual giant, a hugely creative thinker and someone who is reinforcing the idea that a liberal arts college can be a force for great change in the world!</p>
<p>Everyone has been incredibly helpful :). Any other thoughts before I make my final decision?</p>
<p>Just this: know that whichever one you choose, you will get a good education, make friends, experience a bit of American life, so once you make your decision, just look forward and don’t second guess yourself!</p>