I generally explained my situation (mostly derived from my initial post)
Focus on Grinnell and go live life. IF you get off the waitlist somewhere, worry about it then.
(User is @nibbie )
Totally agree, and this is largely the approach I’m taking. I suppose I should clarify that the only reason I’m making this post is because of my second point:
My last paragraph also furthers this question, based on the premises I articulated. I’m also probably going to have to make a decision if I get off any waitlist within 2-3 days (not necessarily due to mandate, but familial obligations and because of the lateness in decisions), and would like to preemptively weigh my options (no matter how unlikely) because of the urgency that would follow. Furthermore, I’m considering revoking my Wesleyan waitlist simply because getting a decision late July is absolutely not reasonable. Hence wanting to determine if my initial analysis of each school in comparison to the others is incomplete so I can make the most educated decision as I approach this. If there are reasons that I have yet to consider in which Wesleyan might be better for me than Grinnell, this could alter my current thought process.
(User is @nibbie )
*2-3 days after I receive a decision.
Well, yes, I think you would have sufficient reason to consider a waiting list offer simply because any offer you might receive would appear too good to ignore. That noted, I’ve begun to see you as the Grinnell type, @nibbie, and I think you will thrive there if it remains your school of destination.
(User is @nibbie )
Yes, I’m quite happy with how my decisions turned out, and am looking quite forward to continuing at Grinnell if that is where I do end up.
My two cents:
By the little you have posted here, I don’t see you at Hamilton. At all.
You’ll be spending four years there. I suggest you go with the school where you think you’ll be happy. Grinnell has a very high freshman retention rate and a huge endowment, so their outcomes can’t be that bad.
(User is @nibbie )
I’m curious what makes you think that, could you possibly be a bit more specific? To be clear, I’m hesitant to cast judgement on the student body as I did in general terms in the OP since I haven’t even been able to visit, and I genuinely can picture myself at each of these institutions. With Hamilton specifically, I like their coseminars, and I feel like Hamilton would provide the most avenues within and outside the classroom to enhance my oratory capacity. If there’s a certain ethos surrounding Hamilton that I might not match with, I’d love to get a deeper understanding of where that dissonance lies.
Also, if it is of any assistance, here is my initial post that lays out my reasoning for transferring:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/2172515-chance-me-hamilton-brown-nyu-gallatin-wesleyan-vanderbilt-gwu-p1.html
(this is @nibbie , my account oddly won’t let me change my password. no matter.)
b**
At present, I’m quite satisfied with my current commitment to Grinnell College – whether that be campus size, academics, abroad opportunities, international student body, cost of attendance, and eccentric student body. I feel as though I’d fit in socially, as well as academically. However, I am on two waitlists to Hamilton College and Wesleyan University.
Yesterday I contacted both institutions. Despite Hamilton’s decision letter stating decisions would be out by July 1st, they still are unsure if slots are available. Despite Wesleyan’s decision letter stating they would be aware of available slots by early to mid-June, waitlist decisions may not come out until late July. This leaves me with two main points to consider:
- Do I prefer either Hamilton and Wesleyan to Grinnell (I still have no idea how I'd rank them in terms of preference)?
- To what point and I willing to wait based on that preference?
It seems likely that Hamilton and Wesleyan might be just slightly more well known nationally, and have become more selective in the past few years whereas Grinnell has struggled to maintain a large application pool. Of course, this says nothing of what Grinnell has to offer, as Grinnell might be one of the most self-selective schools in the country, but it does influence certain opinions of the school. This is not a point I’d like to put much weight upon but would like to consider some comments.
More evidently is that I would probably prefer the North East over Mid West. Not a deal-breaker, but again, something to consider. I like Grinnell and Hamilton’s size over Wesleyan’s. It seems as though Hamilton has more specialization in International Relations, but all three are equally strong in Political Science. Hamilton has the best campus, whereas Grinnell and Wesleyan are roughly the same. All are open curriculum, although Grinnell and Hamilton have no distribution requirements. This might seem inconsequential, but Wesleyan by FAR has the best library. I spend quite a bit of time in the library. Wesleyan is also strongest in the arts, in which I’d like to take a few classes (such as film, art history, etc). Hamilton seems to have the best career outcomes, which probably has a lot to do with more students majoring in things like Economics and fewer students in art fields. I like a balance in prep and arts/hum, and Hamilton does seem to meet that.
From my limited understanding, I think I’d like Grinnell’s student body the most. I am quite liberal and a tad atypical, so the more eccentric bodies of Wesleyan and Grinnell seem to cater to that personality. However, Wesleyan might be a bit over the top, considering I’m not the most extroverted and that overall energy could be offputting in certain scenarios. My impression is that Grinnell is more laid back than Wesleyan, but not as much as Hamilton. Again, this is from my limited understanding, and I could be wrong. Also, going off of NYT’s measurement of student’s financial brackets, Grinnell has a lot more economic diversity than Hamilton and Wesleyan, and it also has more of an international student body. To be clear, I think I’d be totally fine in an environment of wealthier students.
I think I’ve covered all the major points, which lead me to have no major preference. That said, I don’t think I’m willing to wait past July 15th, because at that point I wouldn’t have much of a priority for class registration and things of the sort. Also, it would seem a bit unethical if I decide not to go to Grinnell and let them know less than a month before orientation.
I’m curious what some people’s thoughts are, thanks for reading.
As an alternative opinion, you would make an excellent intellectual fit for Hamilton’s proseminars, as well as for Hamilton’s academic atmosphere in general.
The OP should know that, by objective sources, Hamilton students appear to be among the most satisfied college students in the country.
Neither waitlist panned out. I think that is for the best, as it saves me from making any difficult decision in which I could eventually regret and use that regret to unjustly look down on the college I would have chosen (one thing that I was reminded of through this process was Jesse’s rhetorical argument to Celine in Before Sunrise to get off the train with him). With Grinnell, are so many interesting classes that are offered on the list I’ve been given in many expansive areas of academia with so few students in each, and I can’t wait to meet so many presumably like minded students in a way that I have not had the avenue of doing before now. Hopefully the GPA deflation doesn’t kick my *** and I have a great few years and develop a persuasive academic resume if I do indeed decide to attend graduate school. Thanks everyone, I’ll try to hop on CC every now and then if I find a post that I think I could provide valuable insight.