Help me pick a school please (sociology + political science) [pre-law; WIlliams, Bowdoin, Vassar, Swarthmore, Georgetown]

Its likely you might then find Swat kinda intense too. These are all great schools and you have fabulous choices. Hopefully you can choose what you want, not what your parents want. Good luck.

3 Likes

I have a son who goes to Harvard. There are (obviously) competitive students there. He just doesn’t hang out with those students socially, unless they’re also nice on a personal, non-academic level. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t let fear rule your decision. Fear keeps people from doing a lot of really cool things. If Georgetown is calling to you, go. Do your best (I actually like to say do 93% of your best), have fun, and live life to the fullest.

3 Likes

IMO if you prefer a LAC and feel you will thrive in that type of smaller, close knit environment then go to one of your fabulous LAC acceptances.

FWIW my D loved the LAC vibe from the start – she ultimately attended a LAC that was a great match for her in every way (socially, academically, research opportunities, etc.). She had an absolutely fabulous four years there and got into a top grad school in her area of interest.

7 Likes

My daughter goes to Bates and mostly flies in and out of Portland. She flies Southwest and most connecting flights go through either Chicago Midway or Baltimore. There are shuttles/cabs/uber that can go the rest of the way. It’s pretty easy (and would be for Bowdoin, too), and not as expensive (usually) as flying in and out of Boston, though it varies a lot based on day and time.

i’m coming from the other side of the country, so there’ll be no direct flights :frowning: only ones that do are flights to vassar (through NY), swarthmore (philly airport), and georgetown (just to DC). this isn’t a huge worry for me though as i only plan to go back home a couple times a year.

2 Likes

I’ve spent a lot of time in Maine, and I have not observed this, and I have friends who live and work there (full time, not just in the summers), and they would not say this. I’m sure there are plenty of ways to pass the time, but that’s the case anywhere.

3 Likes

I was typing as she spoke … :woman_shrugging: Don’t shoot the messenger :kissing_heart:

her daughter and siblings still live there.

You’ll never get a direct flight to Portland, but connecting flights are no big deal. Sometimes you have to plan for either a long travel day (that starts early), or you have to work around potential delays due to weather. But we’re from Colorado, and we know many people on the west coast whose kids go to Bates, and we all make the travel work.

Not trying to sway you to go to Bowdoin, if that’s not what you want – just to say that the travel shouldn’t be intimidating. You have wonderful choices, so focus on the schools rather than the pesky logistics.

Also – wherever you go (especially if you go someplace small), you’ll likely find “travel buddies” who are heading to the same destination, or tend to fly on the same days and times as you. My daughter has friends with cars who sometimes pick her up, and a lot of students split cabs to keep costs down. It all works out.

3 Likes

Bates is 20 minutes away and Colby is 40 minutes away. There is a direct train to Boston that leaves from walking distance of the campus. U of Maine is not close.

1 Like

Do all of the schools include travel grants in your financial aid? IIRC Williams does, which is no small thing if you’re traveling across the country.

Regarding your concern about Georgetown’s competitiveness, I’ve heard from friends with students at Georgetown that the competitiveness isn’t about academics as much as getting into certain clubs. This has been a real bummer for many of them. Also, unlike the SLACs you’re considering, Georgetown doesn’t guarantee housing after sophomore year. DC is an expensive place to live, so I would take this into consideration, too.

4 Likes

The competition to get into clubs is a real issue in many universities – definitely worth asking about. In LACs, you’ll almost never find that problem.

6 Likes

That’s a good point. When it’s so hard to choose from many wonderful options, any little factoid can matter.

1 Like

Highly recommend that you look into the radio stations at Williams, Vassar, Bowdoin, and Swarthmore. This is where my D at Williams and her friends at various SLACs have found many of their people. Check out the IG for WCFM at Williams and for the other schools’ stations. At Williams, the radio station sponsors parties, bands, and DJs which has been great. I get the impression that it’s not competitive to get involved at the stations. You just need to be trained in order to host a show.

6 Likes

When I was choosing between Vassar and Penn many moons ago there were pluses and minuses for each. The deciding factors for me were that (a) I didn’t want Greek life and (b) I didn’t have to take any more language classes at Vassar. Maybe they were silly reasons, but that’s what it came down to! Good luck! Keep us posted.

4 Likes

I don’t want to derail this thread for financial reasons as OP said all aid packages are about the same.

But…the devil can be in the details. Do all the schools cover school health insurance (if you will need that)? You may need the school health insurance (usually ~$3Kish/yr) if you are currently on Medicaid, a state exchange program, have Kaiser insurance (not sure where you live besides ‘other side of the country’), and/or your parents’ policy isn’t good enough to qualify for a health insurance waiver at each school. Please look into this sooner rather than later.

Also, Williams and Bowdoin will often purchase winter coat/boots, etc for their high need students coming from non-wintry climates, so something else to look into.

Do they all include the $5.5K student loan (for example, Williams and Bowdoin should not)? Any parent loans from Georgetown?

Again, just compare these offers with a fine tooth comb. We can help here if you have questions!

9 Likes

As others have said, there is competition around a small subset of clubs, most of which are concentrated in the business school. I know Georgetown well and don’t think of it as a competitive atmosphere overall; there’s a strong service/social justice emphasis, and students really are committed to doing good in the world.

And GSP is a really outstanding program, a true differentiator for Georgetown. Let me know if you have questions; I know a decent amount about it and can get answers to anything I don’t know.

I say all of this loving LAC culture; my own kid is off to Wesleyan in the fall (and really liked Vassar, as well). So if a LAC is what you want, you have great options. But if Georgetown appeals to you, it’s worth doing a little more research to see if it’s the right fit.

2 Likes

Georgetown students are required to live on campus for the first three years, although there are some temporary exceptions for a small number of juniors because of campus construction. In general, only seniors can live off-campus.

2 Likes

I would not worry about “reputation” or “rumors”.

There are tons of kids doing great things at all these schools - and relationships with professors is a product not just of who they are, but how hard a student works to establish and maintain it. That can be done at most any school.

Thanks for the correction. I would recommend that @Danitraj spend some time looking at how housing works at Georgetown (regardless of the current exemptions). Like many larger schools, some of the options are enough of a distance from campus that a shuttle bus is offered. This isn’t necessarily a negative, just another factor to consider that differentiates Georgetown from the other options.

1 Like

I’m not aware of any undergraduate campus housing that requires a shuttle bus ride to reach the Hilltop. Everything on this page (except for 55H, the downtown dormitory for CALL students) is directly on the Hilltop or within a few blocks: Residential Communities | Residential Living | Georgetown University

GUTS, the shuttle service, provides easy access to Dupont Circle and the Metro (no Metro station in Georgetown) and to the downtown campus; it’s also used by employees move between the Hilltop and other university-owned buildings, parking facilities, etc.

3 Likes