I think Bryn Mawr is your best option.
Out of them, BMC is probably my favorite. I didn’t think it would be, but after visiting, I do really like it. My only fear is that it doesn’t quite stack up academically to Grinnell, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.
Congratulations and best of luck making a choice among many excellent options.
As an aside, be sure to not only thank your grandmothers verbally, but also take the time to write a beautiful note to them and explain why the college you choose is your favorite, how her generosity will allow you to attend, and that this is a gift you will treasure your entire life. And buy both grandparents a mug (or something) from the college you choose.
Agree on Bryn Mawr. You are very lucky with those grandparents!
Ah, missed the grandparent post. Pick a school you can attend without taking more than your federal loans in debt. Remember the price will go up every year. Also, you might need to buy the school health insurance plan, which could be an extra $2K/ year, depending on your parent’s insurance.
Plus travel costs!
“My only fear is that it doesn’t quite stack up academically to Grinnell, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
I don’t think it is true, especially when you could take advantage of the bi-college relationship with Haverford and add in the other consortium schools, Swarthmore and UPenn. Plus the location is SOOO much better. Nothing against Iowa but Bryn Mawr would offer access to world-class culture and plenty of internship and research opportunities.
I’m from Iowa anddddd I would really love to get out. Especially to a place like Philly. Like you said, there are just so many more opportunities.
I am originally from Iowa, and back in the last century, I visited Bryn Mawr before visiting Grinnell. I never bothered to apply to Grinnell. 
So of course now as a loyal alumna, I would encourage you and your family to crunch the numbers carefully, and consider Bryn Mawr. But all my earlier comments stand. Make certain the money lines up.
If your family isn’t clear on how and when to receive the money from the grandparents, go ask about that in the financial aid forum. When and how the grandparents chip in can affect your financial aid applications every year. You want the money to be used in the most effective manner, and not cause your costs to increase.
Bryn Mawr is very intellectual (the tradition is that where other female students would try to be the first in their class to marry, BMC students would try to be the first in their class with a PHD.) And yes if you want to get out of Iowa it’s in a great location. I think you’ve found the winner!
Well OP you have certainly created an inteeresting thread. Lots of turns and twists, and now…a happy ending – and beginning. Bryn Mawr is $3,000 less a year than Grinnell which means $12,000 less. It will involve more travel costs, however. But you now have some resources (so glad for you that it is working out!) and you liked Bryn Mawr a lot. I would not pay any attention to any silliness about rankings – academic caliber will be fantastic, and it is the LAC setting that you desire. As an alum of a Seven Sisters school I can tell you that this can be an incredibly empowering time in your life. Make the most of it! Congratulations!!!
Yep, @momcinco , this thread has been fascinating. When I weighed in at the start of the thread, I thought that the OP truly only had three acceptances/options: Grinnell, Hamilton, and Gustavus. Suddenly, there’s Bryn Mawr, New College in FL, and others.
Bryn Mawr is an excellent school, maybe the strongest option of the bunch. I guess I’m a bit concerned about the OP’s indecision. Why was Bryn Mawr not in the discussion? Why is she suddenly not only mentioning it but determined to go? I think that the New College is a fine choice, too, but why was it suddenly mentioned, excitedly, as if the OP had just realized that, hey, there’s another college in play!
I understand. College choice is difficult. I just hope that the OP chooses a school she is A) excited about, B) is committed to, and C) (most importantly) can truly afford without it affecting the family’s finances.
@Hapworth I just visited. Yesterday. It seemed like a solid school on paper, and that’s why I applied, but I didn’t think I would end up attending. I just wanted to throw an application to a women’s college in there, in case I decided that I wanted to attend one, but it wasn’t really a major consideration until I was on campus and got a good sense of the school. I did really enjoy it when I visited, and it seemed like a place that I would feel at home at with a slightly lower cost than the others but similar academics. My parents absolutely hate New College (for no good reason), and because of that, it wasn’t an option. When many posters started talking about sending in applications to UA-Huntsville/UMN-Morris, etc., for financial reasons, I thought, “Maybe I can convince my parents that NCF is a good choice,” because it was so good financially. Fortunately, I just got a huge gift, and I’m trying to make the best choice for me on all fronts which I think will end up being Bryn Mawr.
