Juanita College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We looked seriously at it. The price was right, it seemed to offer a ton of individual attention, the professors we spoke to were impressive, and there are lots of opportunities for fieldwork in environmental science near campus and in the state parks nearby.

Campus itself is hohum and the location was ultimately the worst part. It’s so remote. And not just remote but in a very crappy area of Pennsylvania. At the time we were visiting the surrounding area was awash in Mastriano and signs (Mastriano was the governor candidate, crazier than Trump). Arbys is the main place to eat. The motel we stayed at was not just basic but had recently flooded. Those aren’t dealbreakers but I did not look forward to the drive/visiting and was relieved when my son chose a different school.

Two nicer places to stay are the Inn at Solvang or Gage Mansion. The latter is within walking distance of dinner options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD just decided to go there. ES major, for reasons PP explained.

Agree, the town seems blah but the location was better than some other places she looked at -- Allegheny (too far, super remote), SMCM (close but nothing walkable to campus). We've stayed at Comfort Inn on our couple visits but others have recommended Raystown Resort or some B&Bs. We'll see, Comfort Inn has been fine. There are a couple cute restaurants in town where we've had good meals and one really good BBQ spot in a strip mall.

I think I heard about it here first. It probably comes up a lot because the kids who go there are happy with it, it's not that far from DC (3 hr drive is within most people's reasonable drive), hits that spot of meeting in-state budget with merit aid, good option for good but not stellar students, and is strong for STEM especially ES which seems to be increasingly popular major in general. I think UVM is also benefiting from that -- know several kids this year and last going there for ES and I feel like I never heard of that school until the last few years. Also the Juniata-hater seems to prompt more discussion as people jump in to defend the school, if (s)he'd shut up it probably wouldn't get so much air time!

Congratulations to your daughter!! I hope she is very happy there.

The campus is entirely walkable. Everyone lives on campus. Friendly faculty. My daughter used to look forward to seeing the President’s pups out for a walk. It makes for a pretty sweet home for 4years!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, "Juniata" -- same name as a river in the area and somehow derived from a Native American name.

My daughter is a freshman there with an environmental science major (or “POE”, program of emphasis, as they call it). It has a particularly strong ES program and when we attended orientation weekend it seemed like 90% of the parents I spoke with also had kids there for ES. A big feature of that is the Field Station program, where a group of 15-20 students live in cabins at the station on the lake, do all their classes together, take trips, work on research and restoration projects with the Army Corps of Engineers. DD plans to do that next year for the “restoration” theme semester. Other semesters focus on wildlife conservation, aquatic ecology, forestry, and I’m probably forgetting some.

DD only really considered rural LACs and a strong ES program was the most important consideration. She likes that Juniata doesn’t have Greek organizations but has a lot of campus activities, especially outdoors/environmental. They also have a good music program (despite not having music majors) and she plays in the symphony + small pep band and also gets an additional scholarship for that.

It was a safety for her academically and she gets a big merit scholarship. 1st semester was not that challenging because for her major she had to re-take some classes she’d done as IB so it was repetitive but 2nd semester has been a lot more challenging. They incorporate fieldwork into even the very introductory ESS classes which she was able to talk about when applying to summer jobs in natural resources. She had multiple offers for summer jobs in her major (from applying locally, didn’t use the career center which she said was pretty focused on PA jobs). She generally likes her teachers. Likes the band director. Seemed to make friends pretty quickly and says there are a lot of smart kids there. Had some concerns about diversity but really her preference for rural LACs was totally at odds with an interest in a more racially diverse student body! Still, I think a lot of students are from more rural areas in PA and that is a kind of diversity she didn't think about and has given her different perspectives.

We were talking during Spring Break about her experience and she says she glad she chose it vs. her other options, it does feel like the right fit. Her main complaint is that she’s in a bad dorm (it does look like it hasn’t been updated since the 60s).

It seems to be on an upswing. They said this year’s freshman class was one of the largest in their history, which is definitely bucking the trend of other small, rural schools. They’ve had some recent very large donations, like $5M to expand the field station, and other large donations to revamp some dorms, completely rebuild the library.

The strengths are definitely in the sciences – ES, chemistry, biology, pre-health generally (they also just got a $1m+ donation to explore feasibility/pilot a nursing program). It's just a friendly place that seems to care about the students and has good school spirit, particularly around the women's volleyball team which is the D3 national champions. I've needed to interact with administration a couple times and they've always been super helpful.

Cons IMO - the town is pretty blah (but DD says it has everything she needs, likes that it's walkable from campus), some limited class selections because it's a small school (DD just registered for Fall and many classes only have one section which was frustrating when 3 classes you'd like are all only at the same time but she was able to work out an acceptable schedule), limited food options since there's just the one dining hall (juniors-seniors can live in apts/houses and have a full kitchen), career services very regionally focused.

