<p>How much would you have to borrow/spend per year to attend Bard over Wheaton?</p>
<p>For the most part, the difference in academic reputation between the schools isn’t going to make all that much of a difference.</p>
<p>Go with the cheaper one, especially if you like it better, and use the money you’d save to study abroad and live somewhere cool after you graduate and start off running.</p>