It sounds like you are leaning towards D. and everything that you have described about yourself make it clear that you will thrive there. Your parents clearly have assets beyond their income to justify no aid - i.e. they are capable of financing your education. I think that you need to make up your own mind fully, prepare a clear argument and have a serious sit-down with your parents to convince them. Think of it as the last hurdle of your college admission preparation.
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I went back to look through the OP’s posts since this conversation has gone round and round and I was struggling to remember exactly what they have asked for. It seems there are a couple of things: convincing their parents that Dartmouth is worth the investment, and the length of time their parents want to take to consider this decision, which is causing some anxiety. I also noted that the OP is an only child and clearly has a mature relationship with their parents.
Here goes: My observations from the several people I know who went to Dartmouth is that their network and the relationships they have as a result of attending are a lifelong support system. These are people who can reach out to anyone in the Dartmouth community (whether they went to D at the same time or not) and the community will respond with contacts, job recommendations, coffee chats, advice about medical problems that need a specialized doctor). I have witnessed a real “pay it forward” mentality among their alumni that I think exists in few places, and would benefit the OP well beyond the 4 years of attendance.
I also think the quality of teaching will surpass that of Ole Miss. I’m sure OM is a fine institution but I do believe there is a reason Dartmouth shows up as #3 in US News for Undergrad teaching. Our tours at Dartmouth demonstrated a real emphasis on undergrad teaching, and I don’t think that’s BS.
So, a lifelong network full of alumni who are highly likely to be well connected and successful, plus the highest quality teaching available for undergraduates makes a pretty compelling case. But then add the current career plans, the desire for colder weather, and a more academically aligned culture, and I can certainly see why this OP feels strongly that Dartmouth is their place. OP, you might also think about opportunities at Dartmouth you think your parents would be excited to know about—things you can take advantage of while there to get the most out of their investment.
As for the waiting game, I am of two minds. On the one hand, pressuring your parents to decide sooner could backfire. And seeing you so happy on the Dartmouth campus for admitted students day could be the emotional confirmation they need. On the other, expressing the anxiety it is creating in a calm way—noting that if their answer is “no” to Dartmouth that you’ll need time to process it before you can get excited about Ole Miss, and enjoy the last of your senior year, also is completely understandable. I’m sure your parents don’t want to cause you stress even as they consider this massive investment in your future.
I know this is really hard, and I hope your parents decide to pay for Dartmouth. But if they don’t, please don’t worry. You can find your people at Ole Miss and you can hightail it out of there to NYC the moment you graduate. My guess is that you could also graduate early if you want to, if you have a lot of AP/IB/dual enrollment credit. Best wishes and good luck!
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Part of the issue is defining exactly what one is talking about.
In general, banking, finance, management, and so on are very large fields, so obviously many, many people other than graduates of a few colleges end up having lots of professional success in these fields.
What people are really talking about is certain specific highly selective starting points straight out of college. Like, this is pretty much completely ignoring people who maybe do less selective positions immediately out of college, then go to a top MBA/MSF/MFin/MFE etc. program, and then into something very selective. People are focusing on the few kids who basically can skip all that and get straight to the most selective firms right out of college.
And as others are pointing out, one of the problems with ignoring the many other paths is it is not like everyone at Dartmouth gets to follow the straight-in path. And yes, this kid sounds great, but so do many other kids we are not currently talking to who will also be heading to colleges like Dartmouth this year.
OK, so, if you want to put some sort of value on more people following the straight-in path, then fine. But it is in fact important to realize those are not the only paths, and also important to realize most of the people going to places like Dartmouth hoping to follow such paths won’t end up actually doing that. So whatever value someone places on that consideration has to be realistically weighted in light of these factors.
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For anyone interested, perhaps OP, this is how Dartmouth publishes outcomes. Note - they capture 57% of people so not the full amount but it gives you a decent snapshot.
@jane18762 Looking forward to hearing how dimensions day goes on April 20. Are you planning to participate in any of the other opportunities provided to admittted Dart students this month? 2026 Admitted Student Programming Calendar - Google Sheets
Since folks are posting about getting hired in IB or quant finance with zero experience hiring in those fields, I’ll just point out a couple of facts.
1- Getting a PhD in physics to land a job in finance (any kind of finance) is like becoming an oncologist to you can end up in VC evaluating early stage cancer treatments. Are there MD’s who pivot from practicing medicine- specifically oncology- and end up in VC’s? Yes. Is it a path that ANY physician would recommend as a goal? Is it a path that ANY med school would recommend– going through school, residency, fellowship, etc. just to leave? absolutely not. So posters who have never hired in finance who are telling the OP that there are multiple paths into finance (which there are) and that getting a PhD in physics is a good back up plan are just plain misguided.