NP. This is so informative. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight, but as a follower of this board, this school does seem to get a higher than average amount of posts vs other similar LACs.

That said, I do appreciate people talking about schools that aren’t T20. As the parent of a child nowhere near that level, this board can be a bit much and not always helpful. The public in state that my child has in her final 2 is regularly trashed and it is rare to get actual first hand experience/knowledge. The other school she is considering might have only come up when I mentioned it.

No vested interest here, but I think it gets more posts/mentions because people have had great experiences there. This is dcum, and Juniata is not too far. Many looking for LAC options from the DC area have it on the list for proximity, programs, student experience, admit-ability, and aid. Could say the same for Muhlenberg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, "Juniata" -- same name as a river in the area and somehow derived from a Native American name.

My daughter is a freshman there with an environmental science major (or “POE”, program of emphasis, as they call it). It has a particularly strong ES program and when we attended orientation weekend it seemed like 90% of the parents I spoke with also had kids there for ES. A big feature of that is the Field Station program, where a group of 15-20 students live in cabins at the station on the lake, do all their classes together, take trips, work on research and restoration projects with the Army Corps of Engineers. DD plans to do that next year for the “restoration” theme semester. Other semesters focus on wildlife conservation, aquatic ecology, forestry, and I’m probably forgetting some.

DD only really considered rural LACs and a strong ES program was the most important consideration. She likes that Juniata doesn’t have Greek organizations but has a lot of campus activities, especially outdoors/environmental. They also have a good music program (despite not having music majors) and she plays in the symphony + small pep band and also gets an additional scholarship for that.

It was a safety for her academically and she gets a big merit scholarship. 1st semester was not that challenging because for her major she had to re-take some classes she’d done as IB so it was repetitive but 2nd semester has been a lot more challenging. They incorporate fieldwork into even the very introductory ESS classes which she was able to talk about when applying to summer jobs in natural resources. She had multiple offers for summer jobs in her major (from applying locally, didn’t use the career center which she said was pretty focused on PA jobs). She generally likes her teachers. Likes the band director. Seemed to make friends pretty quickly and says there are a lot of smart kids there. Had some concerns about diversity but really her preference for rural LACs was totally at odds with an interest in a more racially diverse student body! Still, I think a lot of students are from more rural areas in PA and that is a kind of diversity she didn't think about and has given her different perspectives.

We were talking during Spring Break about her experience and she says she glad she chose it vs. her other options, it does feel like the right fit. Her main complaint is that she’s in a bad dorm (it does look like it hasn’t been updated since the 60s).

It seems to be on an upswing. They said this year’s freshman class was one of the largest in their history, which is definitely bucking the trend of other small, rural schools. They’ve had some recent very large donations, like $5M to expand the field station, and other large donations to revamp some dorms, completely rebuild the library.

The strengths are definitely in the sciences – ES, chemistry, biology, pre-health generally (they also just got a $1m+ donation to explore feasibility/pilot a nursing program). It's just a friendly place that seems to care about the students and has good school spirit, particularly around the women's volleyball team which is the D3 national champions. I've needed to interact with administration a couple times and they've always been super helpful.

Cons IMO - the town is pretty blah (but DD says it has everything she needs, likes that it's walkable from campus), some limited class selections because it's a small school (DD just registered for Fall and many classes only have one section which was frustrating when 3 classes you'd like are all only at the same time but she was able to work out an acceptable schedule), limited food options since there's just the one dining hall (juniors-seniors can live in apts/houses and have a full kitchen), career services very regionally focused.

NP. This is so informative. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

Our daughter went there several years ago and her experience was similar to that of PP’s kid’s. She loved it for the same reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight, but as a follower of this board, this school does seem to get a higher than average amount of posts vs other similar LACs.

That said, I do appreciate people talking about schools that aren’t T20. As the parent of a child nowhere near that level, this board can be a bit much and not always helpful. The public in state that my child has in her final 2 is regularly trashed and it is rare to get actual first hand experience/knowledge. The other school she is considering might have only come up when I mentioned it.

No vested interest here, but I think it gets more posts/mentions because people have had great experiences there. This is dcum, and Juniata is not too far. Many looking for LAC options from the DC area have it on the list for proximity, programs, student experience, admit-ability, and aid. Could say the same for Muhlenberg.

you are probably right. I wish it had the second program that my child is interested in. (I looked it up because of all the love it gets from this board) She just decided that one of her own top 3 is now an also ran because one of the programs she wants is only offered as a minor, and she really wants the option to major in either one.

