Hi,
I was admitted to both schools. I didn’t apply for financial aid at either school, though Grinnell gave me a $20k per year merit scholarship. Finances aren’t really a factor. I am interested in the humanities and social sciences, including sociology, history, English, and political science. I am also potentially interested in film.
My main questions are:
Which school will have better connections, grad school placement, etc? Which school is stronger for the subjects I’m interested in? What are you opinions/experiences of these schools?
The money that Grinnell gave me is enticing, but it’s not really a huge factor. I am interested in doing research with professors. Overall, I like Wesleyan better for its culture, location, and academics. I will visit both of them in the upcoming weeks. I come from a competitive high school, so I am not looking for a cut-throat environment.
Wesleyan pros: I like the culture from what I’ve seen (eclectic, creative, independent), great programs, especially film and CSS, good grad school placement, good outcomes from what I’ve seen so far
Wesleyan cons: low endowment which might affect me since I’ll be full pay (not getting my money’s worth?)
Grinnell pros: lots of money which means money for funding, good grad school placement (at least for PhD productivity), smaller class sizes than Wesleyan (idk)
Grinnell cons: located in middle of nowhere, low yield rate (no one seems to want to go there), half the size of Wesleyan, doesn’t have that wow factor or culture
Thanks!
Both great schools. Grinnell recruited my youngest D to play soccer; she chose Skidmore in the end.
Wesleyan is the better choice. Just my humble opinion. On the score of outcomes, as much as I try and remain neutral on these things, I think Wes outpaces Grinnell by a margin.
Wes’ endowment is only “low” by comparison to just a few schools. As you’ll see in another recent thread here, it’s endowment per student is still solid compared to many very good schools. Nobody ever says USC has a low endowment, but on a per student basis, they do compared to Wesleyan.
Also, Wesleyan has been growing their financial resources and continues to focus hard on managing its finances in an prudent and sustainable manner.
I think you have two great choices, but Wesleyan offers a more dynamic environment. Grinnell is isolated. Wesleyan is in New England near Boston and New York. It’s part of the best small college athletic conference in the country, and it has many great traditions with its Little Three rivals, Williams and Amherst.
Saying that Grinnell is isolated, but that Wesleyan is “near Boston and NYC” is misleading.
Getting anywhere from Middletown is not easy, and getting to either Boston or NYC will require a 2 hour train or longer bus ride. Yes, both are doable, but not exactly “near”.
Flying into into Bradley/Hartford is another option. It’s ~ 40 minute drive to Wes and much less traffic.
Grinnell is pretty close to both Des Moines and the Corridor (Iowa City/Cedar Rapids/Waterloo) – counting those, it is not isolated. If you need a really big city to visit, Chicago/Twin Cities/Milwaukee/St. Louis/KC are all within about 4-5 hrs – not quite as close to NYC or Boston as Wes is, but easily doable for a weekend away, and those cities are diverse options, with their different cultures, food specialties, etc.
Other fairly-close charms abound:
- The Mississippi River can be accessed fairly easily at Davenport/Quad Cities.
- Madison, WI – an awesome city, beautiful capital, and college town – is fairly close.
- The lake-saturated areas of northern Wisconsin (like Minocqua, my hometown) and Minnesota call if you are into fishing, watersports, mosquitos, etc.
- The Black Hills and Badlands are a hike, but accessible.
- The Wisconsin Dells, Door County, and Lake Geneva in Wisconsin are additional popular vacation areas.
I think the $80k (or so) you’ll save at Grinnell – especially since you are and may remain interested in grad school – gives Grinnell a pretty clear edge in cost and, unless Wes is simply a much better fit, overall.