Wesleyan vs. Middlebury…Plus a huge waitlist dilemma (Urgent)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
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<p>Hello people of CollegeConfidential! I’m in a bit of a dilemma here, and I would really love some advice.</p>

<p>I was accepted off the waitlist at Wesleyan a few weeks ago. However, because of a complication with the financial aid process, they delayed the matriculation deadline for me until they got everything straightened out for me. I was very much interested in attending, and I had intended to say yes as long as the financial aid was good (I come from a lower-income background, so this is crucial for me), but I still haven’t heard back from them, so I have not committed yet.</p>

<p>However, a few days ago, I got a call from Middlebury saying I had been accepted off of their waitlist. I checked my financial aid estimate yesterday, and they have been VERY generous with the aid. What worries me is that Middlebury is only giving me until Tuesday to make a decision, and I still haven’t heard back from the financial aid office at Wesleyan. Though I really love Wesleyan and I suspect the aid won't be a problem, I don’t know if I’m willing to take the risk of accepting their offer without knowing exactly how much financial aid I’ll get.</p>

<p>I love both colleges, though, and even if this problem is solved, I still don’t know what to do. From what I hear, the two sound FAIRLY similar, but there are big pros and cons for me for both, I think—I prefer the proximity, accessibility, and relatively fair weather of Wesleyan (I didn’t even have the chance to visit Midd because of the distance), but was really underwhelmed by the campus and setting. My possible major tells me to go with Wesleyan, too, but I’m absolutely in LOVE with the facilities at Middlebury. (I am planning on majoring in either chemistry or physics with a possible double major in the arts or social sciences; economics or geography, maybe). I don’t really identify with the strong athletic culture of Middlebury, but I’m not sure I’m ready to handle the almost radically liberal side of Wesleyan, either.</p>

<p>Also—and this is important—is accepting a spot off the waitlist a binding decision? As in, if I say yes to either Wes or Midd, will I not be able to change my mind about this later? And do I then have to withdraw from all other waitlists I’m still waiting for? (As of today, there are three more I have yet to hear from.)</p>

<p>I know I am very fortunate to be able to make this decision, but I really am stuck, here. What would you do in my situation?</p>

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<p>I would call Wesleyan first thing Tuesday morning to find out about your aid. Hopefully you won’t have to make a decision about Middlebury until you’ve spoken with someone at Wes. Tell Wes you have to know because of other decisions. If they can’t help you, go for Middlebury.</p>

<p>As long as you are dealing with waitlists, you are allowed to change your mind about which school you’ll attend.</p>

<p>If after you accept at Middlebury, Wes comes through with aid, you can change to Wes, though you’ll lose your deposit at Middlebury.</p>

<p>You can stay on as many waitlists as you want. </p>

<p>I can’t help you decide between Middlebury and Wesleyan, though I don’t understand how you can be in love with the facilities at Middlebury if you haven’t visited. Both are great schools with lively, attractive campuses. The weather is not THAT different. And the students are more similar than you might think: There are plenty of crunchy and hipster liberals at Middlebury, as well as lots of jocks at Wesleyan.</p>

<p>If Middlebury was too great a distance to visit, remember that it will be more difficult/expensive to get back and forth from home over breaks.</p>

<p>Congratulations on getting into this difficult situation!!</p>

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<p>You can contact Wesleyan and ask them to expedite the progress of your financial aid award determination.
Additionally, I would suggest contacting Middlebury and requesting a short extension to make your decision. If they can, I’m sure they will permit it as they do not want you to make a decision you will regret. However, considering the timing, they may have constraints because they need to contact other waitlisters ASAP should you decline admission.
I suggest looking into the faculty at the respective departments that you would potentially be studying with and seeing if you have similar interests. This will come in handy come senior thesis time.
When it comes down to it. I say go with your heart. Think about where you would be happiest for the next four years. With prestige of each institutions being roughly equivalent, go with the place that will help you flourish the most.</p>

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<p>I would not hesitate to accept Mid’s offer if you can’t get Wes straightened out in time. As they say, a bird in the hand…you can switch to Wes later. It’s only May.</p>

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<p>Hi! I was accepted into Wesleyan and Middlebury this spring, and although my decision ended up being between Wesleyan and another school, I was really interested in both schools, visited both and had roughly the same concerns as you did.</p>

<p>I don’t what specifically you found underwhelming about Wesleyan’s campus/setting. If you thought it was unexciting, remember that the town of Middlebury has a population of ~8500, which I’m pretty sure includes the ~2500 students there. Both the school and Middletown itself are bigger in terms of population. If it was due to a matter of aesthetics, however, Middlebury definitely takes the cake- in my personal opinion, it was the most gorgeous school I’d visited. </p>

<p>Obviously, I haven’t yet studied at Wesleyan, but when I did my overnight there, my hosts told me that while there’s definitely a more alternative, “radical liberal” hipster group, there’re also plenty of jocks as well. They also told me (and I had felt) that overall, people were very accepting of other people’s decisions/opinions. I also met someone who happened to have a cousin at Middlebury, and she told me that her cousin didn’t play any sports and really enjoyed the social scene at Middlebury despite the influence of athletic culture.</p>

<p>I admit, I only saw a narrow slice of each school but for what it’s worth, I’d say you don’t need to be overly concerned with your cons.</p>

<p>It really comes to a personal decision and if you still can’t decide and money turns out to be a non-issue, flip a coin and if you don’t like the outcome, then go with the other school? You know you can’t go wrong. :]</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your input. :)</p>

<p>@Skie: I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, and every photograph I’d seen of it was absolutely drool-worthy–you’re right, though, nothing beats seeing the actual thing, I’m sure, and maybe it isn’t really a fair judgment for me to make.</p>

<p>Thanks much for clearing those things up! But I’m not sure if contacting Wes by then would be possible, since the admissions person at Midd gave me a deadline of no later than 9:00 A.M. on Tuesday.</p>

<p>@dcsmiss: It’s actually not up to them (Wes); I’m sure they’re doing their best, but the reason they’re taking so long is because they had to send immigration documents to the DHS to process, and that can take quite a while. I do suppose contacting Midd wouldn’t hurt in the meanwhile, though I wasn’t sure if that would be a legitimate reason to ask for an extension.</p>

<p>@lilaclemur: I guess I didn’t like the campus as much as I’d hoped–and besides, the kind of suburban feel I got at Middletown is exactly what I’m used to at home, and I’d much prefer a change in environment (either very rural or very urban).</p>

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<p>Schools do not want you to make a decision you make regret… if possible. Columbia and Dartmouth gave me extensions so I could wait to hear Amherst’s response frst. They really want you to choose the place you want to be, so they don’t end up with a student that is unhappy.</p>

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<p>Just ask Middlebury if you can get more time because of the Wesleyan deadline. I’ve asked other colleges for extensions and they’ve gladly granted them to me.</p>

<p>Or as others have said, you can deposit at Middlebury and then change it to Wes if the aid is better. But I don’t think it’s worth losing a couple hundred bucks if you can just get an extension for free.</p>