Favorite College that changes lives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

The dumpiest dorm I've seen is at Williams College and the second dumpiest right next to that one, so go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

Covid was terrible for small liberal arts school--the whole point of attending was largely lost. I think many schools--large and small--are making financial adjustments due to the demographic cliff. Public schools are reckoning with the fact that states are limiting tuition increases, but salaries and costs go up nonetheless. Private schools have more flexibility--but do need to find ways to trim expenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hendrix: Have not visited but want to. Here's what we like on paper: it's one of the few co-ed, warm weather, LACs without Greek life. It's apparently progressive, but without the shouting (and fwiw, left-leaning people in Massachusetts and California swear to me that this part of Arkansas is genuinely great: beautiful, progressive, arty, and kind of hipster.). It seems to punch well above its weight academically-- for one thing, it's on that NSF list of top producers of science and engineering Ph.D.s, above a couple of Ivys and schools known for STEM. The food is some of the best in the country, and the dining hall workers apparently go far out of their way to make every kid feel at home. Lots of hands-on learning, with money for independent projects. Small student body, but apparently with a little of everything, and very friendly. Campus cats. Kid is interested, and accepted, with merit that brings coa to low 30s. Guaranteed flagship match to all accepted students right now. If anyone has visited, I'd love to hear more.

I think we may have exchanged posts back in the fall. I worked on a scholarship program for refugees and Hendrix went well well well over the extra mile as a host school. Even some community members hopped in to help this student with some expenses not covered by their scholarship and more than the school could probably afford. I never had an opportunity to visit but my associate, who grew up on Long Island and pretty urban/suburban, was charmed by the town, the school, everyone she met. Wish I could offer more direct experience - Hendrix will always have a special place for me.

Yes, that was me, and I really appreciated (and still appreciate) your comments. Still haven't gotten there, but DC did apply, and with the offer in hand,, it's now a top contender. So it's great to hear about your urban/suburban colleague being charmed. Next stop: a visit! Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

The dumpiest dorm I've seen is at Williams College and the second dumpiest right next to that one, so go figure.

lol, that's funny. Their gym facilities are uniquely bad, too! Worst we've seen on any tour. Great school, though...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am intrigued by Emory & Henry, but couldn't get my child to send the application in the end. I think it may just be too far out in the sticks for her, despite having a lovely campus based on what I have seen online.

My child does seem to be interested in smaller schools - her top choice is Dean in MA, but she also applied to Alma in MI and Meredith in NC. These 3 are not CTCL schools, but they are small LACs.

Goucher would have been a nice choice, but they also lack one of the 2 majors she wanted.

Interesting on Alma? Why there, especially if Emory & Henry feels like the sticks for your DC?

A Alma recruiter got to her at a special event. We haven’t visited. there is the ability to double major more easily there than many other schools.

We didn’t visit E&H-I ran across it last summer online and encouraged her to think about it. She just decided no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

The dumpiest dorm I've seen is at Williams College and the second dumpiest right next to that one, so go figure.

lol, that's funny. Their gym facilities are uniquely bad, too! Worst we've seen on any tour. Great school, though...

Oh great school and 1 DC is there, but I just have to laugh when folks come on here and sneer at these "second tier" schools because a number of them have better dorms.

Have a DC at another T10 LAC and props to that school for not showing their best dorms on campus on the student tour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beloit is lovely, a little quirky, great for the kid (like a kid mentioned in a different thread, who was smart and curious but not turning in busy work, not performing for teachers they didn’t like) who loves learning and thinking but doesn’t care about the game of school. A terrific new student center in an old power station, and an impressive STEM building, especially given the size. Everyone we talked to seemed really thoughtful. Some Greek life, but in a quirky way. Nice campus. Definitely kind of an outsider vibe. A small “city” that feels more like a town, but with some fun industrial design to the downtown. Beloit is on the small side, I get the sense that a new president is interested in driving up enrollment.

Eckerd is hard to make sense of. It's kind of amazing in some ways, and it's wholly unlike any other school out there. On the beach (bay, not rolling waves) which is great, though it's isolated from downtown St. Pete’s (vibrant, liberal). Eckerd seems like a unique mix of granola kids, party kids, marine bio kids, and more general liberal arts kids who wanted warm weather. Facilities are mixed, but it's green and tropical all year long. You can literally walk out of class in January and get onto a paddleboard or into a kayak, then paddle your way through mangroves, or to a bird sanctuary. It's quirky! Pet friendly, no Greek life, longboards and barefeet, a very active student EMS program, as well as a student marine search and rescue, which is cool. I wish they had a higher endowment — every mixed feeling I have about it stems from their relatively low endowment.

We toured Eckerd and my D asked a very pointed question about sexual assault after reading an article about their sexual assault problem. The guide actually lied about it so it came off her list. There was a lot to love about it, though, especially if you are a marine bio major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hendrix: Have not visited but want to. Here's what we like on paper: it's one of the few co-ed, warm weather, LACs without Greek life. It's apparently progressive, but without the shouting (and fwiw, left-leaning people in Massachusetts and California swear to me that this part of Arkansas is genuinely great: beautiful, progressive, arty, and kind of hipster.). It seems to punch well above its weight academically-- for one thing, it's on that NSF list of top producers of science and engineering Ph.D.s, above a couple of Ivys and schools known for STEM. The food is some of the best in the country, and the dining hall workers apparently go far out of their way to make every kid feel at home. Lots of hands-on learning, with money for independent projects. Small student body, but apparently with a little of everything, and very friendly. Campus cats. Kid is interested, and accepted, with merit that brings coa to low 30s. Guaranteed flagship match to all accepted students right now. If anyone has visited, I'd love to hear more.

