I was recently accepted to some great schools, but my top choices are Williams, Georgetown, Swarthmore, and Emory. I am incredibly grateful for all of my options, but I am having a hard time deciding. It would be great if I could get some suggestions, possibly from alums!
Major: Economics/Political Science
Considering going to grad school (PhD) or law school
Parents can contribute around 25-30k per year towards education
Williams:
Cost: 34k/yr
Pros:
Cost
#1 LAC
Beautiful campus
Great grad school prep
Close connections with faculty
Winter study
Tutorials
Cons:
Location (Western MA)
Not sure about access to internships?
Georgetown:
Cost: 56k/yr
Pros:
One of the best political science programs in the country
Location (close to DC)
Only 3ish hours from home
Beautiful campus (visited)
Easy access to internships on Capital Hill
Cons:
Cost (pretty much the only thing deterring me from committing)
Competitive club culture
Swarthmore:
Cost: 50k/yr
Pros:
Close to home
Pass/fail first semester
Great preparation for grad school
Smaller/more personal environment
Really nice campus
Seems like they really care about students (based on my visit to campus)
Cons:
Cost
Not in a city (suburbs of Philly)
Seems really competitive
Grade deflation?
Emory:
Cost: 42k/yr
Pros:
Cost
Gorgeous campus
Location (close to Atlanta + warm)
Size of undergrads (~4k)
Liberal arts institution nested within a research university
Seems very collaborative
Got into both Oxford and Emory (so have the option for a more tight-knit community)
Cons:
Far from home (would require a flight)
Not sure about economics/poli sci programs
In addition, the cost is a very important factor as I also have a twin sister attending college at the same time as me. It would be great if I could hear from some alums about their experiences at some of the liberal arts colleges as well, as I don’t personally know anyone who has ever attended one! Thank you all for your help!
Assuming that the $25-30k per year is for you (not you and your twin sister combined), Williams at $34k per year is the only one of these that may be affordable (you would have to take a federal direct loan and/or contribute some part time and summer work earnings to add to your parents’ contribution).
Georgetown at $56k, Swarthmore at $50k, and Emory at $42k would require parent loans or parent-cosigned student loans, which are generally not a good idea, especially when your twin sister is also going to college at the same time.
If the $25-30k per year is for both you and your twin sister combined, none of these are affordable.
I would commit to Williams without looking back. Their students do fine with internships; based on your cost constraints, it is a tremendous value although if your parents are contributing 25K and you need to fund the rest with summer earnings and student loan it will be tight…
Agree with UCB- is the 25K just for you, or split between you and your twin???
I went to Georgetown and loved it… but I would take Williams at $34k in a heartbeat over Georgetown at $56k. What a great school and a great deal!
I can’t think of very many schools that are worth going into more debt than your federally backed loans would get you. Especially if you want to get a PhD.
If money is important, than that has to be a deciding factor.
That said, these are different - size, environment.
For example, at WIlliams you noted a con is the location. Are you ok being in an isolated place? Access to internships - a lot of that is student driven - for the most part, you’re not just given one. But Williams will have more than enough connections that you’d be fine. The concern would be size (vs. others) and location. That said, if it’s the most affordable and that matters - even if it weren’t the top choice - you might have to settle for it - which settling for the top rated LAC in the country wouldn’t be so bad.
Gtown - if it’s too much. Don’t assume an internship on capital hill - you’re competing against every college student in and around DC - and if you look up the names of people in the government, I think the “reputation” is overrated - there are kids from all over.
Swat - you seem to want to be clsoe to home - and it’s not like Williamstown MA is that far. But if you want to be close to home, it is what it is. But why? Are you planning to come home every weekend? Why does it have great preparation for grad school - vs. any other? And frankly if you’re going to grad school (for what), why not find a full ride somewhere since money matters? The con of not in the city bothers me - because this is a metropolis compared to Williams…so back to that. It might be most affordable, but if you’re miserable, what’s the point.
Emory - well you have lots of colleges that are liberal arts institutions within a research university - pretty much most public flagships. I would say Oxford is out - you want a city.
If you are going to study economics/poli scie - there’s not a bad one on the list unless:
You can’t afford
You’d be miserable due to isolation
Williams is obviously best for you cost wise but I’ve read enough of your cons to know you might struggle there (but again, you might not - have an open mind).
Agreed with both @prezbucky amd @gablesdad and one has to afford wherever they go - but just note through all the pros and cons - near a city comes up a lot.
Still life has trade offs. Cost for location. Of course arguably the best school in the country makes trade off sound odd.
