WashU, Williams, Amherst, Dartmouth, and Columbia? Which One?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>These are my top five schools and I'm trying to narrow things down and would like some advice on where I should go, what would be a good fit. I've visited WashU and Amherst so far, and will be visiting the others soon. However, from the college visits I've gone on so far, I find it really hard to get a feel of the places in such a short amount of time when they're shoving you in a bunch of events. So I'm looking for some insite :)</p>

<p>For financial aid, these are my current offers:
WashU: COA- 61,333 FA- 60,045 *COST: $1,288
Amherst: COA- 62,844 FA- 56,244 *COST: $6,600
Dartmouth: COA- 65,034 FA- 58,656 *COST: $6,378
Columbia: COA- 65,833 FA- 63,415 *COST: $2,418
Williams: still waiting for aid award</p>

<p>My family doesn't have much, but could probably give me $3000-$4000 a year, the rest I'll try to work for and get loans for the rest. However, I'm a current gates finalist, which could change how much these universities would cost me. </p>

<p>I would like to have a single dorm if possible for social anxiety (I'm not good at living in the same room with people, have done it before multiple times and it ends up REALLY bad every time). I'm a geek, so I would like a nice geek community. I'm a libertarian and fairly conservative and poor, so I don't want to be too swamped by far far left kids and silver spooners. I don't like big cities too much, and would prefer a smaller student body. I'm also undecided in my major and am considering everything from psych, to pre-med, to computer sci, to architecture, to anthro, etc... the list goes on so I would like a university with a wide range of majors. </p>

<p>Lastly, I would prefer to be in the northeast. My boyfriend will be attending up there and although it is unlikely we will be able to go to the same school, I would like to be within a train ride away. I realize this isn't normally considered to be a good reason to pick a university, but we're in it for the long hall and I really don't want to only get to see him on the holidays. </p>

<p>Any advice?</p>

2

<p>I would wait to see what Williams offers you, but for now it looks like Columbia fits the criteria you listed, their yearly cost is also quite low. Have you visited, and do you like the campus/the thought of going to school in NYC?</p>

3

<p>I have not visited yet, but will be in two weeks, but I’ll admit the thought of going to New York scares me a lot :/. I’m born and raised in the country and forget to lock my car like 90 percent of the time. I’ve been told that I wouldn’t do well in the city, and being around a lot of loud noises and people and lights at night really freaks me out. I feel as though Columbia would be the poorest fit as far as the kind of person I am, but great as far as education and geographic region.</p>

4

<p>Spend a day in the city (specifically around Columbia) and see how you like it. It can be a bit intimating at first, you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever looked at a subway map, but being a New Yorker myself I can easily tell you that it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be. After your first year living in the city it’ll be fluent to you. I hope you won’t be bringing a car with you to school, there’s 0 need for one in the city with all of the public transportation available to you. </p>

<p>The other schools don’t seem to fit your money situation/outlined criteria, so I would definitely wait to see what Williams offers you. Their COA is $58,900 - cheaper than any of the other schools you’re looking at, and based on the packages the other schools have offered you, they might even give you a full ride. Williamstown is obviously a LOT smaller than NYC, and Williams is very, very, very tiny, and has great academics. Make sure you visit them too, because there might be <em>something</em> about it you don’t like.</p>

5

<p>Thanks! :slight_smile: I really hope these visits pan out! I’m actually kind of worried :confused: i just read today that the last day to schedule travel for the program i’m wanting was friday, and I couldn’t call today or yesterday because they were closed. Hopefully I’ll still be able to do it</p>

<p>The only thing I’m worried about is being too overwhelmed and bailing because of the anxiety :/. The other things are definitely strong preferences, but that might jeopardize my education so I’m really worried about that one</p>

6

<p>tip, great acceptances! My son had a wonderful experience at Williams so I’m prejudiced in that direction, but you do need to know the financials first.</p>

<p>Williams – and Amherst – sound to me most like what you’re looking for. Williams is middle road politically and you could most likely have a single room all four years. It’s a close knit, supportive community, in an insular – but beautiful – mountain village. You would have the opportunity to experiment academically in a wide range of disciplines.</p>

7

<p>Williams, Amherst, and Dartmouth would seem to be the best fits for you. Columbia is obviously not the best choice for a person who feels uncomfortable in a big city, AND it is very expensive to live in NYC, even with student discounts on tickets and so forth. </p>

<p>I think that you should go to the accepted students events, and see what you think.</p>

8

<p>Thanks momrath! :)</p>

<p>I’m leaning WashU, Williams or Amherst. WashU is my current fave, I just don’t like the location, which the others have and I like amherst a lot. If I get the gates, my FAFSA efc is around $2,130, so all of the packages should be reduced to that amount by gates. Does anyone know how many single bedroom options these schools have for freshman?</p>

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<p>And also, do they generally cost a lot more? or just a little bit?</p>

10

<p>WashU and Columbia are in pretty rough parts of big cities.</p>

11

<p>^Is it hard to handle?</p>

12

<p>Here is my Williams offer:
COA: $62,300 FA: $58,100 *Cost: $4,200</p>

13

<p>Columbia is on the upper west side/116th street! Not rough, all the surrounding properties are worth millions. If you go north from there to like 125th street and above, then it gets rough, but you will probably NEVER have to do that.</p>