2- Telling the narrative that “I worked my way through college” via a merit award is the equivalent of sitting in the stands at a major league baseball game and catching a pop fly. Many companies no longer ask or care how a student financed their education. It is an interview technique which works AGAINST the self-financer more often than it helps; it perpetuates the stigma against first gen’s; it is highly discouraged as an avenue for discussion. So a candidate who brings it up– it gets a head nod and then “let’s move on”. Particularly for consulting, banking, quant– the two most relevant interviews will be the technical or case interview (for consulting- case interview, finance it will be a series of tests or technical interviews), and the behavioral interview. There will be zero opportunities during these two phases to bring up ‘By the way, I self-financed via a merit scholarship”. There will likely be an elegant way to bring up “I worked 30 hours a week in the campus dining hall to finance my education” during the behavioral phase (likely a question around challenges faced, time management, or the like) but winning an award in HS doesn’t quite answer the question.
3- I will bet a nice dinner that the OP will neither end up getting a PhD in physics OR end up in I-banking. Which will not be connected in any meaningful way to Old Miss vs. Dartmouth. There are careers which will leverage OP’s quant skills that OP doesn’t know about, and a mentor or faculty member who will introduce OP to the field and OP will be off the races. There are people who hedge the price of oil and fuel for airlines (they’ve been busy of late). There are people at the large Agricultural producers and food companies who develop risk management strategies for the price and availability of fertilizer, corn, soybeans– someone who is good at poker or loves chess or other games typically love these career paths. There are people buried deep within the CIA, Interpol, etc. who figure out different risk strategies for “what happens if Iran closes the Straits of Hormuz” or “what happens if Putin is diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer”. And there are some terrific career paths for math folks who just love modeling and can pretty much model anything- when is the next 100 year hurricane going to hit the Atlantic coastline with the epicenter at Miami; when is the next Tsnunami to hit the Asia Pacific region and what happens to Samoa and Guam when it does…. etc.
Net- I would not make this decision based on PhD in physics vs. I-banking which may in fact be the OPs parents position. It’s about the intellectual experience at both colleges, one vs. the other, the academic opportunities, the rigor. Which the OP can likely find at both.
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This cannot be emphasized enough. Most HS students have no idea what their eventual future options will look like. Most of us parents aren’t much help either. We know a bit how it works in our area, but we are not likely to know much about other areas.
This is very good news from a certain perspective–if you control costs and are open to following along wherever your evolving interests and aptitudes might take you, then you can end up having a great career doing something no one in your HS or family circles knew anything about. But I understand that uncertainty at this point is a bit scary too . . . particularly if you are NOT controlling costs.
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But the parents might not have considered that the low cost option would be a fantastic FREE option, but rather deciding between $40k for Ole Miss and maybe Dartmouth with a little FA? Many don’t realize, when applying, that there is no merit at all at Ivies, or heard that Ivies give great aid and don’t know that is for need based only. OP may be the oldest and parents are learning as they go along, just like many of us did.
Others have mentioned we don’t know if OP’s parents have some other debt, other children to put through school, dreams of a first ever vacation, have saved for college or expect to pay OOP year by year (which paying $100k out of a $350k income would pinch). I don’t think the OPs parents would be mean to say no, we won’t pay $100k when you have a really top option at Ole Miss. I know if I were the parent, I’d say Ole Miss for the financial rewards and agree to pay for any grad school, a car, study abroad. To me, that would be a better ROI for me and for the student.
Try to look at all the positives Ole Miss may have - fewer required ‘reading’ classes (OP said she didn’t like reading) or more options to fulfill those requirements, big sports if you want it (my friend’s son went to Ole Miss and said the football tailgate was the best, and she’s been to a lot of schools, a lot of games) but plenty of other things to do if you don’t like that, maybe more musical events on and near campus. It will be easier to get to and Dartmouth will NEVER be easier to get to. Ole Miss may be hot in Aug but Dartmouth will be really cold in February.
The Stamps scholarship is very prestigious. It will stand out on a resume and get you the interview. Getting the job will be up to you.
