How much do parents with high EFC weigh merit aid?

bclintonk
Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:10:54 +0000

OP, you’re not “missing” anything. Both are very good and well respected schools, and your son can get an excellent education at either one. Hamilton is a very good LAC, but to be honest LACs are a niche market; even the very best of them don’t have particularly strong name recognition, and Hamilton is more obscure than, say, an Amherst or a Swarthmore. Any increment of prestige Hamilton has over Case Western (and I’m not sure there is any) will be confined to some extremely rarefied circles.

Look, I’m not knocking Hamilton. It’ s very good LAC, and there are lots of things to like about good LACs. For my daughters, at least, they seem to be a much better fit. But if my kid were just squarely on the fence between Case Western and Hamilton, and Case Western would cost half as much, I’d be singing Case Western’s praises. And if my kid were actually leaning toward Case, I’d go for it in a heartbeat. This just doesn’t seem like a difficult call to me.