Hi guys!! I applied undecided to all these schools but I am very interested in something similar to Vassar’s media studies major / interdisciplinary options (Vassar would be my top choice if I were to get in). I am also interested in the social sciences (anthropology!)
I want a college with an intellectual, career-driven atmosphere where the students are known to be friendly, accepting, & not easily stereotyped. I’m not into partying or drinking at all + I don’t want to go to a college where it’s difficult to fit in without being involved in Greek life. A good alumni network is also a big factor + plenty of internship opportunities!
Financing is also a big factor, however I didn’t qualify for any aid outside of the merit scholarships I received. Our limit was originally 60k a year, but my parents are insistent that we may still qualify for some sort of government aid…
Here are the colleges I’ve been accepted to:
Bryn Mawr: Accepted w/ no aid
Colgate: ACCEPTED??? $0 aid though
Connecticut college: Accepted w/ 15k per up to 8 semesters? This was worded weirdly but I think they mean 30k per year.
Hobart & William Smith: Accepted w/ 43k per year
UVermont: Accepted w/ 20k per year
Marist: accepted w/ $23k per year + first year abroad in Florence, Italy
I was also waitlisted at Smith college but I’m not sure if I’ll accept it.
If anyone has any experience or intel on what these colleges are like & if they align w/ my interests then please share! I guess I’d be leaning towards Bryn Mawr as my top choice but I’m not sure if they have something similar to a media studies major (if anyone has any experience with creating their own major there then please tell!!)
Well, Colgate meets 100% demonstrated need for accepted students. So it seems that OPs parents’ don’t qualify for need based aid at private institutions, therefore I wouldn’t be confident that OP will get aid from Vassar. Unless OP has
run the NPC for Vassar and it indicates that they will provide aid.
I would interpret the Conn Coll merit award as $15k per year, for a maximum of 8 semesters – at least that’s how awards were described when we reviewed our paperwork.
Schools, rather than the federal government, award grants, which are not loans and don’t have to be paid back. Grants can either be need-based or merit-based. In contrast, the federal government makes lower interest loans available, but it does not give grants to students. Sounds like you didn’t qualify for need-based aid at BMC and Colgate so the only other aid you would get at those schools would be eligibility for federal loans, which have to be paid back.
If affordable, Conn Coll sounds like a strong option as there is no Greek life and there is a Media, Rhetoric and Communication concentration which sounds like an interdisciplinary program – though not a major. Conn Coll also has a funded summer internship program. Conn Coll sounds like a better fit than Hobart & William Smith, which does have Greek life and is “sportier” and VT which is a university rather than a small liberal arts college. Marist seems like the outlier as it is a Catholic school.
Agree that it would help to know the cost of attendance after aid rather than the amount of aid/merit at each college since that doesn’t tell us anything about the bottom line. These are all good schools but don’t go into debt over it.
First, cost is a big part of this as stated ^^^. Have you thought about getting a masters?? If you go with a cheaper option undergrad you could attend a classic LAC then go to a city for your MA. My S24 is looking at Marist and some similar schools with this in mind. So you get your city eventually after your parents knocked that option out.
Second, Aside from cost, each of the schools has pluses and some flaws. So which of these matters the most to you??!
Marist - the town really isnt great but they do a great job being creative with getting students into NYC and campus events. And the abroad program is excellent.
Conn College. - Cute campus but again NewLondon is just OK. It is not isolated like Colgate/hobart and you can get trains but is is equally far from Boston and NYC. Other than New London that’s a fairly isolated stretch of the Connecticut coast.
Bryn Mawr - Philly is nearby which is good. But it is TINY. You may be comfortable with that today but you might want to consider a school you can grow into over one you are very comfortable with.
Vermont - Very cute town and walkable. Probably the middle ground of your list - not too big, not too small. Just very far at ~6hrs. Are you OK with being that far? Some are and some are not
Colgate/Hobart - Great schools. Very intellectual. They are also not close but also very isolated. You are from LI. Are you comfortable being out in the sticks?
I knew I should have slowed down before I finished my response. I was thinking there wasn’t some pot of government grants that was going to help a family which did not get any need-based aid from the college.
I think because your family has a $60K budget (and don’t forget annual inflation, trips, other extras) - that’s the first focus.
Once you have all offers - including merit and need - you line them up - and any that aren’t at $60K come off - it’s that easy!! You have to make it that easy.
And don’t forget, if it’s $60K this year, it might be $63K next year because merit aid doesn’t keep pace with inflation. If you get need aid, it might.
So that’s your first cut. Then you go from there.
I also agree, it does sound like CC is $15K per year - but you can check your letter to ensure. If it is, it’s well over budget and needs to come off the list.
That would be the mature thing to do - you had a mechanism up front of cost - go from there.
After you figure out who remains - you can compare - see which has the best curriculum, is the best size (Marist will be much bigger than a Conn College, etc.) and as will be UVM. Marist is also sending you abroad - are you ok with that? How does the curriculum fit what you want?
This might get you down to 2-3 at budget - it may be Hobart, UVM, and Marist - and there would be enough contrast for you to figure out what’s best for you from that trio as they are very different.
So when I look at Hobart - I see Media and Society as a major - with a lot more theory although some production.
Marist - unless I have the wrong major, seems more production based.
UVM - what would your major be - Film and Television Studies?
If you have a budget, especially with a major like this, which will likely lead to a low paying job (and man y won’t end up in the field), it’s especially helpful to keep costs low.
You might also consider a double major.
But seriously - having a budget is AWESOME. The reason it is - it’s hard to narrow in on a school - and having a hard budget is an unemotional tool to help you do exactly that.
In my daughter’s case, she had 17 acceptances - but when they all came in, if they went over $50K, they were eliminated - and 17 quickly and easily became ten or so with no effort. It’s a beautiful thing!!