30 years ago, I considered quite a few of the PA LACs (I grew up about midpoint between Baltimore and Philly) - applied to Bucknell and F&M, decided against applying to Dickinson at the very last minute. I also know there are a bunch of VA LACs - investigated quite a few for my current senior since we are in state and the VTAG money would knock more money off annual costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight, but as a follower of this board, this school does seem to get a higher than average amount of posts vs other similar LACs.

That said, I do appreciate people talking about schools that aren’t T20. As the parent of a child nowhere near that level, this board can be a bit much and not always helpful. The public in state that my child has in her final 2 is regularly trashed and it is rare to get actual first hand experience/knowledge. The other school she is considering might have only come up when I mentioned it.

No vested interest here, but I think it gets more posts/mentions because people have had great experiences there. This is dcum, and Juniata is not too far. Many looking for LAC options from the DC area have it on the list for proximity, programs, student experience, admit-ability, and aid. Could say the same for Muhlenberg.

+1 In the mid-Atlantic for a smaller school with good environmental programs (a fairly popular interest) for a student who is not competitive for, and/or cannot afford, very selective LACs, the schools that seem to come up over and over are Juniata, SMCM, UMW, Washington College, Dickinson (not as generous with merit), Allegheny (farther away). Add Muhlenberg and Ursinus for sciences generally, not as strong in environmental. Roanoke and Emory & Henry worth looking at in Virginia.

Frankly, a lot of ES jobs are not high paying and you pretty much have to get a masters+. It makes no sense to overpay for undergrad and the priority should be rigorous classes that include a lot of fieldwork experience.

[Anonymous]

I think it gets more attention here than other lowly ranked unknown liberal arts colleges because there are two or three posters who are trying to convince themselves until the cows come home that the school is as good as the higher ranked schools and there’s a lot of sock puppet going on.

Juniata is nothing special even among middling Pennsylvania private schools. It’s an also ran.

Plus you gotta love this double speak on their webpage: “Graduation Rate: 94% of students who graduate do so in four years.” Classic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it gets more attention here than other lowly ranked unknown liberal arts colleges because there are two or three posters who are trying to convince themselves until the cows come home that the school is as good as the higher ranked schools and there’s a lot of sock puppet going on.

Juniata is nothing special even among middling Pennsylvania private schools. It’s an also ran.

Plus you gotta love this double speak on their webpage: “Graduation Rate: 94% of students who graduate do so in four years.” Classic.

See? Obsessed.

[Anonymous]

I just looked up where it falls on the USNews list

It is in the T100 for National Liberal Arts Schools

Ranked similarly to College of Wooster, which also comes up here frequently

[Anonymous]

What's the one poster's problem? Not everyone can go to Ivies or wants to or can afford to. Public flagships are also not the right fit for every kid and apparently Juniata makes good offers to kids they want. I also have no connection other than knowing a few happy kids who attended but I don't get what the issue is given that people are genuinely just discussing the school to determine if it's the right fit for their kid. I think the comments have also been pretty balanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it gets more attention here than other lowly ranked unknown liberal arts colleges because there are two or three posters who are trying to convince themselves until the cows come home that the school is as good as the higher ranked schools and there’s a lot of sock puppet going on.

Juniata is nothing special even among middling Pennsylvania private schools. It’s an also ran.

Plus you gotta love this double speak on their webpage: “Graduation Rate: 94% of students who graduate do so in four years.” Classic.

No one but you has mentioned how it compares it to higher ranked schools.

Not everyone lives and dies by rankings or status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it gets more attention here than other lowly ranked unknown liberal arts colleges because there are two or three posters who are trying to convince themselves until the cows come home that the school is as good as the higher ranked schools and there’s a lot of sock puppet going on.

Juniata is nothing special even among middling Pennsylvania private schools. It’s an also ran.

Plus you gotta love this double speak on their webpage: “Graduation Rate: 94% of students who graduate do so in four years.” Classic.

See? Obsessed.

Says the poster who jumped right back in! Do you get alerts whenever the word “Juniata” appears on the web?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just looked up where it falls on the USNews list

It is in the T100 for National Liberal Arts Schools

Ranked similarly to College of Wooster, which also comes up here frequently

Not nearly as much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it gets more attention here than other lowly ranked unknown liberal arts colleges because there are two or three posters who are trying to convince themselves until the cows come home that the school is as good as the higher ranked schools and there’s a lot of sock puppet going on.

Juniata is nothing special even among middling Pennsylvania private schools. It’s an also ran.

Plus you gotta love this double speak on their webpage: “Graduation Rate: 94% of students who graduate do so in four years.” Classic.

No one but you has mentioned how it compares it to higher ranked schools.

Not everyone lives and dies by rankings or status.

Ok but c’mon - how about that graduation rate double speak?