Which option would be better for a transfer student?

[Anonymous]

I agree with others above that say a three year experience is better than two. From a personal perspective, she will get more out of it both academically and socially. But it does come with a cost..

[Anonymous]

I have little to add but love your post. Congrats to your sis! She will do well wherever she goes, and when you’re talking about the differences between schools of this caliber, I wouldn’t get too caught up in rankings. She literally can’t go wrong, but should follow her gut. If it were me, I would go 3 years at W with study abroad. Kudos to your sis!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others above that say a three year experience is better than two. From a personal perspective, she will get more out of it both academically and socially. But it does come with a cost..

From the post, it sounds like W will cost a few thousand dollars a year.
A single Summer internship may - or may not - cover that amount. At one of the top schools I know in a high-cost city, an internship pays $5000 per mths or more. Wesleyan's cost may not make a difference in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others above that say a three year experience is better than two. From a personal perspective, she will get more out of it both academically and socially. But it does come with a cost..

From the post, it sounds like W will cost a few thousand dollars a year.
A single Summer internship may - or may not - cover that amount. At one of the top schools I know in a high-cost city, an internship pays $5000 per mths or more. Wesleyan's cost may not make a difference in the end.

Sorry, Wellsley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm normally a Swarthmore booster and I have to say the immediate previous poster is dead wrong. A free two years at Swarthmore is not to be sneezed at. Nobody will know or care after graduation where she started out, and if they do they will only be the more impressed. And one thing I love about Swat is that extracurriculars are wide open to anybody who wants to join. You're not competing with a deep field of people who have to pay their dues in organizations.

But as a college professor I would say it's worth taking the extra year if the extra cost at Wellesley is doable. The on-ramp to upper-level work at any of the very selective SLACs is steep. If Swat has judged she can do it, she can do it. But the extra year to settle in, make friends, both refine AND expand her interests, will be really good. The language and study abroad motivations seem strong. The difference in prestige, if any, matters a lot more to anxious applicants than to anyone on the post-graduation end.

Me again. To clarify, by "immediate PP" I mean the "the student is just a CC transfer" PP is dead wrong.

I was only pointing out the irony of a CC grad to focus on such thing as prestige in downgrading Wellsley. You would think a CC grad doesn't have many schools to look down on.

This is so offensive, you really come across as a jerk that is looking down on this student and her sister and CC students more broadly. First, in her financial position, doing two years at CC sounds like the absolutely best choice to have made and having made it the sister clearly worked extremely hard on many fronts to earn the opportunities she currently is choosing between.

It is not that a CC student is looking down on either school. The OP (the student's sister) is listing out pros and cons which include whether one school having more perceived prestige will impact the opportunities that her sister will have as a result of the choice and seeking advice on whether this is a concern. This is not focusing on prestige for bragging rights, this is focusing on the real world consequences of the choice being made. Your scoffing at the nerve of her (the irony!) to even consider prestige coming from a CC of all places, is condescending and offensive in addition to completely missing the point of the discussion.

OP - your sister sounds amazing and I wish you and her both the best. FWIW, I agree with all those that suggest that your sister will get a lot of important experience out of three years at Wellesley, including the study abroad opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm normally a Swarthmore booster and I have to say the immediate previous poster is dead wrong. A free two years at Swarthmore is not to be sneezed at. Nobody will know or care after graduation where she started out, and if they do they will only be the more impressed. And one thing I love about Swat is that extracurriculars are wide open to anybody who wants to join. You're not competing with a deep field of people who have to pay their dues in organizations.

But as a college professor I would say it's worth taking the extra year if the extra cost at Wellesley is doable. The on-ramp to upper-level work at any of the very selective SLACs is steep. If Swat has judged she can do it, she can do it. But the extra year to settle in, make friends, both refine AND expand her interests, will be really good. The language and study abroad motivations seem strong. The difference in prestige, if any, matters a lot more to anxious applicants than to anyone on the post-graduation end.

