I am an international student.
I am trying to pick between vassar and middle bury.
Financial aid is important for me.
Which college is better?
Both are unique, neither is “better.”
What are your stats and your future plans?
Middlebury has many more "traditional " students, while Vassar has many more “non-conformists”. That’s a huge generalization, but it does create a different feeling on the campus of each. Vassar is still in the (outer) orbit of NYC while Middlebury is pure Vermont. You need to decide which appeals to you. Academically, they are both excellent although you should check out your planne course of study at each.
How much financial aid do you need?
Does either school guarantee to meet full need of international students?
Are these the only two colleges you plan to apply to?
Perhaps these links will help:
http://thecollegematchmaker.com/65-colleges-give-generous-aid-international-students/
I believe both Vassar and Middlebury meet full need BUT they are need aware for admissions for international students. This means your ability to pay WILL be considered when they review your application for admission.
@thumper1 I am planning to apply to vanderbilt, williams, Bowdoin, Washing and lee. I want to apply to five colleges so I am trying to decide between vassar and middle bury.
@SonOfAbraham I want to major in either business or psychology. I’m planning on going to grad school too
@Madison85 I need ALOT of scholarships…:((
But neither offers full scholarships to international students. :((
How many affordable colleges in your own country are you applying to?
What are your stats?
Where did you read that neither Vassar NOR Middlebury offers need based aid to international students. I believe both DO offer need based aid to international students but both are need aware for admissions for international students…meaning your ability to pay will be considered when your application for admission is reviewed.
Both Vassar and Middlebury are great for psychology and terrible for business. Doesn’t mean you can’t go into “business” from either school- just that they are not great choices to actually major in business. Have you read through the course book to see what they offer that is business related?
@blossom I’m not sure what you mean when you say Middlebury is terrible for business. It is a top feeder school for many of the top business schools (particularly Tuck at Dartmouth) it’s also one of the very best schools for investment banking. Middlebury is remarkably well-represented on Wall Street. I think it would be hard to find too many programs in the country that are better for business than Middlebury
Middlebury is great if you are interested in going into business. It is not the best place for an international who needs significant financial aid to major in business. Both of these choices are sub-optimal given the OP’s needs.
Most if not all liberal arts schools aren’t going to have a “business” degree – that would be considered too vocational. But many LAC’s are amazingly prolific recruitment centers for major business, finance, consulting, etc. just the same. Same for grad schools including MBA’s. Economics is a popular major for those considering business but virtually any other degree can apply. Mitt has a srong econ department. I’ve not heard about Vassar’s one way or the other, but it’s probably strong.
Citivas, I have been recruiting on college campuses for close to 30 years but thanks for the tutorial on liberal arts schools.
I repeat- an international student who needs a lot of financial aid and is interested in majoring in business- which is the information that OP has told us so far- is ill served at both Midd and Vassar.
OP will only be able to work for US company which will sponsor him-- much easier after a Master’s degree than with just a BA, or for a multinational which can send him/her to an overseas location where his/her visa allows legal work.
But all of this is moot if OP needs a lot of aid- target schools should include those where the stats suggest he/she will qualify for a significant amount of merit aid for an international.
Middlebury does not offer a “business” major. I doubt that Bowdoin or Williams do either. Also, other than a token amount for NMF at Bowdoin, theses three schools do not offer merit scholarships. They do claim to meet full demonstrated financial need for all admitted applicants, but all are need aware for international applicants.