St. Lawrence University
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Anonymous
| Hi. DD applied here but we haven’t visited yet. Heard from other forums that it’s very remote and cold. Is from nyc area so used to buzz and lights but wouldn’t mind going to a rural school(is also interested in Cornell, Dartmouth, and Lehigh as reaches). The thing I’m worried about is it’s VERY small student population which could foster cliques very quickly(especially given the large student athlete population and boarding school graduates). Any experience with this school? They seem to give good merit aid but I don’t really know what stats you need to obtain those coveted scholarships. Also worried about paying a lot for a school that doesn’t have much name recognition(SLU seems to have its own bubble) |
Anonymous
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You should go visit.
It is in the middle of no where, but there are lots of good hiking and outdoors activities. Being in the middle of no where focuses student energy onto campus. Almost no one goes home for the weekend, so the campus is always busy. |
Anonymous
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Hi, I am a grad - granted from 1991, but I think some still holds from what I've heard since. I know many of my fellow grads who now sent their kids there. That is kind of how the school is, you will find alums sending their kids, their grandkids etc. It's kind of a special place in my opinion. VERY tight knit because there is literally nothing else around.
It is remote, and COLD. It will be cold from October to April and snow is a given on the ground nearly that entire time. The big sport is Hockey, which when I was there was a great team and that is what we did on the weekends... i don't think I ever went to a football game. They have an active outdoor club which alot of people do go on hikes, skiing etc. It was never my thing so I didn't and I still had a great time. I am from CT and I do not personally like the prep school type kids, but at the time, though alot were prep school kids, these kids were a bit more down to earth, despite what might be wealth at home. Everyone lived in JCrew, LL Bean and "beta pants" which are the SLU version of sweatpants. Not much pretension at all. It is a small population but in my opinion this did the opposite of foster cliques, it was rather a "we're all in this together" kind of atmosphere. Everyone was friends with everyone. I was very shy (very) and absolutely loved it, ended up with a great group of lifelong friends and even was in a sorority (greek life was huge when I was there but isn't anymore). It has a great alumni network, but yeah outside that it's a typical SLAC so alot of people will not have heard of it. My classmates are now physicians, lawyers (alot of lawyers), investment bankers, CEOs etc. my DD applied last year EA and received a $40K annual "Momentum scholarship" and a nice personalized note on her acceptance letter. It quickly went from her safety to her background plan if she didn't get into her first choice, which she did. All that being said, you have to visit if it's something DC is seriously considering, preferably in the winter LOL I for one loved the drive through the Adirondacks ot get there and how remote it was, but the area surrounding campus is one of the poorest in the country, on a level with the deep deep South. |
Anonymous
| Oh and I will add since you asked about stats for the scholarship. My DD received the highest scholarship level and had a 4.44 GPA and 30 ACT. She was in the top 10% of her competitive NoVA public class. |
Anonymous
I am familiar with the area and this surprises me. It is rural but there are like 5 grocery stores including a Huge Walmart and a Lowes. 6 or 7 chain hotels between Potsdam and Canton. Some decent restaurants. Just having 4 colleges and all the related faculty brings an area up. |
Anonymous
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^^ Great post from ‘91 above. I have a first year there and he seems very happy. It’s a very welcoming community and everyone we met was over-the-top nice. Financial aid was the most generous of any school where he was accepted.
I’d add that while it will undoubtedly get cold it has been very mild so far. September was hot, and October and even November thus far have been beautiful. It was 63 yesterday! Holiday breaks are quite long so there are long stretches of escape from the cold, though February is going to be brutal. If you hate the cold it wouldn’t be a great choice. |
Anonymous
Certainly could have changed but when I went there, I literally took a class that compared the "North Country" with very deep south, with high rates of poverty and hunger. Looks like the current poverty rate is 18.9%. That's pretty damn high. I came from an affluent community in CT and this was very foreign and eye opening to me. |
Anonymous
I have not looked at the data but driving through the area is very different then Appalachia with distressed housing and little commerce beyond a dollar store. We looked at Clarkson. |
Anonymous
1990 grad here, and I got goosebumps reading this. It is indeed a special place with an amazing alumni network. I have many lifelong friendships from SLU. We still have mini reunions every year, gathering together at various places on the East Coast. Many of my friends from SLU have kids who are there now or went there. Loved, loved, loved my time there. And yes, it's cold. Not as much snow as Syracuse since it's north of the lake. |
Anonymous
| I'm another alum, from the early 2000's - and I worked there for a while as well after I graduated. It's a wonderful place and I wouldn't change a single thing about my college experience. That being said, it's not for everyone. Campus becomes the center of your world and there isn't much outside of that. SLU supplements with fantastic on-campus programming and off-campus study opportunities. You have to be open to liking winter because the cold is "contacts freeze in your eyeballs" level of cold. I developed a love of cross country skiing and snowshoeing and the value of a good double digit negative rated Sorel while I was in the North Country. Alumni network is incredibly strong and supportive. It's an amazing gem of a place. |
Anonymous
| Preppy and boozy, very very boozy. |
Anonymous
It's been a while since I graduated, but the North Country used to have a very large proportion of people without running water and with only dirt floors. In some ways poorer that Appalachia. They were still living like subsistence farmers, so no junk out front because it costs money to buy junk. More like poor farmers in the 1930s. It's a bimodal population with some having almost nothing. |
Anonymous
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I have a first year at SLU, who was quite shy and introverted throughout their school years. They are absolutely thriving at SLU. It seems to be an amazing place. Warmth and inclusion was evident from the tour, to the move-in, to family weekend, to my kid's actual experience.
It is a SLAC in a remote area, much like many northeastern SLACs. So, if your kid isn't a fan of small ponds, probably not the place. It's also cold there, much like many northeastern SLACs. So, if your kid isn't a fan of northeastern winters, probably not the place. However, in all the ways that matter, it is a gem of a school, DC got great merit aid, and our family is so happy that they found their place. |
Anonymous
| It's not going to be any colder than Cornell or Dartmouth. |
Anonymous
I have one in Potsdam and one in Ithaca. Potsdam is colder. Ithaca has more snow. |