Me again. To clarify, by "immediate PP" I mean the "the student is just a CC transfer" PP is dead wrong.

I was only pointing out the irony of a CC grad to focus on such thing as prestige in downgrading Wellsley. You would think a CC grad doesn't have many schools to look down on.

I wish DCUM had a thumbs down option.

We use +1 for thumbs up...maybe we need to create the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wellesley, hands down. It will be a more supportive, nurturing environment. The extra time will be invaluable to her. The alum network is fantastic and will also be invaluable. Plus the chance to study abroad?

This is an easy choice IMO. The biggest reason first gen kids fail is lack of social support, not lack of ability.

There is no meaningful difference in ranking for these 2 excellent schools. Remove it from your list of considerations and focus on the soft stuff. It's that stuff that will make a difference for her.

Wellesley!

+1

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm normally a Swarthmore booster and I have to say the immediate previous poster is dead wrong. A free two years at Swarthmore is not to be sneezed at. Nobody will know or care after graduation where she started out, and if they do they will only be the more impressed. And one thing I love about Swat is that extracurriculars are wide open to anybody who wants to join. You're not competing with a deep field of people who have to pay their dues in organizations.

But as a college professor I would say it's worth taking the extra year if the extra cost at Wellesley is doable. The on-ramp to upper-level work at any of the very selective SLACs is steep. If Swat has judged she can do it, she can do it. But the extra year to settle in, make friends, both refine AND expand her interests, will be really good. The language and study abroad motivations seem strong. The difference in prestige, if any, matters a lot more to anxious applicants than to anyone on the post-graduation end.

Me again. To clarify, by "immediate PP" I mean the "the student is just a CC transfer" PP is dead wrong.

I was only pointing out the irony of a CC grad to focus on such thing as prestige in downgrading Wellsley. You would think a CC grad doesn't have many schools to look down on.

This is so offensive, you really come across as a jerk that is looking down on this student and her sister and CC students more broadly. First, in her financial position, doing two years at CC sounds like the absolutely best choice to have made and having made it the sister clearly worked extremely hard on many fronts to earn the opportunities she currently is choosing between.

It is not that a CC student is looking down on either school. The OP (the student's sister) is listing out pros and cons which include whether one school having more perceived prestige will impact the opportunities that her sister will have as a result of the choice and seeking advice on whether this is a concern. This is not focusing on prestige for bragging rights, this is focusing on the real world consequences of the choice being made. Your scoffing at the nerve of her (the irony!) to even consider prestige coming from a CC of all places, is condescending and offensive in addition to completely missing the point of the discussion.

OP - your sister sounds amazing and I wish you and her both the best. FWIW, I agree with all those that suggest that your sister will get a lot of important experience out of three years at Wellesley, including the study abroad opportunities.

Ok, since you asked, prestige is not a factor when you are talking Swat vs. Wellesley. It's like asking which is more prestigious, BMW vs. Mercedes.

[Anonymous]

Swarthmore and other similarly ranked co-ed schools in general are unfortunately seen as more prestigious than women's colleges. Wellesley has almost always been ranked in the top 5 and even top 3 om occasion, but doesn't get recognized. Swarthmore is seen as one of the little three alongside amherst and Williams.

[Anonymous]

Sorry- mistaken about little three since that's with wesleyan. But WAS and sometimes WASP (for Pomona) is the common association for the most prestigious LACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore and other similarly ranked co-ed schools in general are unfortunately seen as more prestigious than women's colleges. Wellesley has almost always been ranked in the top 5 and even top 3 om occasion, but doesn't get recognized. Swarthmore is seen as one of the little three alongside amherst and Williams.

Swat is #3 and Wellesley is #5. There's virtually no difference.

You can ask Madeleine Albright and Hillary Rodham Clinton if they were ever bothered by the ranking.

That reminds me, I can't name a single Swat alum. I am sure I can find a ton in Wiki, but I don't know any everyday impact person who came out of Swat.