<p>I applied to too many (mostly northeastern) LACs.
I got into:
Middlebury
Haverford
Oberlin
Colby (Presidential Scholar)
Wesleyan
Vassar
Davidson</p>
<p>I haven't heard from Swarthmore yet.
I also got into Reed and my safeties (Warren Wilson College and UNC Asheville)
What input do you have about my options. I am going to try to go on a whirlwind tour on my spring break.</p>
<p>Can you give us (tuition+ R&B) - (grants+scholarships) = ? for each one?
What’s your parents’ budget?</p>
<p>Great choices, all of them. Midd is probably the most “prestigious,” but they’re all really peer schools. Oberlin, Wesleyan, and Vassar are more “hipster” than the others. Davidson, of course, is in the south. Nicely done–congrats!</p>
<p><em>Claps</em> Someone is full of awesome sauce!</p>
<p>If you can afford it, Oberlin is an amazing school, especially if you’re into a very active community. The food is outstanding. There are over 500 performances yearly (of all types). Everyone is warm and lively. (While in the cafeteria, someone gave me a meal pass and random couples broke into beautifully executed dance.) The classes are small and engaging. Interesting courses are offered. While I was there, I sat in on a philosophy class and absolutely enjoyed the teaching style. One feels at home immediately.</p>
<p>Oberlin is literally in the middle of nowhere, which is one of its only drawbacks to me. </p>
<p>Thanks, you guys. I kinda forgot about this post after I didn’t see any comments in the first day or so. @MYOS1634 the approximate family contribution for each school in my approximate order of preference at this point:
Haverford: 30k
Oberlin: 35k
Colby: 35k
Midd: 50k
Davidson: 45
Wesleyan (no aid): 60
haven’t heard from Vassar</p>
<p>and the cheapest: Warren Wilson at 20k (I really like the principles of the school, I just don’t think I’d be intellectually challenge enough). UNCA also around there financially.</p>
<p>My parents don’t make much money, but I have some fairly deep-pocketed grandparents…so I guess we could afford most of those places. Nevertheless, $60,000 is a lot of money.</p>
<p>It’s not $60,000; it’s really $240,000. Don’t guess what you can afford. Have your grandparents made any specific offers or commitments?</p>
<p>@reydecelo: Out of curiosity, were you aware of the cost differences before you applied (did you run the Net Cost calculators)?</p>
<p>Yeah, well my dad was the one entering the numbers in the calculators, but it initially seemed that they would all be similarly around half of tuition. Once we actually heard from places, we reentered the numbers and the outcomes changed (perhaps because we had actually submitted our taxes at that point, so we knew the real #s). The only one that seems really out of place is Wesleyan, but then again, their calculator only came up with $10k or so in grants.</p>
<p>What’s your intended major & career goals?</p>
<p>Haverford at 30k/year is a terrific bargain and a great school even at full price.</p>
<p>Subjects or majors that you may be interested in can affect your choice, since strength of departments can vary between different schools.</p>
<p>I would go with Haverford for the price, but Oberlin and Colby are both terrific and at a good price.</p>
<p>Davidson, Middlebury, and Wesleyan are expensive compared to your other choices. The other three (or four) schools would result in a cost savings of 40 to 100 Large. </p>
<p>Round up the folks in the parlour and suggest to them that you’d rather see that money put toward graduate school. Even if grad school isn’t on your radar, you’ll earn massive brownie points for financial rectitude, especially with Gramps, which you’ll likely be able to redeem in the future. :D</p>
<p>You have some great choices there @reydecelo. Well done. Haverford, Oberlin, and Colby (and possibly Vassar) are looking pretty good right now. It would come down to fit, choice of major, etc.</p>
<p>What is your intended major?</p>
<p>Having your grandparents pay some of these expenses can impact your need based financial aid in future years. You may need them to gift money to your parents (vs directly to you or paying your tuition bills). And there are some limits on that… you need to look into that before making a decision.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would zero in on Haverford and Oberlin. If Vassar comes in cost-wise nearly the same, then Vassar as well.</p>
<p>As a parent, I can’t see that Wesleyan and Midd are “worth” the significantly higher cost as compared to Haverford and Oberlin, so I would focus on those two as my primary options. As a BMC alum, I know Haverford well and continue to be impressed by everything that goes on there. The academics are superb, the location great. Oberlin is a school we have visited with both our kids, and love it as well. </p>
<p>Significant differences between Haverford and Oberlin are factors such as a size, location, and personality/temperment. Haverford is among the smallest of the LACs at about 1200 and Oberlin among the biggest, with 2200 Arts & Sciences students plus 600 conservatory students. Haverford can feel bigger as a campus because of the complementary academic offerings and student life with BMC.</p>
<p>Location: Hford is in a well-heeled suburb of Philly, with easy access by train to the city and ready access up and down the east coast. You can hope on a train in Philly and be in NYC, Boston, DC. Oberlin is maybe 40 minutes from Cleveland, so not bad to get in and out of for vacations, but not the same city access. Oberlin as a town is more “regular” with a college vibe, whereas Haverford is a wealthy suburb. Haverford as a campus is enclosed, separate from the town, whereas Oberlin feels part of the town – the Art Museum is on one side of the town green, the conservatory on another etc. </p>
<p>Lastly, temperament – Haverford is a Quaker institution, with an Honor Code which influences social as well as academic interaction. The Honor Code fosters a community of respect and tolerance. Oberlin has a reputation as very liberal, and as an institution, was a front runner in admitted in women, African-Americans etc (as in, the 1800s, not the 1900s) Haverford tends to draw a bit of a pre-professional, hard-working student body. Oberlin has the reputation as a bit more free-spirited. </p>
<p>Both are excellent schools, and you would have a terrific experience at both. </p>
<p>
Well they must have some significant assets for Wesleyan, a college that meets full need, to give you nothing for FA. All the colleges you listed are good schools. I would follow the money.</p>
<p>Wesleyan’s aid decision seems odd. You might want to check in with their FA dept.</p>
<p>Hey this was a long time ago, but just in case anyone cares, I ended up choosing Colby College. I visited #Oberlin, #Haverford, #Middlebury, and #Colby on my trip in late april. I didn’t really like the location of Haverford and Oberlin, because I want to be where going hiking (I guess I’ll have to start skiing though) and doing stuff outdoors is easy (like Maine rather than suburban Philly or Ohio cow-country). Middlebury was too expensive and everyone seemed stressed out all the time, plus the track coaches weren’t as nice as the coach at Colby. Everyone at Colby seemed friendly and almost everything seemed good. 
</p>
<p>Darn, hashtags don’t work. CC would be much better if it were more like twitter or reddit or something.</p>
<p>That’s great! Colby is a great school, and it’s good to know you decided where to go using ‘fit’ as an important factor.</p>