Hi, I am a HS senior who has narrowed down her list between two schools: Meredith College and UNCG. Meredith is my dream school, but after revisiting UNCG a couple of days ago, I’m beginning to like it better. I only thought that UNCG was an okay school prior to revisiting. Last week it was obvious that I would attend Meredith, but UNCG has some things that it doesn’t have, mainly diversity and more academia to choose from. However, I still feel a strong connection to Meredith. I know that I have until May 1st to decide, but I’d rather finalize sooner rather than later. P.S.- Not ASAP, but probably between late next month and early April.
Would you have a chance to do an overnight and sit in on a class or two in what you would like to major in? This can help give you a feel more than a day visit. Not everyone feels these are necessary, however it can give you a chance to see how kids interact in a classroom, at lunch, what students do in the evening, etc. If you like the diversity at UNCG and it’s important to you, that may be want you want to explore more at Meredith. Do they have clubs, how many participate? Again an overnight may give an opportunity to see how strong you feel the connection. If it’s not an option, reach out to some students at Meredith and see if they can give you any insight. Read Facebook groups, student reviews. (Take some with a grain of salt of course.) Best wishes in your decision!
@jcmom716 While neither school offers overnight stays, I was able to sit in on a class at Meredith; I intend to study English for undergrad. I wish that I could’ve done the same for UNCG, but they said it wasn’t possible.
I agree you should take your time and research all you can on both schools, but here are my thoughts:
I saw in another thread that you are worried about maintaining the financial aide at Meredith, if that is a real concern I would give that a lot of weight. But, I believe that Meredith is pretty good with aide and they do what they can to keep students that are making an effort. Meredith is small, private and might provide some extra help and support you might want or need academically. When you say it was your dream school, have you always pictured yourself at a women’s college?
UNCG is more certainly more diverse. I haven’t spent time there but it is very popular with students here in Raleigh. The campus is beautiful and it is a nice size. Did you do a scheduled guided tour? I know they will let you visit with certain departments and the department might be able to schedule for you to visit a class. Good luck!
@ITBgirl well I never wanted to attend a women’s college in the beginning; I started my college search as a freshman because it was required for a project. My “dream school” was Chapel Hill because my mother attended(but didn’t graduate) and that was all I knew about college. However, as I was researching colleges, I fell in love with Elon; it certainly was beautiful when I visited. But I realized that it wasn’t the right for for me. I visited Meredith prior to Elon; the connection was almost instantaneous.
If you have concerns with financial aid, please run the NPC for Meredith. Do you have the financial package from them? You don’t want to have too much in loans, and students can only borrow a certain amount. And don’t forget to factor in tuition increases each year. You still have some time before making a decision. Take the next month to research and revisit one or both if you are able. Hopefully one will stand out as the winner!
If you have any financial concerns at all they need to be adressed sooner rather than later. It would not be fund to accept for Meredith and then find out after May 1st that it is too expensive to attend.
@blackkitteycat hopefully when I go to Experience Meredith (their accepted student day) I can have these concerns resolved.
After more thought and a bit more discussion, I have decided to attend my dream school, Meredith College, for fall 2017!! Experience Meredith, the accepted students’ day Saturday, helped me figure that out. I am excited for this new opportunity and am looking forward to the next four years!!