<p>So, I absolutely love Reed. I just returned from a two-day spring fly-in and, god, everything there is just wonderful and exceeded my expectations. Problem is that Reed's FA didn't really come through for me like I needed it to, and I was accepted by Amherst and Duke. Duke's FA was essentially a full-ride, and while I'm not sure how much Amherst is offering me, I know it will be about as much.</p>
<p>Luckily, I get to visit Amherst and Duke, but I'm just absolutely lost right now. I don't know what to do! I'm hoping I absolutely love Duke, more so than I loved Reed, so that the decision will be an obvious one. But for right now I'm quite worried about having to make such a difficult choice.</p>
<p>Soooooo, which colleges would YOU choose over Reed? Theoretically or those you've actually been accepted to.</p>
<p>My response doesn’t exactly answer your question, but it addresses your general situation: If you end up liking Amherst and Duke less than Reed after you visit them, you should contact Reed’s fin aid office and ask them to recalculate your financial aid with the argument that it doesn’t cover you full financial need–and show them the evidence in the form of your Duke fin aid package. Say something along the lines of, “I would love to attend Reed as it’s my first choice, but given that Duke/Amherst is offering to cover my full financial need and I feel Reed isn’t quite doing that, I’ll be forced to go elsewhere unless you take a second look at my financial circumstances,” etc. etc. etc. I think that’s your best bet.</p>
<p>The fin aid office can be a bit uncooperative, but they DO increase fin aid awards if faced with further evidence/persistent hounding. I know plenty of people who’ve appealed for more money and gotten it. And I think if they see you’ve got better need-based aid from schools that Reed often has trouble competing with (many cross-admits probably pick Amherst and Duke over Reed), but are still willing to come here, that may give them some additional incentive to look deeper into your situation.</p>
<p>brightstack, I second Ghostt on this one–call the Financial Aid office and point out why Reed’s aid package isn’t going to make Reed a reality. Keep trying.</p>
<p>The difference between Reed and Amherst isn’t as huge as that between Reed and Duke, but it’s still significant. By all means, visit those other schools and see whether they would make you as happy as you think Reed would.</p>
<p>But for my personal two cents, which you should take with a gallon of salt and the understanding that personal biases are strong: I wouldn’t pick a single other school over Reed, and I didn’t. :)</p>