@JXK239 No problem! I’ll be attending Williams in the fall so if you want to learn more about the school and its pros/cons, then feel free to message me.
@AriBenSion I absolutely loved Colgate when I visited, but I think that @Mwfan1921 is correct to an extent about it being cliquey. Its student body is hyper-wealthy and lacks socioeconomic diversity, and Greek life is influential. That being said, OP should definitely keep it on their list! They should also be aware of some of the school’s flaws; every school has its cons.
@writingpumkin03 Colgate is changing quickly as a result of being one of the most generous colleges in the country in granting financial aid. Unfortunately old stereotypes are hard to shake.
Colgate is a great school, and does meet 100% of demonstrated need. However, the student population trends wealthy–currently. Per the 18/19 CDS, only 247 of the 815 (30%) freshman matriculants receive need-based aid—so 568/815 (70%) are full pay (502 of 815 did not apply for finaid, while 66 applied for need-based finaid and were found not to have demonstrated need.) Numbers are similar for school as a whole: 34% (1011/2931) receive any need based finaid).
My neighborhood heavy on Colgate. Really great kids who chose it too. And they loved the experience, doing well. If you want a big city, warm climate, not for you. But it’s a wonderful school for many
Your list is noticeably lacking in engineering options. MIT is 50% women, WPI has been 42% women in the last two entering classes. Biomedical Engineering at WPI is overwhelmingly made up of women.
Why engineering options on the same campus?
There is a very wide application of science and math in the engineering fields and the employment opportunities cover a very wide range, You will learn more about the interdisciplinary nature of these options if attending a campus filled with students pursuing a full spectrum.of STEM options. Interdisciplinary STEM is very alive today.
If not a STEM major, what would you major in? If a STEM major, what interests you most in the Social Sciences and/or Humanities? Do you act? Are you into music?
@AriBenSion Of course! Colgate is definitely generous with aid. However, only 30% of the class of 2022 received aid, which is actually a lower rate than in previous years. And the school is not need-blind, setting it apart from other top-tier LACs. This doesn’t really have an impact on most students, but it may come into play when Colgate is deciding whether or not to take a risk on a low-income applicant who needs a full ride versus a full-pay student when academics are equal between the two.
“it seems that everyone around me has ‘a #1’ and I’m trying to get that.”
No. Don’t get a #1 if you can possibly avoid it. If you can find ten colleges you’d be equally happy to attend, run with those applications. You will be far less likely to feel disappointment in the spring than your friends who didn’t get into their #1-my-life-will-be-over-because-I-can’t-go-anywhere-else “dream school”. You’ve already got some wonderful possibilities, and you should absolutely continue to tour and research them. However, do treasure the concept that you can and will adapt to any or many different places. That is an excellent - and far more mature - mindset to be in. Heading into the stressful application process confident in your own ability to bloom where you’re planted puts you light years ahead of most of your cohort.
I am now heavily leaning towards Amherst and Middlebury. Are there vast differences between the two? Are there other schools that fit the ‘vibe’ of these two that I should also be looking at (i.e. schools with higher acceptance rates)? I don’t want to be cocky but I do think I have a good chance of reaching these schools, yet, as we know, the college admissions system is broken beyond repair (@LoriLoughlin)…
Thank you again to everyone for your input. I find this process to be exhausting but important … and less scary with the help of this community!
@JXK239 I think that Amherst and Midd have different vibes. Not a vast difference at all, but it’s there. Amherst is a bit more diverse; Midd has both really preppy students and really “granola” ones. For someone interested in STEM, Midd isn’t the first thing that pops up in my mind, but Amherst has a great new science center. What specific subjects within STEM are you interested in? Maybe that will help with further college recommendations.
@writingpumpkin03 Thank you!! Gah, I think I enjoy both of them because I could see myself fitting into both places.
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I know I keep asking questions but not I’m considering how ‘rigorous’/cut-throat a school is…from most rigorous to most laid back, could you all help me rank the following?: Swarthmore, Williams, Hamilton, Bates, Haverford, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colgate, Connecticut College
You’re smart to have a couple of LAC that aren’t quite so “reach-y” on your list. Even with top stats (say 34 ACT, 4.0 GPA) there are going to be 8-10 students with similar stats vying for the same spot as you. Many of the schools you listed fill a big piece of their class ED. Middlebury, for example, filled 41% last year. That doesn’t leave a lot of spots for RD. Consider taking a look at Dickinson and Lafayette in Pennsylvania. Possibly St. Lawrence in upstate NY and Union College in Schenectady. Union very strong in sciences. Would you be happy if you ended up at UMass-Amherst? Good luck and keep us posted on your reactions as you visit the various schools.
For a somewhat higher acceptance rate and a little further south, how about Lafayette? From what I read here on CC, has engineering, friendly/ sporty culture a bit preppy but not overbearing…
Oh, sorry, didn’t see above post already recommending it…but I think worth checking out.
@JXK239 None of the schools you listed are cutthroat in any way, but they will all be rigorous to a certain extent. If I had to rank them unscientifically by academic rigor (not by how cutthroat they are socially), it would be like this:
Swarthmore (by far, it’s like the UChicago of LACs in terms of academics–not a bad thing)
Williams/Amherst (by virtue of having so many high-achieving, competitive students, despite there being no stress culture or grade deflation)
Middlebury/Bowdoin (same as the above reason; there’s not much of a difference tbh)
Colgate (core curriculum can be academically demanding)
Don’t know enough about the others to rank them, maybe someone else can. And if anyone disagrees, then please let me know!
In estimating academic rigor, you might want to consider standardized scoring profiles. For example, Colgate’s standardized scoring profile lands a little higher than Bowdoin’s. In the absence of other information, it would seem reasonable to infer that Colgate’s academic expectations would be at least as high as Bowdoin’s.
@JXK239
I should have mentioned earlier that Amherst doesn’t have any distribution requirements whereas Middlebury does. If you any thought of double majoring then Amherst is your best choice. Hamilton and Wesleyan also have an open curriculum. All three schools would be an excellent choice, although Wesleyan does have its own distinct "vibe’.
Brown also has an open curriculum and Providence is a great college town.
Now, just wondering in terms of trying to plan for anything, out of Middlebury, Bates, Bowdoin, Amherst, Georgetown, and Williams, how would you rate the schools on ‘transferability’ as in how would they be in terms of accepting credits, guaranteeing housing, acceptance rates, and looking to finish in 4 years (as in graduating the same year as established by entering initial college)? Just trying to think about essentially every path that could happen, haha. Thank you for everyone’s help.