A physics phd maybe fully funded now, but in 5+ years who knows. It also may be all taxable income (that was proposed a few years ago). My daughter had a funded masters program but tuition only, not living expenses. They paid her to do a few things extra (some research, some hanging around the department giving tours) but not everyone in her program got funding, and honestly most that did had gone to that school as an undergrad (she did, so she knew all the profs when applying). Still, she worked at Starbucks, she lived VERY cheaply in the basement of a house, she drove her grandmother’s old car. You may want to have the option of going to a more expensive or better located phd program, and your parents could help you with those costs.
My cousin went to Williams and while she’s had a very nice career, lives in NYC, and likes what she does, she doesn’t make millions and never will. Some of it is self selection, but not everyone coming out of elite schools goes right to IB training programs.
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@twoinanddone the OP has no siblings.
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Some posters above have asserted that IB/finance firms are not recruiting physics majors or physics PhDs. This is incorrect as physics majors, physics majors with a master’s degree in finance, computational finance, MFE, etc. are highly prized for quant roles among financial firms especially hedge funds. Some firms have a strong preference for those with a PhD in physics.
Our experience includes a family member’s top choices including both Dartmouth College and Ole Miss’ Croft Institute. Lengthy visits to each school prior to applying got both schools removed from the list. OP’s visit to Dartmouth College may lead to a change of heart/different assessment.
I, too, am among the posters curious about OP’s other options.
No posters, other than OP, know the OP’s family finances. $430,000 plus over 4 years is a very significant investment with so much uncertainty on OP’s part and so much unknown about the family’s finances and the OP’s other options. (The actual difference to OP and to OP’s family is roughly $500,000 as the Stamps scholarship includes additional funding beyond a total full-ride COA.)
P.S. FWIW Our family member, like OP, narrowed the options under serious consideration to a Top 10 National University and the highest scholarship award at a Southern public flagship, however, the options not discussed were incredible & probably should have received much more consideration.
P.P.S. interesting that many posts in this thread view the decision as Ole Miss versus Dartmouth College when, in reality, it is between Stamps Scholar at Ole Miss on a full ride plus versus full pay at Dartmouth College; too many responders are ignoring the incredible networking & other benefits attached to the Stamps Scholar designation.
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OP: Please consider the many funded study abroad options that are included in your Stamps Scholar merit award.
If you prefer some time away from your home state of Mississippi, consider a semester or year-long study abroad program or, possibly, studying at another US school for a semester or year. Check to determine whether the latter suggestion is covered by the Stamps Scholar award (my guess is that it is if it falls under the impact project award for Ole Miss Stamps Scholars, but I am not certain).
Plus, Stamps Scholars receive individual mentoring.
Not every.
But OP is, so back to how do we help them make a case to their parents.
I wouldn’t sell this OP short. They are clearly very savvy. The stamps scholarship network is strong, but in my opinion, not as strong as the Dartmouth network.
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How do your kids bring this up in an interview? My daughter is the recipient of one of the most sought after, completely merit-based national scholarships, and it funded her education. It also has some of the networking and experiential aspects of institutional scholarships like Stamps/Jefferson/Robertson.
She has never mentioned it in any interview. She has discussed opportunities and work that she’s had as a result of the scholarship, but not the scholarship itself. @blossom articulated well some of the reasons that there could be bias against self-financing, and I’m having a hard time imagining how something like these scholarships or being in an honors college or similar would be elegantly weaved into an interview. The products (research, internships, connections, exposure) of those opportunities are interesting, but the scholarships aren’t especially.
To the OP, this is an especially tough decision given how far apart the two options are in so many ways. A $400K swing doesn’t only impact your life, but potentially your parents’ longterm financial health. I hope that you’re able to make a decision based solely on fit, but know that if you can’t that you have two strong choices either way. Congratulations!
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That’s her right. That she uses the outcomes is awesome. She could have said - some of the benefits of my scholarship are covering my educational expenses. In addition….and go to her thing on activities from it.
Blossom talked a lot IB. I’ve worked for large companies and yet to have a recruiter interview me. They are the interface. I’ve had the line management - vp on down - interview me and they are not trained interviewers like maybe blossom is. The last panel I was on was three of us and as of often the case (this was mid career), aged was asked. You’d say no way - it’s illegal and said people, who often are gone two years later because an assignment ended, continue to ask - the next person. Apparently it must be ok in some countries. Btw when I’m on a panel - there is no instruction on the dos and don’t. Didn’t have that at my last company either.
Having worked for three major organizations in my life, even when recruited from school and when recruiting entry level today, my guess is those interviewing aren’t savvy enough to know aboit things like first gen etc. But I’ve also never seen an hr person interview a candidate but rather simply provide resumes and then handle the process after a candidate is selected.