I know several BMC alums. They have had quite different experiences – college is what you make of it, no matter where you attend!! – but they are all grateful alums who value the unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience they had there, and the top notch education that has given them so many opportunities. In fact I dream of sending our daughters to one of the seven sisters (tho since our son will attend Vassar this fall I guess I am already getting my wish )
Bryn Mawr really is right next door to Haverford, which expands course and extracurricular offerings…Philly is awesome and is a train ride away, yet you are on a lovely safe removed campus.
And as Hapworth points out, it is so important that it be affordable! Icing on the cake that of the three “best” private LACs on your list, it is the most economical choice. Of course others could have also worked for you (GA and New College) but you are extremely fortunate to have this option. Best wishes to you for a happy four years!
I love happy endings! Congratulations lacscn. I think you’ll really enjoy Bryn Mawr. Philly is a great city, and you’ll be such a short walk from the train. And, if you have any interest in film, you’ve got the Bryn Mawr Film Institute right there. Best wishes!
Please make sure you share this with your family. The financial gifts from your grandparents (at least the 100k) needs to paid directly to the college. Not to pass to your parents first. If it is done this way it is exempt from the gift tax rules. Each person including parents are limited to 15k per year. This is called the annual exclusion gift. Anything above this amount is a taxable gift. Which requires a gift tax return and tax. Or use of their lifetime exemption which may already have been elected with other planning. Direct avoids all of this. You can double the annual exclusion first amount to 30k if it is coming from married couple 15k each essentially.
For cc parents. Same thing with 529 plans. Pay funds directly and not through your checking. It doesn’t trigger a tax but much more work for CPA and you.
@lacscn ,
Oh, don’t get me wrong. Congratulations. You said somewhere in the thread that you had visited BMC, but I guess it didn’t sink in that you just visited it. With so many posters making final decisions before May 1, it sort of stunned me that you had just traveled to Bryn Mawr and loved it.
Yes, Bryn Mawr is a great college. As others have noted, you’ll be surrounded by other colleges. Haverford, of course, where you will take several classes. But there’s Penn and Swarthmore too. Again, congrats.
Correcting some info in post #754 regarding the gift tax. No tax would be incurred to the receiver and likely none to the giver as well. Your grandparents can each give you $15K per year without falling under the lifetime limit, so $30K jointly which would be above the $100K over 4 years that they said they would pay… They would not need to pay tax and neither would you or your family regardless of whether it was made directly or to the school.
https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/income/other-income/do-i-have-to-pay-taxes-on-a-gift/
“Generally, paying gift tax is not an issue for the person receiving the gift. The giver, however, will generally only file a gift tax return when the gift exceeds the annual gift tax exclusion amount, which is $15,000 per person for 2018. The giver may also not owe gift tax due to their lifetime exemption.”
@privatebanker That is also bad advice because if the grandparents start paying the first year, it likely will reduce the kid’s need based financial aid in year two. Better for the parents and kid to cover the first couple of years if possible, and then have the grandparents cover the last couple (would lose less aid that way). I actually think there is more nuance than that to consider – I’m sure some parents can chime in who have had more experience with this.
http://www.finaid.org/parents/grandparents.phtml
Read these articles. Giving directly to the student or directly to the college will likely reduce need based aid. It is recommended that any gift goes from grandparent to parent as that does not need to be reported on FAFSA.
OP, how much of the reduction in costs you received from colleges is need based vs merit based?
In terms of your interest in chemistry, Swarthmore appears in an online article, “15 Best Value Small Colleges for a Chemistry Degree.” If you might want to study a topic in this field not available at Bryn Mawr, it should be available within the Tri-college consortium. Hamilton, if still under consideration, also appears in the article.