My situation is that I just took a gap year, and was re-accepted to the University of Washington and I just committed. However, I was recently admitted off the waitlist at Sarah Lawrence College. I’m struggling to choose between the two. UW is a well-renowned school in Seattle, and SLC is a small liberal arts college near New York City.
If I go to UW the first year will cost a lot of money (30k+) until my in-state residency is verified, and then the subsequent years will be cheaper.
SLC however, offered me full-tuition (would cost about 5k) and then some to attend, even for having been admitted off the waitlist (I got the dean’s scholarship). When I reapply for financial aid next year, I will likely get everything covered.
With UW, I was afraid of the big school and impersonal teachers, and SLC offers a small school and closeness to faculty. However, SLC doesn’t offer me the city right there (NYC is about 30 min away) NOR the reputation of UW. I would like to go into international studies/anthropology/linguistics, and writing is a very big deal to me. I want to be a writer later in my life, maybe a journalist. Which school would be the best choice for this?
Is the reputation of UW worth it over the money that SLC is offering me?
Have you verified the criteria for establishing in-state residency in WA? It may not be as easy as you think.
I’m assuming that your UW financial package is primarily need-based? If so, should you qualify for in-state tuition, the amount of your financial package may be reduced accordingly. Room/board/tuition at UW for 2016-17 is over 25K for in-state and is likely to increase for the fall and subsequent years. You should find out what your EFC would be as an in-state student at in-state costs to determine what the cost would be. If you have a merit scholarship like the purple and gold, you’d also have to verify if a change from out of state to in state status might affect your eligibility. In short, I would triple-check the financial aspect.
SLC is a well-regarded LAC and it’s close enough to the city to enable you to get there frequently for fun or professional opportunities. Personally, I’d follow the money.
You can’t just establish residency in WA by going to college there. Go to SLC.
@intparent @mamedefamilia As far as residency goes, I moved to Washington last August. My family and I have talked to the residency office, and they said that I have to go through the process to be considered an in-state student but I will have to pay the first year out of state.
@mamaedefamilia Also, I did get the purple and gold scholarship! However, we can’t take it because it’s binding for 4 years which essentially means signing a contract to pay out of state tuition for all four years.
Oh please…Sarah Lawrence has an excellent reputation on the east coast…actually better than UW.
Where do your PARENTS reside? Did they move to WA state also?
@cleopatra7th OK, that clarifies the residency issue. Next step - run the Net Price Calculator with your parents’ financial information and as if you were an in-state student and see what number you get. Compare it to SLC. See if that makes a difference.
Actually… @cleopatra7th says SHE moved to WA in August. Where do the parents live?
Being close to NYC means a great deal for both Journalism and International Studies. The UN is in NYC.
Tons of news companies in NYC.
That being said, UW is a slightly higher ranked school.
I’d pick the cheaper option.
We live on the east coast. TBH…we knew nothing about UW until DD went to college on the west coast, and had bunch of friends from WA state.
OTOH, Sarah Lawrence is very well regarded and known in these parts.
With regards to rankings…so what! These are very different kinds of colleges…one a large flagship university…and the other a LAC type of school.
You re comparing apples to oranges.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
Full tuition ++ off the waitlist? I agree that’s a hard pitch to turn down, even with UW’s outstanding departments in international studies (APSIA member, Jackson School of International Studies), anthropology, linguistics, journalism, English, and writing.
Good luck with your decision!
SLC makes more sense financially.
However, you may want to check if its offerings in your areas of academic interest are sufficient. Arts, writing, literature, history, and psychology are its emphases, but offerings may be limited in other subjects.