Virginia Tech vs. Dickinson

sp8675
Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:02:09 +0000

I know that these schools are soooooo different, but I really like both and both are great schools. Dickinson is amazing and the only private school I applied to. The school was recommeded to me by two teachers, both of whom I am very close with, so I thought I would check it out and I really like it. VT is the best of the in-state schools I was accepted to, so I would be getting a good education and it is less expensive. Dickinson has a great program in what I want to major in (polysci w/ a minor in econ or english), much smaller class sizes which I feel I would benefit from by getting more attention from my teachers, isn’t so big, I would have brighter peers, and would most likely be less distracted from my studies due to the academic climate. However, Dickinson is extreamely expensive and I don’t want to put a burden on my parents. The school also has a strict foreign language requirement, which concerns me since I struggle with foreign languages (I spend hours studying just to get a B). I am getting scholarship money but my tuition is still about $24,000 a year, compared to VT’s $10,000.

Should I go for the expensive school with the great academics in my majors, or the school that will not put a burden on my family’s finances but will not be as good as far as academics?