Everyone can answer differently. Yours chose not to mention it. Even my kid on auto merit (not a won scholarship) mentioned he chose his school, in part, for the value prop to his family when it’s come up - why this school etc ?
It’s easy to weave things in. My kids were trained to and open to it. Others may not be - that’s ok too.
Congrats to your student on their wonderful scholarship.
Congratulations on her wonderful award! I think you have delineated it well in your post. Perhaps as you said, mentioning opportunities afforded by the scholarship can be appropriate, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where where a student bringing up the scholarship/award and then saying they “paid for college” wouldn’t come across as disingenuous. One of my sons won what was at the time his college’s largest scholarship, a full tuition scholarship, and a national merit scholarship on top of it. I am sure he never, ever mentioned it in any interview. Perhaps, and I don’t recall, maybe he put it on his résumé but other than that, I can’t imagine a scenario where he would bring it up.
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My D won a big scholarship to a school that she didn’t attend so it was a nothing burger….until the director of her lab at the school she did attend heard that she had won that award. He had previously been the president of that college and knew what the scholarship “meant” and he told her that she should have told him when they first met. She still got the position in his lab but he told her that had he known, she would have gotten the position on the spot, no questions asked. So, I can see where weaving in a high profile scholarship might be impactful in an interview.
So, to the OP, I wouldn’t discount the weight that the Stamps scholarship may impart.
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A candidate for a role at a US based investment bank or major consulting firm that was asked about their age during an interview would not need to get that job. They’d either call the WSJ and then get contacted by a lawyer with a quiet settlement and an NDA, or they’d sue– with the same result- a settlement and an NDA although with lots and lots of publicity.
I get that folks on here work for a variety of organizations. But the organizations the OP has referred to- Goldman Sachs and its ilk- or the quant shops (DE Shaw, etc) for the most part invest tons of money in training interviewers, compliance (not just financial compliance- but compliance with employment law, which means knowing where you can and cannot ask someone how much money they are currently earning in addition to scores of other verboten topics), etc. And at Bain, BCG and McKinsey- similar but on steriods. Interviewers go through training, debriefing, get regular feedback about their interview style and content. Many people are great at their job but terrible interviewers- and they don’t get included in interviewing for that reason. There are other ways to contribute.
But more to the point, the people who make hiring decisions for these organizations don’t walk into an interview “winging it”. There are multiple, staged levels of interviews, and sign-offs and decisions before a candidate advances to the next round. And although you will get the occasional candidate who decides “I don’t want to answer the questions that are being posed, I want to talk about what I want to talk about”, those candidates are almost always told “thanks but no thanks” after that round. You don’t free associate during these intense interviews. You answer the question that you are asked, or you don’t come back for more rounds.
So as I mentioned earlier- a deft candidate might answer the “Tell me about a time you had to persuade others that your position was the correct one, even though you were the minority opinion” and pivot to “I had to convince a panel of 10 people that I was worthy of a four year, fully paid merit scholarship even though I didn’t have the typical leadership, athletic and academic accomplishments that most of the recipients have” it’s a bit of a stretch. But hey, if it works, it works.
But for young people reading this thread and preparing for interviews at a major bank, MBB consulting firm, etc.- there are wonderful online resources for interview prep. Use those. The big firms all post pretty granular information about what their interview process is like. You can trust what they post. And if you are worried that there will be “dead time” during the interviews which you can fill with details about how you paid for college– the major banks, MBB consulting firms don’t have dead time during their interviews. They are highly structured, time sensitive assessment rounds.
To the OP- you are going to get a wonderful education regardless of which option you choose. Good luck!
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Great example. It’s important to note that just because someone hasn’t done something or doesn’t see value in it, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good or workable idea.
My kids both had success in interviews. Why - I’ll never know - but I do know they always went in well organized and with four examples they could use to pivot amongst most questions they’d be asked in a behavioral setting. And always using a STAR or modified STAR format. The merit achievements and for my daughter, enrichment from it, was always a scenario.
Whether it worked or didn’t, I’ll never know but I’d say a single person cannot speak for how things would be perceived in the overall landscape vs just their own organization or others in which they have direct knowledge. .
Getting back to topic, how are applications for a NY IB job initially screened? Are there computer programs these days that screen for specific words, or where the applicant went to college, etc? If it’s an automated program, would it know to look at the name of a scholarship too or just the name of the school?
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