Williams and don’t look back. The resources and experiences will outweigh any concerns with the location… and no debt is huge.
Anecdotally, my D ultimately selected her school (edit: another SLAC) partially based on the amazing merit in spite of it being more rural than she preferred. Two years later that concern was unfounded. She loves the close-knit student body. She has been matched with weekly shadowing opportunities (she is premed), summer clinical internship, summer & school-year research, funded study abroad, etc. Williams will absolutely give you that regardless of its location.
Congratulations to you. I hope you realize your amazing accomplishment with these prestigious acceptances. Wherever you end up, be proactive about communicating your goals to professors and advisors; they will gladly help you.
Edit: Reading back through my post… obviously only you can determine if the trade-offs for no debt are worth it to you. None of us anonymous folks on a web forum can answer that for you, and ultimately you need to be happy for the next 4 years or none of the potential advantages of any prestigious school will matter. Best of luck!
If this is the case…Williams is the only school in your list that is affordable. And it’s a terrific college!! Adding the $5500 student loan to your parent contribution will take you to the cost to attend Williams.
Where will you get the money to fill in the gaps between aid and the cost of attendance at the other schools??
Another vote for Williams. I live in the Boston area but have spent quite a bit of time in the Williamstown area. MassMOCA and the Clark are the draws for me, spent a few days in Williamstown, sat in a cafe in the little downtown, and loved the vibe. Top school at an affordable cost.
If you like cities and due to your interest in political science, DC is a priority, then Georgetown $22/year difference times 4 is $88k. You might be able to work/intern in the summer and cut that in half.
But to me, Williams is a great choice and no debt: and it would offer great opportunities for summer internships so you could spend time in cities then.
I have had two kids interning in DC. Neither went to college in DC. This is a big country, and the senators/representatives from every state favor students who grew up in their state. Most federal agencies have operations spread out across the country, and try to bring on interns and new hires who are from “their” area which is almost everywhere. Every governor (all 50 of them) maintain an office in DC which monitors legislation and advocates on behalf on measures which would benefit their state. You can get hired in DC to work in the office of a state you don’t live in or grew up in- but it’s a LOT easier to work for your own governor in DC. That’s just how it is.
For those that asked, my parents can contribute $25-30k each for my sister and me. I would have to take parent-cosigned student loans if the cost were to go significantly beyond that.
Based on your replies and some more research, I am definitely leaning toward Williams right now. I will be visiting campus in a few weeks, and I am growing more and more interested in the idea of going to a school in a more rural location! I visited George Washington with my sister (one of her top choices), and I am now much more against the idea of a super urban and chaotic campus.
My biggest concern with Williams was the potential lack of connections for internships, but based on your replies, I understand that this is likely not going to be an issue. It would be great if anyone who is knowledgeable could expand on the connections that Williams could offer!
As for grad school, I am considering either a PhD in economics (to go into academic potentially) or a law degree, but I am not completely sure yet!
Depends on the internship or job. I wrote from personal family experience (kid made $15k for 3 summers and also worked during the year…I could not afford the school otherwise).
Be sure to take additional upper level math and statistics courses (e.g. real analysis, upper level linear algebra, probability theory) to prepare for PhD study in economics.
Academic job markets are fiercely competitive, although someone with a PhD in economics is likely to have other non-academic options in business and government.
Kids find internships. Not colleges. But they can help with connections.
This should not be a con. Not Williams.
Where you are doesn’t necessarily matter.
Everyone thinks being in DC is the key.
Not all DC kids get internships and there are a lot from all over the country there. And the govt is a lot bigger than DC. .
One could argue Williams is on par with the very best schools. I hate rank and prestige but I think most would agree it trumps Gtown even at equal cost.
I was concerned that you keep mentioning location and close to home. Not about internships.
But frankly I would rather see you go to no name state school then take on $90k in debt for Gtown.
Undergrad coursework to prepare for those two paths is very different, particularly if you are considering a career in academia as an economist.
Econ has become increasingly math driven with most PhD applicants expected to have taken extensive math coursework in undergrad with classes through Real Analyses along with a major in econ. For top programs (the ones you’d want to attend if you are aiming for a tenure track career in academia) you also need very high GPA and GRE (particularly math) scores, 2 years of RA experience, and stellar recommendations from undergrad professors/RA advisors being pretty much necessary.
For law school, pretty much all that matters is undergrad GPA and LSAT(or for some programs, GRE) - undergrad course work and major is pretty much irrelevant.