<p>D1 is looking at two schools. A third, and the former favorite, is out due to financial considerations. There's no clear favorite among the remaining two schools. Seriously, an advice on how to decide? She says she doesn't know what to do, and I have no answers for her.</p>
<p>We've don the pro/con lists (each school has plenty of those). The one school has a slightly better program, but do super small, very white, and rural outweigh those advantages? The other school has a lot more going on for the student, but their program isn't as thorough. It's not a significant difference, but it is a difference. We've visited, at least twice, at each school. When there's no clear "winner" do you flip a coin? </p>
<p>I really curious to know what others have done or what others in similar situations are doing becuase we need to decide. There are financial considerations and while the schools cannot (and are not) forcing us to make a choice, we know some of the money could go to an alternate if we reject it before April 1st. I'd hate to think someone else missed out because we dilly-dallied.</p>
<p>Some kids do outgrow small intimate schools and get tired of rural locations. There tends also to be more problem drinking at rural schools (statistically speaking). At some point you go with your gut. Both my guys waited till the last day before choosing, both had two good but quite different choices. I think both ended up making the correct choice - for older son fit and the major were better at the school he chose, but the other school has a much better overall reputation. For second son he chose a slightly less highly ranked school which he perceived as being a bit more relaxed, but also that had a more hands on approach that appealed to him. At some point I think you just go with the gut.</p>
<p>Are you suggesting that ‘very white’ is an advantage? For college, esp if she comes from a norther plain state, I would suggest that that would be a disadvantage as it would be an excellent time for her to experience wider life.</p>
<p>Back to your question, I would do the gut test. Flip a coin and if the winning school feels fine, go with it. If it does not, go with the other.</p>
<p>ALL things being equal,and i mean ALL?i choose the school with the best campus life/spirit…maybe one school has a bigtime football team/ hoops team? The campus comes alive when a team is a perennial winner or is invited to a bowl or NCAAA tourney…</p>
<p>I know you said you’ve visited both at least twice, but has she done any overnights? While it’s important what goes on in the classroom, the bulk of their time at school is spent outside of class & maybe there’s a tipping factor there.</p>
<p>ihs76 - “very white” is in the list of things that aren’t advantages. D1 (well, and d2, too) is a minority herself. Our public school district, even in the Northern Plains, is 40% people of color. Exposure to diversity wouldn’t be anything new for someone in the city where I live.</p>
<p>Rob - no overnights, mostly due to d1’s ec and work schedule. Something we should look into, though.</p>
<p>qdog - ALL things would be an almost equal number of pros and cons for each school, although they are different pros and cons. OOP cost for each is nearly identical.</p>
<p>Is your D’s spring break a different week than the two colleges’ spring breaks? That might be a good time to do that and back to back visits may highlight some differences. </p>
<p>And remember: she’s happy with both schools. By October most kids are happy where they landed and don’t look back. </p>
<p>OP - you might get better feedback if you named the schools - as people could weigh in with what they know of that school specifically. But based on your description - I would go with the 2nd school - with more going on for students. The 1st one - which you described as very white, super small and rural sounds much more limiting socially. Academics are important, of course, but so is enjoying your college experience.</p>
<p>Thanks, rockvillemom, but I don’t think that would help. I’ve done a forum search for both schools and neither has been mentioned here in conversation, well, ever! D1’s intended major isn’t very common. She wants a BA in something that can be an AA program at a hosptial school. It’s not offered at the ranked places people on this board discuss. School II does have a regional USNews ranking. School I specializes in health science and offers some graduate programs in nursing. Because of this, it’s in with “masters instituions” in USNews and, as a school of 600, you can imagine it doesn’t compare very well. But, 100% of their nursing majors pass boards on the first try. Nothing to sneeze at.</p>
<p>So you are saying Option 1 has a student population of only 600? And is very white and rural? Wow - I’m sure the program is as you describe - but now I am really voting for Option 2! I also worry sometimes when a student goes to a school with such a narrow academic focus - sometimes their interests change - but even if they don’t - isn’t it a good experience to be with students who have other majors and interests? </p>
<p>I know you mentioned your D has visited both schools - has she had ample time to speak with current students from both and ask what they like and dislike about each school? I always ask current students for their dislikes and pet peeves - can be very illuminating. Ask if they had it to do over again - would they? Or would they choose another college. How do the schools compare in terms of retention rates and graduation rates?</p>
