Are you going to Grinnell for their admitted students day on Friday? We’ll be there. For our daughter, it has come down to Macalester, Grinnell and the campus honors program at our very good state flagship… Btw her older sister went to Kenyon and loved it, but the younger daughter, though she liked Kenyon, didn’t want to follow in her sister’s footsteps after attending the same elementary, middle and high schools.
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Yes. I would love for her to like Grinnell, but I’m a little worried because she doesn’t respond as well to the admitted students events as she does to just visiting on a regular day. Fingers crossed that the program gives her a good opportunity to talk to actual students. We’re also going to an admitted students’ thing at Carleton next week and seeing Macalester and St. Olaf on the weekend.
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These are all great schools (all of them were on our older daughter’s list, so we saw them). Enjoy the visits!
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Just wanted to follow up. … It went down to the wire between Colby and Kenyon but D26 ultimately chose Colby. My husband and I really loved Carleton and thought it was perfect for her, but she worried that she wouldn’t be able to double-major there and that the academic environment would be too similar to her high school. She really liked Kenyon but worried that her research opportunities would be limited with such a small biochemistry department. In the end she is glad to have made a choice but is still having doubts about whether it was the right one. She’s amazing and I just wish she wasn’t feeling so conflicted.
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If it helps, that’s very common at this point, it is a big, complex decision and some kids are not entirely sure yet they have made the right choice.
Fortunately, these schools are very good at getting kids excited once they commit. There can be some emotional ups and downs during the actual transition, but most kids eventually settle in, and ultimately have a hard time imagining going anywhere else.
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Thanks! She’s a very mature and thoughtful kid and I’m sure she will find her people and settle in well.
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Congrats to her! Our D is finishing up her sophomore year and we have been very impressed. No insight into pre-med but the teaching, program and students seem top notch.
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OK, maybe a change of plans? D26 got off the waitlist at Williams. She’s still processing this. Picking Williams is a no-brainer, right?
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Why a no-brainer? It’s a great school, sure, but it depends on what your kid wants.
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I wouldn’t put it that way.
A close college friend of mine has a D24, and I have an S24. We compared notes a lot during their processes. His D24 ultimately chose Amherst, and, well, things went pretty poorly. Without going into all the details, it clearly was not the right next step for her at that time, and it was very frustrating for my friend to watch that happen as a parent.
So I don’t think such colleges are ever a “no-brainer”, I think it always remains a question whether that is actually the right next step for that particular kid.
Which doesn’t mean it isn’t in this case, but it is a question worth taking very seriously.
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Not necessarily. Do her preferences match Colby or Williams better? Does cost differ or matter?
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Costs don’t differ. She is interested in a school with good pre-med outcomes but not a crazy-competitive pre-med environment, research opportunities, other students who care about learning, and a January term. Which school do you think would be better for her?
They strike me as similar in most ways, but Williams probably has a more accomplished student body overall. Or is that not right?
I don’t think that’s right (full disclosure: my S26 is Williams-bound). Kids at both of these schools are high achievers, and both schools offer a wealth of resources and opportunities. The vibe is somewhat different, though – I can’t put my finger on it, really, but I think of Colby as a little more of a work-hard/play-hard kind of place. So the question is really what school speaks to your D more. You can’t go wrong here. Congratulations!
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Thanks. What is your impression of the social scene at Williams?
So just conveying what people think in my circles:
Williams is pretty isolated even by LAC standards. Small college, small town in the mountains, not really close to much else. For some that will be idyllic, but not everyone. Some might feel it is too isolated/insular.
Of course Colby is not exactly in a teeming metropolis either, but it is basically along 95, not far from the biggest cities/towns in Maine or the coast. For some that may be splitting hairs, but for others it might make a difference.
I’m not sure how I would characterize it, but my son feels like the social scene at Williams might be a little more varied than it is at Colby, maybe? He’s interested in outdoorsy activities, but also the arts (he’s a musician but also loves visual art and museums), sports (as a spectator, not an athlete), and other kinds of low-key pursuits (he loves board games and trivia, for example), and he felt like Williams was a place where he could find his people in a variety of circles and settings. The people we know at Williams say that students there are hardworking but not competitive with each other, so it’s academically intense but also supportive and friendly.
I honestly don’t know how much any of that differs from the social scene at Colby. My sense is that a smart, driven student could easily find their people at both schools.
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Thanks for the info. It’s a bummer that we haven’t had the chance to probe this stuff more fully. We just assumed it wasn’t happening. She does enjoy a traditional party, so she wants to have that option.
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What did your D26 think of Williams when applying? Was it high on her list?
My D22’s best friend is graduating from Williams. I think they had a very special experience. They are an athlete, but also involved in many campus activities that aren’t athletic. Definitely a place where everyone knows each other and new faces on campus are exciting every year (my daughter visited her friend on campus for a few days over a January session and got lots of curious looks since she was a “new” face).
Good luck to your D26 making the decision. I hope she can go visit again if she needs/wants to.
I think she’ll find that in the social scene at both schools.
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Williams is an amazing school and very well resourced. We know several kids who’ve attended and have had great experiences. My impression is Colby is not quite as well-resourced but I don’t know it as well. As a financial aid kid (if I remember correctly) fully funded summer internships and other opportunities that a school like Williams can make available can be important. That said, I agree that Williams is pretty isolated. There’s a small town within walking distance, and a couple of bigger towns a bit of a drive away, but to get to a bigger city like Boston or New York you’d need a car and a few hours drive. That’s part of the magic of Williams but it won’t work for everyone.
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