I am grappling with my May 1st decision deadline and was wondering if anyone could provide me with insight.
Bowdoin is my number 1 school, but if I went there I would have a 20K a year financial aid gap. I am from North Carolina, so the school is quite far away. I have been offered admission and better aid at Wake Forest and UNC-Chapel Hill.
I know that Bowdoin is more reputable than both of those two schools. However, is the difference in education quality and career prospects that much that I should choose Bowdoin over more cost-friendly schools?
Tentative academic interests?
Sociology or Political Science
When you say Bowdoin has left you with a $20k financial aid âgapâ, what do you mean? Is that your tuition, your total cost or is just how much more it costs than your next cheapest choice?
Iâm a huge LAC fan, but I question your assumption that âthat Bowdoin is more reputable than both of those two schoolsâ or that your career prospects would be better at Bowdoin. Where do you want to work? Despite its excellent education and ranking, a lot of people have never heard of Bowdoin and are well aware of UNC and Wake. Bowdoinâs web site says âBowdoin meets every studentâs demonstrated need with grants and campus employment.â They do not offer loans, though they refer to financing (neither seems to be a good idea, especially if large sums are involved). Can your family afford the extra $20k/year? If not or if it would be painful, seems like UNC or Wake are better choices.
Also, with COVID-19, we could end up with on-line classes this fall. How would that factor into your decision? How important is attending a LAC vs. small/medium sized univ. vs. large univ.?
Agree with the aboveâŠwhat are the net costs of each?
Iâm particularly interested in Wake Forestâs offer and how it compares to Bowdoinâs. I wouldnât call them peers, but if Wake Forestâs FA is much better, I would share that with Bowdoin.
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For those majors, you would have more than one good academic choice from your group. For example, Bowdoinâs Government and Legal Studies department is excellent, but so is Wake Forestâs Politics and International Affairs department. Bowdoin offers an exclusive focus on undergraduates throughout its curriculum, however.
Regarding outcomes, U.S. News early career salary data place your choices in the order of Bowdoin, Wake Forest, UNC (highest to lowest).
I would have to pay around 20K out of pocket at Bowdoin, while I would have to pay around 10K at Wake. They offered me more in need based aid and I also received a merit scholarship.
So looks like Bowdoin didnât âgapâ you $20K. Your CSS Profile expected contribution must be aroundâŠ$20K, as Bowdoin meets full need.
How much is UNC out of pocket?
Can/will your family the $20K at Bowdoin (or the WF/UNC net COAs too) without suffering financially?
Have you had a chance to visit these schools? You have a range hereâŠLAC, Small University, Medium UniversityâŠwhatâs your preference?
There must be a reason you applied to Bowdoin in the first place. Perhaps, it was to go OOS? All three of your choices represent the best of each of their categories: National LAC - Bowdoin; Medium-size U - Wake Forest; State Flagship - UNC-Chapel Hill. Theyâre all âworth itâ in their own way.
I donât think you can crowdsource this decision.
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All three schools are very different - size, location, campus life - but each of them is very reputable in their own right. Bowdoin may be ranked 6th but thatâs in LAC ranking, Wake is 27th and UNC Chapel is 29th against the other National Universities ⊠if rank is a factor they are all pretty even.
Think about where you see yourself being happy and fitting in the most, being involved on campus⊠think about your major and what opportunities each school offers for research/internship. Since they are all even academically speaking, I would be inclined to have my child choose the school that would cost less (sounds like Wake or UNC) because cost/lessening debt is big factor for us. Actually that is what we made D18 do, choose the most aid given/least cost option. An extra $20k isnât too bad but an extra $80K a large amount of debt to carry in these uncertain times, especially if your major really warrants getting a Masters to be relevant.
If you really had your heart set on a smaller setting rather than a state uni go with Wake which is the middle of the road in size. Great school, larger than Bowdoin, still offers the sports watching fun of UNC, great traditions, fabulous campus, will be more diverse (not as many NC students as at UNC). The only thing it doesnât give you is that OOS experience but you might be surprised if you were raised in NC that you will not like 6+months of winter⊠northern snow isnât gone in a week - once it comes itâs your new landscape for months. Just some thoughts ⊠good luck! You have great choices!
What impresses me most about Bowdoin is itâs approach to teaching and learning. Itâs not about large lecture halls - or any kinds of lectures. Itâs about engagement with the subject. For example, students learn science by doing what scientists do. While all colleges offer some of this, my I,pression from talking to students is that itâs a hallmark of what they do at Bowdoin.
All 3 of your choices are prestigious in their own way. Wake seems like the best of both worlds since itâs smaller than UNC and has better FA than Bowdoin. But if cost is not a significant factor, Bowdoin is well worth consideration - as long as you can adapt to the weather. UNC is also a great option. Not a bad choice with any of them.
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if you have to fund the $80,000 gap tween bowdoin & wake/UNC with loans, that is a lot of money to have to pay back. unless you are laser focused on specific major/cpurse of study - go to Wake- know plenty of kids that go to Wake and my kid goes to bowdoin⊠Excel at wake and can end up same destination without $80 k in debt
What did you decide??? My son is considering 4 wildly different places⊠Bowdoin - Vanderbilt - UVA - Univerity of Delaware (full tuition scholarship). He didnât get to visit Bowdoin or VanderbiltâŠ
I chose Bowdoin!!
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I chose Bowdoin!!
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Congratulations!!! My son is still deciding⊠just a few hours left to think.
Great choice! Youâre going to love it.
Congrats! My wife and I are both deacs and our oldest is at Bowdoin. Bowdoin is a much better school than wake and clearly better than unc - haha. He loves it at Bowdoin.
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Congratulations! Have a great 4 years!!
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