<p>My advice to you would be directing you towards the idea that maybe you don’t want to choose the college that will satisfy your comfort zone the most. Think of all the personal growth and added experience you’ll have if you did go to a city like new york for 4 years, especially considering how you’ve lived your whole life up to this point in the country(and probably will for the rest of it?). Why not take this opporunity for change? New york is an awesome awesome city full of adventure and unpredictability. And even if you are too scared to go venturing downtown (which in my opinion is where the action is at), the area of columbia is in a very nice calmer section. also its a lot better than NYU in the way that it actually has a unified campus WITHIN itself, like a little rectangular shelter from the city outside. I’ve been on it and its the coolest thing </p>

<p>I’m a little biased being from here. If anything, all I want to bring to the table is the idea that you may want to think about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and try something new. Thats the reason I’m looking for a non - city college, to pull a 180 and experience something new. </p>

<p>I would visit both and try to match you’re personality with whether or not you would thrive more at a great liberal arts college or a big research U. Do you think the extra guidance and closer attention is something that will help you?</p>

<p>For reputation its deff between columbia and dartmouth however.</p>

<p>I would probably rule out WashU from this conversation considering the caliber of colleges the rest of these are</p>

<p>Visit!!</p>

14

<p>tip, glad to see that Williams came through for you financially. If you end up choosing Williams you should give them a polite nudge to get closer to the better packages. From what you’ve written I think you would enjoy Williams. The nurturing and nature-focused environment is a good antidote to anxiety, and the first year entry system helps everyone get off to a good start with a ready made social group. Your Junior Advisers are there for you with advice, mundane and weighty. </p>

<p>In answer to your question: Single rooms are quite plentiful at Williams, even for first years. I don’t know the percentage, but I believe you would not have a problem securing one. They don’t cost more.</p>

<p>There’s actually very little to spend money on in Williamstown, which is a great equalizer. You will find many kids from wealthy families at ALL of the Northeast colleges, but the contrast is less apparent in the rural communities than it is in urban locations.</p>

<p>One last point about LACs, and this would apply to both Williams and Amherst: if they admit you they want you to succeed and they will help you succeed. The support facilities – both academic and personal – are phenomenal.</p>

15

<p>Singles do not cost more than doubles at Williams; all housing costs are the same. I had a single (typically as part of a suite arrangement) all four years at Williams. Basically all juniors and seniors who want one end up in a single, as do a substantial number (I think the majority, although I’m not positive) of sophomores. Williams in general has great housing stock, and virtually every dorm on campus has been gut-renovated at some point during the past 15 years. As for first-years, I believe that every single room in Mission (where about half of the first-years live) is a single within a suite, so you can try to request living there. If you make your anxiety known to the college, they may be able to accomodate and give you preference for a single, but I would ask at the admissions office and I imagine they can let you know if that is something they can work with you on.</p>

<p>More generally, you sound like a good fit for Williams. Obviously, it is a beautiful and peaceful small college town environment. There are no shortage of geeks on campus. One of my good friends from Williams is a geeky, die-hard libertarian from a rural state, so I know they exist there, although to be fair the college (like all of those on your list) is overwhelmingly liberal, and draws most of its students from urban or suburban school. But it’s not a place like Oberlin or Wesleyan where there is a more of a radical leftist streak, folks tends to be fairly middle-of-the-road liberals, with some and more passionate voices on either end of the political spectrum. </p>

<p>There will also be plenty of silver spooners (like at any school that costs 60k per year and where 40 plus percent of students are paying full-fare), but Williams, like Amherst (although Amherst has been more public in doing so), has worked hard to diversify the student body in recent years. Around one out of five incoming students at Williams are now first-generation college students, and Williams and Amherst tend to rank among the top few liberal arts schools in terms of percentage of students receiving Pell Grants. So it’s not like you wouldn’t have a good number of peers from similar economic backgrounds at either Williams or Amherst, despite the fact that both schools have plenty of very wealthy kids from private schools and so forth. One nice thing about Williams is that because the town is so small and everyone is basically in the same boat, it’s impossible to tell (other than some kids driving nice cars) who comes from money, and who doesn’t. There’s no threat of a group of classmates planning an expensive night out on the town, certainly! </p>

<p>I can’t really speak to Columbia or Dartmouth on the economic diversity front. My sense is that Dartmouth has the most conservative students of these schools, or at least the most famously conservative minority (Dartmouth Review, vocal support for campus frats, etc. etc.). I’d guess that Columbia has the most left-wing student body, but again, I’m not entirely sure of that. </p>

<p>IN terms of prestige, post-grad opportunities, and quality of undergrad education, these five schools are basically indistinguishable (Wash U. may be a tiny half-tic behind, but not enough to be noticeable or in any way limit future opportunities, honestly), so go where you will be happiest and where you will graduate with the least debt.</p>

16

<p>^ Thanks for all the info! :)</p>

<p>Something else I might mention which could affect where I should go, for WashU I’m an accepted Ervin’s scholar (Full tuition and stipend) and Columbia a Kluge scholar. I know that with the former that creates a very interesting student group that I’m already very familiar with from Finalist Weekend and I absolutely loved my roomates. I really like Williams and think it would be a better fit, but I’m also finding it really hard to say goodbye to WashU :confused: (I wish I could go to both! lol)</p>

<p>Also, does anyone know what being part of Columbia’s scholar programs entails? I never heard of it until they offered me it and I have no idea why I got it or what it means lol</p>

17

<p>I GOT THE GATES SCHOLARSHIP! so I don’t have to worry about money up to my FAFSA EFC point :). I just recently got back from Dartmouth and absolutely fell in love so that’s where I’m pretty sure I’m going :)</p>