Dickinson still in trouble?

[Anonymous]

When we visited two years ago it seemed like Dickinson was in a precarious position with three big freshman dorms closed and freshman orientation week discontinued. My DD liked it but we were concerned it was in decline and/or in financial trouble. We thought maybe it was just COVID related but heard rumblings otherwise.
Any newer info?

[Anonymous]

Just checked Dickinson College's endowment. At the end of the fiscal year 2020, Dickinson's endowment was at $486 million--which is excellent for a school of this size.

Carlisle, Pennsylvania is an attractive town.

[Anonymous]

Their acceptance rate has been declining so it seems to be getting more popular.

[Anonymous]

Town is really one of the better LAC towns.

[Anonymous]

That just sounds like Covid restrictions.

[Anonymous]

Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

The falling enrollment between 2018 and 2019 could possibly be attributed to their "Should white boys still be allowed to talk?" guest piece in the school newspaper in February 2019. I know I would never pay for my kids to go there, specifically because of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

The falling enrollment between 2018 and 2019 could possibly be attributed to their "Should white boys still be allowed to talk?" guest piece in the school newspaper in February 2019. I know I would never pay for my kids to go there, specifically because of that.

Literally every school has fringe students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

The falling enrollment between 2018 and 2019 could possibly be attributed to their "Should white boys still be allowed to talk?" guest piece in the school newspaper in February 2019. I know I would never pay for my kids to go there, specifically because of that.

Literally every school has fringe students.

Sure, but that piece came out in the student newspaper (and received national attention) right about the same time prospective students were receiving acceptances for fall 2019. How many "white boys" want to go to a school where the student newspaper is giving the impression you shouldn't even be allowed to talk? And the administration is supportive of that?
If you were the parent of a "white boy" would you be willing to spend hundreds of thousands to send him to a school like that?

[Anonymous]

OP again — they had cut some majors too but I think that is happening at many, many small schools.

The town definitely felt a lot better, less isolated than places like Kenyon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

The falling enrollment between 2018 and 2019 could possibly be attributed to their "Should white boys still be allowed to talk?" guest piece in the school newspaper in February 2019. I know I would never pay for my kids to go there, specifically because of that.

Literally every school has fringe students.

Sure, but that piece came out in the student newspaper (and received national attention) right about the same time prospective students were receiving acceptances for fall 2019. How many "white boys" want to go to a school where the student newspaper is giving the impression you shouldn't even be allowed to talk? And the administration is supportive of that?
If you were the parent of a "white boy" would you be willing to spend hundreds of thousands to send him to a school like that?

Thank you for sharing.

It may seem petty to some, but Dickinson College has only one dining hall according to a prior poster from a couple of months ago. This can be a bit stifling in a small college community. I attended an LAC of similar size and the second dining hall created a totally different social atmosphere that helped make the LAC seem a bit different than boarding school. Yes, I realize that this seems to be a trivial point, but having a second dining option really makes a difference.

[Anonymous]

Dickinson had some problems with their yield when they accepted EA applications. It is hard for small school to build their class when they don't really know who is coming (one of the reasons that many of the SLACs reply on ED). They were very upfront about that when we looked at the school a few years ago. When their yield wasn't what they hoped for, they opted to close those dorms for renovations. Covid didn't help. They are at the end of a 3 year pilot program of test-blind admissions. I know a couple of students there now and a few more going next year - all smart, interesting kids (some with good merit aid offers). The alumni network is strong and Carlisle is a cute town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

The falling enrollment between 2018 and 2019 could possibly be attributed to their "Should white boys still be allowed to talk?" guest piece in the school newspaper in February 2019. I know I would never pay for my kids to go there, specifically because of that.

Literally every school has fringe students.

Sure, but that piece came out in the student newspaper (and received national attention) right about the same time prospective students were receiving acceptances for fall 2019. How many "white boys" want to go to a school where the student newspaper is giving the impression you shouldn't even be allowed to talk? And the administration is supportive of that?
If you were the parent of a "white boy" would you be willing to spend hundreds of thousands to send him to a school like that?

Thank you for sharing.

It may seem petty to some, but Dickinson College has only one dining hall according to a prior poster from a couple of months ago. This can be a bit stifling in a small college community. I attended an LAC of similar size and the second dining hall created a totally different social atmosphere that helped make the LAC seem a bit different than boarding school. Yes, I realize that this seems to be a trivial point, but having a second dining option really makes a difference.

Yes! When we visited, the tour guide commented that in the dining hall people tend to sit with their activity groups which took up different sections of the room. She did not intend this as a negative but it sounded too much like high school to me.

[Anonymous]

They have a $40,000 scholarship for Maryland students. If anyone reads this thread and has a kid interesting in the school, check it out! I tried to get my higher schooler interested and they said no. They didn't even glance at Dickinson, so their "no" had nothing to do with the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid Dickinson had falling enrollment:

2018: 2399
2019: 2133
2020: 1932
2021: 2173
2022: 2125

(https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20084/institutional_research/189/enrollment_data)

Fall 2020 was covid shut down. Enrollment fell everywhere. I'm not sure what your point is.