I wonder how random the merit aid is now that they are test blind. Our DC had an SAT score in the 1500s and we assumed he would get merit there but then learned that they don’t consider scores at all. He wound up applying ED elsewhere so we never found out (and the school was a bad fit for him so probably wouldn’t have applied anyway).

Not worth it

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone pay the full cost to attend Dickinson or is it a case of marking up the cost to mark it down with merit aid? We won’t qualify for financial aid but $78k/yr is a lot!

Whether or not Dickinson College is worth $78,000 a year to any particular student and family will vary upon several factors including the student's other options. I cannot recommend paying full tuition or anywhere near full tuition if the student and family will need to take out student loans in any amount. The job opportunities are just not there; and those who want to head to law school or medical school should attend a much lower cost option.

Dickinson College offers interesting majors such as International Business & Management, Econ, International Studies / Foreign Languages, Neuroscience,and Physics.

OP: What does your son or daughter plan to study in college ?

Any career goal at this time ?

I would view being a full pay student at Dickinson College as a luxury item. If you have the funds and like the small school atmosphere and are realistic about career opportunities, then it is your money. But, if seeking value in a particular area, then it would be helpful to know your expectations.

Will your child receive a solid education ? Yes, but that can be obtained at several hundred colleges and universities in the country.

Just want an education to satisfy medical school or law school entrance requirements ? Sure, but how will those professional graduate schools be paid for ?

It is not just a matter of options--it is a matter of affordable, debt-free options when looking at a school such as Dickinson College.

How about Elon?

F&M, SMCM

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD liked Dickinson a lot, but even $20k off that tuition leaves a mighty big bill. She ended up declining and chose another school that appealed more, and gave heftier merit.

Oh, congrats! Do you mind mentioning which school or any others that your family considered? We're trying to put together a college list for our twins who like LACs in PA and the Midwest. Thanks!

Wooster, Juniata, Dickensian, St. Olaf, Mt Holyoke.

Easy drive from the DNV.

We liked the campus and town (you can walk to restaurants, and cute hotels). They seemed strong in science (what my kid wanted), had small classes. Great study abroad options, and disability services.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were full pay at Dickinson. Didn't fill out a FAFSA or apply for any aid anywhere. DC was offered some merit aid at a couple of schools anyway but not at Dickinson.

What a bizarre school to go to for full pay.

The school has a lot of benefits. It sounds like you did not research it personally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were full pay at Dickinson. Didn't fill out a FAFSA or apply for any aid anywhere. DC was offered some merit aid at a couple of schools anyway but not at Dickinson.

What a bizarre school to go to for full pay.

You are an obnoxious snob.

You don't have to be a snob to question the bang for the buck here. If you're not getting HYP prestige, stupid to pay a HYP price.

We visited but my DD didn’t apply because we heard later it can feel cliquey and if you aren’t on a team or in a Greek house you have nothing to do socially.

Anonymous wrote:Dickinson gets a lot of buzz on this board. My DC is a bit too young yet to be in the college hunt, but can anyone on here be more *specific* about what sets Dickinson apart? I've always heard positive comments about it, but never with examples attached, and I'd love some advance insight!

If you squint hard enough, it looks like one of the better SLACs. It also gives out a lot of merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:81% receive institutional grants or scholarships

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=dickinson&s=all&id=212009#finaid

To OP (we looked at Dickenson) -most parents in the dmv area will not get any financial aid per the FAFSA so, like us, are full pay. All we qualified for were the standard unsubsidized $5500 student loans (increases a bit with each year) that all FAFSA applicants get. Our kids were applying to top schools where there is little merit so received nothing but the $5500 per year. That rules out a lot of the private SLACs like Dickenson now at $73-85k a year notwithstanding having saved for college since birth. So both went instate public which turned out great! But my point in posting is that when you see a college brag that 81 percent of our students are receiving aid, the school is technically correct but that aid is not coming from the school - included in that percentage are most of the families reading this who file the FAFSA but will not qualify for either merit or financial aid but take the $5500 FAFSA unsubsidized loans just because that’s the smart thing to do (or was when interest rates were low). Also having some loans that the kids must sign off on wakes the child up to the fact that they have some skin in the game, which, I think, is a good thing. My message is to go public and bank the difference to save for grad school. That’s where you can really help your kid financing an expensive law or mba degree

Anonymous wrote:Dickinson gets a lot of buzz on this board. My DC is a bit too young yet to be in the college hunt, but can anyone on here be more *specific* about what sets Dickinson apart? I've always heard positive comments about it, but never with examples attached, and I'd love some advance insight!

Watch a virtual tour on YouTube. Pretty campus, nice vibe, low Greek life, small classes, nice kids. Little town beside campus with coffee shop, etc. Hits the sweet spot for a lot of kids.

Dickinson gets a lot of buzz on this board. My DC is a bit too young yet to be in the college hunt, but can anyone on here be more *specific* about what sets Dickinson apart? I've always heard positive comments about it, but never with examples attached, and I'd love some advance insight!