I want to preface this by saying that I realize how extremely fortunate I am to be in this position. I was recently accepted into Yale/UPenn/Brown. If I choose to go to any of these three schools, my family will be expected to pay around 10k a year for total costs (UPenn is around half that, but for simplifications sake I’m lumping it in). My real conundrum is Washington and Lee, where I was selected for a Johnson Scholarship (Full ride+books+7k for a summer program). I had the opportunity to go to W & L for a weekend and really enjoyed it. I could totally picture myself going there and loving it. However, my dream school has always been Yale from the first time I toured. (I suppose this is more of a Yale vs. W & L post). My question for all of you is which school would be best for me to attend? Which school will prepare me best for the future? And which is the best value? I’m having a really tough time grappling with this. I don’t have anything to compare W & L to because I was able to stay there and attend a few classes before COVID-19 cancelled everything. Thanks in advance.
In order to make a reasonable recommendation, more information is needed from you about your intended major area of study, career plans, and more specific thoughts about each school ?
For example: Were you admitted to the Wharton School at UPenn ?
Do you consider yourself to be liberal or conservative ?
What do you want to study at Yale or Brown ?
In my opinion, strong arguments can be made for all four schools, but those positions are somewhat irrelevant without more input from you.
Do you see graduate school in your future ?
@Publisher See my response on the other thread for some more info, in addition to this. I consider myself more conservative (W & L obviously would be more friendly to me, but I’m not sure yet if that is a huge concern) I want to major in the humanities, so no, I wasn’t admitted to Wharton. I really want to do something in foreign policy (actually admitted to GTown SFS, but it’s four times the cost of Penn, twice as much as Yale). I do plan on going to grad school for a Master’s hopefully, but I won’t really now for sure until my later college years. At Yale/UPenn/Brown, I would most likely study PoliSci and Modern Middle East Studies (language focus in Hebrew, which W&L doesn’t offer). At W&L, I would probably study Politics and Econ.
@Airkreuzer, my daughter was also accepted to Penn with ~10k annual cost and she has chosen to go with the Johnson, fwiw. Given present economic uncertainties, free college was especially appealing to her, and she loved the community from Johnson Weekend. Not saying you should do the same. Just 2 additional cents.
@Airkreuzer my son was also selected for the Johnson scholarship and also accepted at his dream Ivy League school. Our whole family has been very impressed by what Washington and Lee has to offer. I would be careful not to listen to opinions of people who have not visited the campus. If you choose to go, as a Johnson scholar you will have incredible opportunities and a great education. As you know, it is an amazingly generous scholarship. Good luck with your decision!
@Airkreuzer Congrats on your choices. For what it’s worth, my son also received the Johnson, but was waitlisted at Yale. Before he received the Yale decision, his cousin, currently at Yale and studying political science, advised him to take the Johnson and not look back. Especially since DS plans to go on to graduate school. He has accepted the Johnson. Good luck with your decision! I’m sure you will do amazing wherever you choose.
I was rejected by my Ivies and got the Johnson, so I suppose my decision will be quite easy, but especially as the world will most likely head into economic decline soon, i would recommend to take the Johnson. I still got into other good schools with workable financial aid, but W&L offered by far the best atmosphere that I have felt and they have the most committed faculty I have met. Especially as you look to go to grad school, I believe that having a full ride at W&L (which still has amazing politics/econ programs) and being able to make lasting connections to professors will truly help you more than the Ivy name. I may be a bit biased tho 
You will still do great things at whatever school you attend, so do not get too stressed about it!
I’m a W&L grad. Honestly, if Yale is your dream, go to Yale. $10k a year is not all that much compared to what many people shell out for higher education (I’m assuming your parents can more or less afford it?). I gather that the average intellectual caliber of students at Yale is a notch above W&L, if based on test scores if nothing else. Yale certainly has much more national and international name recognition/prestige than W&L. I think it would be more stimulating to be surrounded by your intellectual peers than to usually be the smartest kid in class.
Since you are interested in Politics, I suggest you look at Washington and Lee’s Mock Convention program. I attended the convention and was completely blown away by it. https://www.mockconvention.com/ If you look through the site, you will see all of the activities and research that took place. They have this event every 4 years. The next will be in 2024 and students from your year will be leading the multi-year effort. This is an amazing learning experience, especially for a Politics major.
Being a Johnson Scholar is a big deal at W&L and comes with a lot of opportunities beyond the full ride, such as research work. You will definitely be a big fish and you should take that into consideration in your decision.
I saw your other threads and it was mentioned that the location of Yale is much better than W&L. You should make your own assessment on that. Some people prefer urban, others do not. Lexington is a charming town with lots of restaurants and coffee shops. There is a club dedicated to exploring the fabulous outdoor activities in the area, if that interests you.
You are lucky to have great options. You can’t go wrong with either one.
My daughter was accepted into her dream Ivy last year and took the Johnson instead. She hasn’t regretted the decision a single day. Not a single day. Loves the small classes, professors, school vibe, and VA mountains. She has also discovered the alumni network is quite expansive.
@Destin4 thanks for sharing this. My son, like your daughter, is about to turn down his dream Ivy League school to take the Johnson scholarship. He seems to have no doubts in his decision but it still is reassuring to hear about current students who were in his same position having no regrets about their decision.
My daughter also has the Johnson and turned down Stanford, Dartmouth, and UVA. We felt like “free” was too good to be true or turned down, and she has had a wonderful experience at W&L. Additionally, she has wonderful friends, from various walks of life. She actually has had life-changing involvement from her professors, who are extremely caring. Top notch people. She loves Lexington. Finally, she is on the liberal side, and has found the school to be open to all points of view. The only thing that I’m grappling with is the “Lee” thing. We certainly don’t love that association, and I hope it doesn’t serve to hamper her future. I know the administration is working on what to do (several buildings have been renamed and portraits of Lee in uniform are gone). It is distressing.