We know a recent grad who is a great person and someone DS (a current HS sophomore) admires. He loved his experience at Hendrix and has encouraged DS to consider it. We plan on touring next fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like CTCL always brings out the snobs.

I know kids who have gone to Ursinus and McDaniel. McD actively promotes their programs for kids with learning differences, and the kids I know who have gone there seemed very happy. I have a harder time characterizing Ursinus, but I do hear good things.

It's funny how few East Coast schools are on the list.

Maybe those who you label as snobs just have different standards and goals.

Several of the CTCL are on the brink of financial disaster.

Job placement and recruiting is not good at most of these small colleges.

Retention rates and 6 year graduation rates at many of the CTCL schools are not good.

Students can get a good education at most schools if motivated and disciplined, but the more important issue is job placement & internship opportunities.

I do not understand the focus on PhD placement for small college students as most humanities PhD struggle to find decent jobs.

CTCL is little more than a marketing organization for small relatively unknown schools most of which face significant financial hurdles.

What makes you think that all these students are pursuing humanities PhDs? Kalamazoo and Wooster are known for STEM grad placements.

A huge percentage of these schools major in humanities and go on to PhDs. Those circles must overlap. Even STEM PhDs aren't that much to brag about though? Like if you can get a good job with your bachelor's alone, isn't that the best case?

Why is getting a job with a bachelor’s alone the best case? Education is a good thing. For many of us, ROI is not the only goal and self development is a goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like CTCL always brings out the snobs.

I know kids who have gone to Ursinus and McDaniel. McD actively promotes their programs for kids with learning differences, and the kids I know who have gone there seemed very happy. I have a harder time characterizing Ursinus, but I do hear good things.

It's funny how few East Coast schools are on the list.

Maybe those who you label as snobs just have different standards and goals.

Several of the CTCL are on the brink of financial disaster.

Job placement and recruiting is not good at most of these small colleges.

Retention rates and 6 year graduation rates at many of the CTCL schools are not good.

Students can get a good education at most schools if motivated and disciplined, but the more important issue is job placement & internship opportunities.

I do not understand the focus on PhD placement for small college students as most humanities PhD struggle to find decent jobs.

CTCL is little more than a marketing organization for small relatively unknown schools most of which face significant financial hurdles.

What makes you think that all these students are pursuing humanities PhDs? Kalamazoo and Wooster are known for STEM grad placements.

A huge percentage of these schools major in humanities and go on to PhDs. Those circles must overlap. Even STEM PhDs aren't that much to brag about though? Like if you can get a good job with your bachelor's alone, isn't that the best case?

Why is getting a job with a bachelor’s alone the best case? Education is a good thing. For many of us, ROI is not the only goal and self development is a goal.

And these schools do just fine at getting jobs too! Look at actual ROI/career outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like CTCL always brings out the snobs.

I know kids who have gone to Ursinus and McDaniel. McD actively promotes their programs for kids with learning differences, and the kids I know who have gone there seemed very happy. I have a harder time characterizing Ursinus, but I do hear good things.

It's funny how few East Coast schools are on the list.

Maybe those who you label as snobs just have different standards and goals.

Several of the CTCL are on the brink of financial disaster.

Job placement and recruiting is not good at most of these small colleges.

Retention rates and 6 year graduation rates at many of the CTCL schools are not good.

Students can get a good education at most schools if motivated and disciplined, but the more important issue is job placement & internship opportunities.

I do not understand the focus on PhD placement for small college students as most humanities PhD struggle to find decent jobs.

CTCL is little more than a marketing organization for small relatively unknown schools most of which face significant financial hurdles.

My DC, a Denison grad, is doing a STEM PhD as we speak. With an endowment stated to over $1 billion in 2023, the Denison endowment per student is over $400,000.

Why do you assume that students pursuing PhD are doing so in humanities fields?

Of all of these schools, Denison is the only one we're visiting. I'm excited to hear DC's thoughts after our tour.

[Anonymous]

My son looked at many of these schools and chose Whitman. He's a Junior now and is having a really good experience. It's not as hard to get to Whitman as described here; you just fly into Pasco airport, which is about 40 minutes from the school. You can set up rides through the school, with Uber, or with some private driver companies, who offer discount to students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

The dumpiest dorm I've seen is at Williams College and the second dumpiest right next to that one, so go figure.

That is great, except we know that anyone on this thread - including you - doesn’t have a kid in the running for Williams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

The dumpiest dorm I've seen is at Williams College and the second dumpiest right next to that one, so go figure.

That is great, except we know that anyone on this thread - including you - doesn’t have a kid in the running for Williams.

DP. I think the point was that quality of dorms is unrelated to either endowment or prestige. Also my older kid was accepted to Williams (and Whitman!), my younger is looking at CTCL schools. People can be interested in multiple types of threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the millionth time, CTCL is not a marketing organization (though inclusion is used to the school’s marketing advantage). The list was originally drawn up by a New York Times education editor.

If they hold a panel in your community I suggest you attend with your high school sophomore or junior. They espouse very healthy approach to the college search.

If by “healthy” you mean “desperate” then yeah.

DP. I would personally define healthy as “not like PP.” Take that as you will.