I want to preface this by saying that I realize how extremely fortunate I am to be in this position. I was recently accepted into Yale/UPenn/Brown. If I choose to go to any of these three schools, my family will be expected to pay around 10k a year for total costs (UPenn is around half that, but for simplifications sake I’m lumping it in). My real conundrum is Washington and Lee, where I was selected for a Johnson Scholarship (Full ride+books+7k for a summer program). I had the opportunity to go to W & L for a weekend and really enjoyed it. I could totally picture myself going there and loving it. However, my dream school has always been Yale from the first time I toured. (I suppose this is more of a Yale vs. W & L post). My question for all of you is which school would be best for me to attend? Which school will prepare me best for the future? And which is the best value? I’m having a really tough time grappling with this. I don’t have anything to compare W & L to because I was able to stay there and attend a few classes before COVID-19 cancelled everything. Thanks in advance.
Oh, come on. This is not rocket science. I guarantee if you’d had the chance to visit Yale before COVID-19 closed its campus, you would have been blown away. Yale puts on an excellent Bulldog Days show. Even @Publisher will tell you - go to Yale sight unseen. And, we almost never agree. 
Can your family afford the $10k/year?
I don’t think this is a no brainer decision. A full ride a W&L, with a prestigious scholarship, is an amazing opportunity and will open a lot of doors. There is something to being said too for being a big fish in a small pond. You will shine more easily than at Yale.
What is your intended major?
I don’t think you can turn down Yale for 10K a year, unless you didn’t like it there. but you loved it and you will wonder “what if” for the rest of your life if u turn it down.
- Yale
- Brown or Penn.
- W&L
W&L is a great school and the Johnson would set you apart there, but W&L is a lot more conservative – and MUCH less racially diverse – than most elite colleges. If you want that, great. I could see you deciding between Williams/Amherst and Yale, but if you liked Yale that seems to the be obvious choice at $10k/year if your family can swing it.
What do you want to study ?
What are your thoughts / interests about a career ?
What are your thoughts & concerns about each school ?
My understanding is that total annual COA for UPenn is about $5,000 while Brown & Yale are at $10,000 and Wash & Lee will be zero plus $7,000 for a summer program.
To state the obvious:
Unless you intend to study business, there is no wrong choice among your four options.
Can your family afford 10K/annually? If yes, then it’s Yale.
Why did you apply to Washington & Lee ?
Yale. Brown & UPenn are not typical overlap schools with W&L.
According to The Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020: Wash & Lee overlap schools are: Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Carleton College, Davidson, Univ. of Virginia, UNC at Chapel Hill, & the College of William & Mary.
I ask because I want to get a better understanding of who you are.
Fraternity / sorority participation is much higher at W&L than at most colleges. https://my.wlu.edu/student-life/student-activities/greek-life/resources/faq#Percentage says 73% of women and 76% of men join.
Brown/Yale and W&L in the same paragraph is so odd to me.
@momofsenior1 To all that have responded to my question so far: thank you! For a little bit of background for those who ask, I applied to W & L because I liked the idea of a small school. However, the size of my institution is not a huge deal for me, unless it would mean taking lecture-sized classes my first two years. I am interested in studying government and international relations. My family could afford 10k a year, but I’m having a hard time reconciling that over 4 years when I could save the money by going to W & L. Yale is and was my top choice throughout the entire admissions process (I was deferred SCEA). My mother actually suggested I apply to W & L cause she thought I would love the history and Honor System there (I do). I really did love the W & L campus during my three days there, but again, I have nothing to compare it to. I actually applied to a few other LA colleges (accepted at Midd and Colgate), but I would go to the above stated schools over them. @Publisher your COA understanding is correct. My biggest concern about W & L is not finding my niche to fit in, since I know it is much more homogeneous with Greek Life and diversity than other schools. Yale also has so many more course offerings and major opportunities. However, I am also concerned that I will not be given as much attention to succeed at Yale, given its large size. In conclusion, Yale is my top choice but W & L’s offer is making me seriously consider them against each other.
Are there two threads on the same topic?
W & L sounds like the type of place that has a specific W & L type. Do you think you’re the W & L type? Do you think you could be happy there if your answer is no? It’s not just the quality of the education you receive, it is four years of your life that you should be enjoying also.
Yale at $10K a year is a tough one to turn down. With a campus job and some summer work you could really hammer away at that $10k and potentially graduate with far less than $40k in debt.
Try tossing a coin, heads or tails, see what your gut is telling you. Whichever you choose love it and never look back.
What a wonderful dilemma. Congratulations.
OP - I’m beginning to change my mind. You are truly one of the few CC posters in my recent experience who may be immune to the Ivy League siren song. If the allure of washed out blue swag or constantly referring to “a college in New Haven” when people ask where you got your degree – if none of that has an intrinsic appeal to you, then maybe you should let someone else have that seat. I can certainly give a number of reasons why W&L might be more suitable for you than Yale. I just never thought I’d be in that position before.
@circuitrider I think that is a compliment, so thank you! I truly love Yale for what it has to offer, not its Ivy League prestige (hence my decision to apply there SCEA). I do admit being able to say “I went to Yale” certainly has an appeal to it, but I believe it is the person that makes the degree, not the other way around. The reason I’m struggling is because I worked so hard for Yale for so long, but now I have another option that also appeals to me. I know that I would be happy at either school, there are just a few things that I worry about W & L (Greek life, diversity, location). The only real worry I would have about Yale is what its prestige might inspire people to believe about their own superiority. I am wondering mainly if it is worth it to go to Yale over W & L for what amounts to a free education vs a very cheap education.
@Eeyore123 What makes that odd to you? I’m genuinely curious to hear your recommendation and analysis. Thanks in advance!
W&L would be a reasonable (though not best IMO) option if you had no concerns about Greek life, diversity, location. But since you have those concerns about W&L, and since “Yale is and was my top choice throughout the entire admissions process,” Yale seems like the clear choice.
That.
You are certain to meet a lot of people for whom Yale will be the defining validation of their life. No doubt about it. That is the one thing you need never worry about at a nationally ranked LAC.
If that’s your only worry about Yale, go to Yale.