Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 09:13     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would not pay for this school at full pay. There are much better state schools or larger sized SLACs than Dickinson.
Hard pass.


Serious question: Can you name a few? We really like Dickinson. St Mary’s of Md is a contender since we live in MD. UMD is just too large.



Serious suggestion: move to VA. Both of our kids went in-state. We saved a bundle and are now using that to support kids in grad school.


Seems like a bad strategy. Invest in undergrad, send your kids to fully-funded grad schools.


Or go where they offer the most money in both situations lol
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 09:11     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would not pay for this school at full pay. There are much better state schools or larger sized SLACs than Dickinson.
Hard pass.


Serious question: Can you name a few? We really like Dickinson. St Mary’s of Md is a contender since we live in MD. UMD is just too large.



Serious suggestion: move to VA. Both of our kids went in-state. We saved a bundle and are now using that to support kids in grad school.


Seems like a bad strategy. Invest in undergrad, send your kids to fully-funded grad schools.


+1
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 09:10     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:"That happens at all colleges; you don't have to spend $75K plus a year to get that! "

There is another thread on here about whether people on DCUM have real friendships with people they met in undergrad. The main thing I took away was that the people who went to big state schools don't, while many of those at the SLACs and elite schools do.
slack?

Can someone link that thread please?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 09:10     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dickinson is amazing. It emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach to learning that I have not seen elsewhere. Your DC will be amazed at how the professors will get to know each and everyone of them by name. They were the leaders in designing workshop Physics, workshop Comp Sci, and workshop Stats—again a new philosophy on learning. They were first movers in stressing learning international studies, foreign languages, and studies abroad. The campus is big enough to not feel small, yet small enough to recognize friends all over the campus. They keep the campus absolutely beautiful. The food wins awards— it is that good! It’s a tight community and has an active alumni. It has a lot of history and exudes learning in its classrooms. The campus makes lots of improvements over the years but keeps a rich history, too. It’s a very special place and a hidden gem.


Yes, we have found the same. The students form a close community which extends into the years after graduation. We were reading the alumni magazine and were interested to see how many alums get together with groups of other alums, even decades after graduation.



That happens at all colleges; you don't have to spend $75K plus a year to get that! My slac is like that (boring, California, no longer prestigious) as is my top law school. All schools have alumni magazines that are slick and glossy and show lots of alumni support because people like you believe it. My slac has gone down the toilet but you wouldn't know that from the marketing campaign and the alumni magazine


What slac?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 09:08     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:We checked it out and came away impressed. Checked out their YouTube channel. The school really exudes a good vibe. Part of me wishes that DC had gone there!


Where did DC go?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 09:07     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
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 other schools?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2025 01:13     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
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!


DP but look at Juniata. Our son was seriously considering it and after merit aid the total cost is about 34k. He was interested in looking at Dickinson but I didn’t think it was worth the price. His older brother got a big merit award at Dickinson but it was way too pricey compared to the other schools he was accepted to. Anyway, I was impressed with the students and staff we met at Juniata. It was my first choice for him but he decided it was too small. The big downside is the area is very rural. There are other small schools that offer really generous merit aid in PA like Washington and Jefferson (outside Pittsburgh) and Chatham (in Pittsburgh - gorgeous campus). While we liked Gettysburg, it is similarly priced to Dickinson.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2025 23:10     Subject: Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote: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).


Dickinson is test optional, not test blind.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2025 19:53     Subject: Dickinson- full pay
I loved our visit to Dickinson and would be happy to send my student there. The campus is really pretty and cohesive, Carlisle is a nice little town with some great restaurants and shops, students seemed engaged and friendly, housing and food appeared solid (we had a meal on campus in the dining hall), and the tour was very personalized (they simulated a class and the teacher made a real effort to connect with prospective students). It seemed like the kind of school where a range of student types could be integrated into campus life and succeed.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2025 19:34     Subject: Dickinson- full pay
It’s a very nice place. Nice campus, Carlisle is accessible and unlike nearby towns at other LACs, a great place to spend time. My recollection is that there’s not much Greek life, so that’s a plus if you are looking to avoid.

I would pay full price for it, but financially it would not be a strain. I’m already in pretty deep with two other kids in private college and we are considering it for child #3.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2025 16:02     Subject: Dickinson- full pay
A year or two ago, it was ranked as having the worst food out of a very large group of comparable liberal arts schools.
My child went elsewhere to a liberal arts school whose food was ranked much higher and he says it's still awful. We keep reminding him he could be at Dickinson where it would probably be worse!

Ultimately my son didn't attend because he felt the bro culture was a little too much for him.

It seemed nice to me on our tours.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2025 15:21     Subject: Dickinson- full pay
Any more recent feedback on this school?
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2022 09:55     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
We have a similar situation, not Dickinson but another school. Although it would be a perfect fit, at a price of $70k even merit won’t be enough. So we’re not applying. We’ll find something else more affordable and everything will work out. I’m not going broke over this. And I don’t want to pay $70k per year for my child to have life long friends.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2022 21:27     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would not pay for this school at full pay. There are much better state schools or larger sized SLACs than Dickinson.
Hard pass.


Serious question: Can you name a few? We really like Dickinson. St Mary’s of Md is a contender since we live in MD. UMD is just too large.



Serious suggestion: move to VA. Both of our kids went in-state. We saved a bundle and are now using that to support kids in grad school.


Seems like a bad strategy. Invest in undergrad, send your kids to fully-funded grad schools.


I disagree. Most well-paying jobs now look for advanced degrees and that's where the name and prestige counts the most. I'm not talking about PhDs but Law, MBA, MPP, medicine, etc. More and more parents are viewing college as the stepping stone to the next degree so public undergrad with great grades and stellar recommendations get you to the next level. It worked for us via UVA. We have enough saved now to send DD to Oxford and then there's law school after she finishes her MPhil.


Not sure why PP needs to pay for a MPhil - MA in philosophy? I agree a master's in philosophy is a great stepping stone for a law school but something's off when paying for a MA in philosophy. But whatever works.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2022 09:29     Subject: Re:Dickinson- full pay
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would not pay for this school at full pay. There are much better state schools or larger sized SLACs than Dickinson.
Hard pass.


Serious question: Can you name a few? We really like Dickinson. St Mary’s of Md is a contender since we live in MD. UMD is just too large.



Serious suggestion: move to VA. Both of our kids went in-state. We saved a bundle and are now using that to support kids in grad school.


Seems like a bad strategy. Invest in undergrad, send your kids to fully-funded grad schools.



I disagree. Most well-paying jobs now look for advanced degrees and that's where the name and prestige counts the most. I'm not talking about PhDs but Law, MBA, MPP, medicine, etc. More and more parents are viewing college as the stepping stone to the next degree so public undergrad with great grades and stellar recommendations get you to the next level. It worked for us via UVA. We have enough saved now to send DD to Oxford and then there's law school after she finishes her MPhil.