As an applicant you don’t care if a school is need aware or need blind. If you like the school, the NPC suggests it’s affordable, and it’s a good match for you, you should apply. Aware/blind just affects the chance of admission (up or down), and then usually only if you’re on the cusp.
Right, but a student trying to pick an ED school might consider that. But I still think it would be a mistake for this student to ED. They should RD to a variety of schools that meet need. Sometimes schools will pay for your visit after accepting you RD.
Carleton and Grinnell have more in common with one another than either does with Colby and vice versa. (I feel like I’m playing the old Sesame Street “One of these things is not like the other…” (now with a special shout-out to Carol Spinney)
One important difference to keep in mind is trimester (Carleton’s 3-3 calendar) versus traditional semesters at Grinnell and Colby.
I also heartily agree wit @intparent that ED is not a good plan if finances are a concern and if you haven’t visited it before applying. Many of these schools have fly-in programs for people with financial need and/or that can contribute to diversity.
Grinnell has many fewer requirements, basically a 1st semester seminar Freshman year which is evolving to include travel and then a certain # of classes in science, social studies, etc. This has allowed my Grinnell senior to double major in Economics and Psychology and spend a semester in London taking only classes outside his major. By the way, even though it is cold in Grinnell, he has only worn his winter coat 3 times, he is a senior, the campus is compact.
You can’t go wrong with any of these schools, but they do have different feels, son thought the intensity of a trimester system would overwhelm him. All of these schools are full of self motivated intelligent kids. Fully agree that ED may not be the way to go. Also, do you have any LAC safeties, I know they are harder to find.
Slight correction to this. Mom24boys is right about the first year seminar, but beyond that there are no general education requirements (a.k.a. distribution requirements) at Grinnell. Students are required to complete the first year seminar and a major. The major may have some requirements for courses outside the home department, but generally not outside the division. (What I mean is that a Physics major may have to take some math courses (same division) but has no requirements in the social sciences or humanities. One exception would be some social science majors which may require statistics (science division).) Having said that, advising is highly individualized at Grinnell (not surprising, since without distribution requirements it’s not cookie cutter) and an advisor may encourage his or her student to explore the curriculum broadly. Given the intellectually curious nature of Grinnell students, this isn’t a hard sell.
Having visited all three schools, I agree with the characterizations made here, highlight the significance of 10 week quarters at Carleton vs. 15 week semesters at the other two schools, and the importance of visiting before committing to ED. FWIW, ours ultimately chose Grinnell, and three years’ in, I feel confident it was the right choice. More importantly, he does, too.
Colby DOES have distribution requirements. For some, this is positive. It’s a forced opportunity to explore, and many entry level classes are taught by excellent profs trying to attract students to their departments. If you’re the kind of student who likes variety, it’s a gift to have this “built in” to your 4 years. You may end up tying some of what you learn in one field to another, or it just may broaden your horizons.
For others, this is a definite turnoff. While there are different perspectives on what and how much of anything you should know for whatever path you choose, your own feelings about “dabbling”, breadth vs. depth, etc is something to consider for any school that ends up on your list. Schools approach this very differently so make sure you pay attention.