<p>As set as your D may seem on her intended major right now, many kids change their minds at some point during college. She may not, but I would consider looking at the school that offers more diversity in the way of academic options. Is one more specialized then the other? My son is a prospective engineer. I honestly can not imagine him doing anything else, however if he comes home at summer break after his freshman year and says he wants to change majors we want to make sure he’s not at a school that’s exclusively engineering/technical. Changing majors isn’t that big of a deal unless you have to transfer schools completely. Then it’s a pain and they are more inclined to stick with a program they are not happy with.</p>
<p>That would be my consideration with any school (small or large). If both offer the program she wants to start with I’d lean heavily towards the one that offers more options for a minor or a different major altogether.</p>
<p>NOTE: I crossed posts with rockvillemom, GMTA ;)</p>
<p>When it’s this close, don’t be afraid to forget about cool-headed rationality (pro/con lists, etc.) and allow emotions to take charge…surely one name sounds better, one campus’s architecture makes her feel more invigorated, one school’s colors appeal to her more, etc. When people try to make calm logical decisions, they often exclude the emotional aspects completely…as if people are robots with no emotions at all.</p>
<p>My son was at a small LAC in a small town. He said the only thing there was to do on the weekends was to go to the frat parties (and drink or not.) He didn’t drink, and soon discovered that drunk people are pretty dull and/or annoying companions.</p>
<p>I’m laughing because S2 refused to go to a school where freshman had community bathrooms…but…600 is small and many, many kids do “change their mind.” I, too, am tilting toward #2. While some dismiss fit, the kids are “out of the classroom” more than they are in the classroom and as long as she has enough academics to pass any required boards, at the end of the day she needs to live on that campus/near that campus, make friends and have things to do that she enjoys outside of the classroom. Does school 2 post the percentage of students that pass the boards?</p>
<p>D. is in the same situation for Grad. School. She is going for second look visits. What is important for her are student body, location, program. However, she does not operate on the pro/con list, which was my idea. She really values her “feel” of school. Worked for her choosing her UG. Everybody is different, you need to decide what is important and go with that…trusting your own opinion more than others.</p>
<p>She’s not going into nursing but another health field. The programs are 2+2, two years at the institution for gen ed and two at a hospital program. No LAC that offers this deegree guarantees a student at placement in a hospital. That’s a whole 'nother round of applicaitons, and it’s very competative. It’s the hospital schools that would post success rates for boards. The 2 years at the LAC are simply about positioning yourself as an applicant to the hospital. The small school has a very specific program that positions students very well. The larger school has a much more flexible program, geared moslty toward the city’s hospital school. I would think a motivated student would want to beef it up, which could be done. </p>
<p>I keep thinking it’s kind of like the high school arms race all over again!</p>
<p>As some here have noted, “small” can be an advantage; some students do better when they don’t feel like 1 of a thousand in English 101 for example.
“very white” can be an advantage too, for some. Those who grew up in communities that are predominantly made up of minorities can benefit greatly by broadening their perspective due to the diversity they would be exposed to. My white cousin did . Even though it seems “in reverse” it would be different. Or, on the other hand, some students only do well with students like they are accustomed to. That explains why some schools are overwhelmingly white(greater than our nation’s average pop.) and some schools remain historically black. I don’t think either is evil; but they are different.
One school of thought is a student does best with what he is used to, while some others feel the experiences of diversity are of a greater benefit.</p>
<p>I won’t make guesses on the ancestry of the OP, and I won’t make presumptions either about the desires of the prospective student or the learning advantages for this particular student. Different students excel in different environments for different reasons.</p>
<p>Interesting though that some here automatically assumed the advantage of “very white” meant attending there <em>because they’re like us</em>; but now the OP has explained it is very different than that.</p>
<p>It sounds to me that if your daughter changes her mind about her major, she is going to really dislike the smaller, rural school. Also, she needs to know if she is going to be comfortable socially, living daily in a school where there is little diversity (I know someone who attended such a school for a year and hated it. She is a URM, and felt as though students stared at her. It was a very uncomfortable situation for her. She came home every weekend and transferred out for her 2nd year. The commute home was not around the corner for her either).</p>
<p>My mother used to tell me to try this: Decide one night that you are going to make Choice A. Get up the next morning and live with Choice A all day. Then switch gears and get up the next morning and live with “having made” Choice B all day. See how you felt. Any more excitement on one day vs. the other? More regrets about the choice not taken on either of the days? Good luck. It is nice to have two viable choices, even if making the actual choice between them is hard.</p>