Thoughts on Gettysburg?

[Anonymous]

Thoughts on Gettysburg?

DC has already been admitted to Allegheny and Wooster with decent merit aid ~40-43K

[Anonymous]

Gettysburg is the best of the three for job placement, but is has a different vibe from the other two, especially Wooster, which is quirky and intellectual (think Swarthmore for B students), whereas Gettysburg has more of a fratty, bro culture. Allegheny is an interesting wildcard. Its academics are underrated, and the "interesting combinations" approach is unique -- every student is required to pick up a minor or second major in something unrelated to their primary field of study. But bleak doesn't even begin to describe the location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thoughts on Gettysburg?

DC has already been admitted to Allegheny and Wooster with decent merit aid ~40-43K

Gettysburg has some great programs, political science and history are particularly strong. But the town itself is small and tourist driven. The tour guide mentioned weekly bus trips to a Walmart around 20 minutes away.

[Anonymous]

My senior DD liked it and went to a summer Civil War history camp there two years ago. We loved our tour guide. I think it is in her top 3 choices currently. EA decisions are coming out 2/1.

Campus is nice and compact and right next to the cute downtown so shops/restaurants/ice cream places are easy to walk to. For the camp she stayed in a freshman dorm which was one of the oldest buildings and not so nice inside. But the dorms get better as you move up the ranks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thoughts on Gettysburg?

DC has already been admitted to Allegheny and Wooster with decent merit aid ~40-43K

Gettysburg has some great programs, political science and history are particularly strong. But the town itself is small and tourist driven. The tour guide mentioned weekly bus trips to a Walmart around 20 minutes away.

There is a bus that runs several times a day from campus to various locations around town, including Walmart. But lots of students, even first years, have cars. There are grocery and other stores within walking distance. Plus in 2024, anything you want can be ordered from Amazon Prime, so access to Walmart is not that important.

The alumni network is fantastic, and as PP noted, the first year dorms could be better. It is a good school for solid students who couldn't get into more highly ranked programs, Division 3 athletes, and those that want a smaller school and more personal attention from profs. Historically there has been a strong Greek culture, but that is changing as the college has intentionally tried to pull in a more diverse set of students.

[Anonymous]

I had a coworker who went there and she was fabulous so I tend to think well of the school. She was very involved with her sorority and said Greek life was a big part of it (she's about 30). My DD was looking at a lot of PA LACs but preferred no/little greek life and ruled it out based on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg is the best of the three for job placement, but is has a different vibe from the other two, especially Wooster, which is quirky and intellectual (think Swarthmore for B students), whereas Gettysburg has more of a fratty, bro culture. Allegheny is an interesting wildcard. Its academics are underrated, and the "interesting combinations" approach is unique -- every student is required to pick up a minor or second major in something unrelated to their primary field of study. But bleak doesn't even begin to describe the location.

Not questioning what you say about the, but how do you know so much about these three, random schools?

[Anonymous]

I may be wrong but it is my understanding that Gettysburg will be much more expensive than the others given the avg aid on the CDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg is the best of the three for job placement, but is has a different vibe from the other two, especially Wooster, which is quirky and intellectual (think Swarthmore for B students), whereas Gettysburg has more of a fratty, bro culture. Allegheny is an interesting wildcard. Its academics are underrated, and the "interesting combinations" approach is unique -- every student is required to pick up a minor or second major in something unrelated to their primary field of study. But bleak doesn't even begin to describe the location.

Not questioning what you say about the, but how do you know so much about these three, random schools?

I'm a different poster but my family is near Gettysburg, I went to Allegheny, and I did summer research at Wooster. I have many friends and family associated with this group of schools, all with kids approaching college age. I associate Gettysburg with F&M and Dickinson. Allegheny, Wooster, Juniata and some others are another set. I guess they are small and random but if someone has familiarity with one of them, the others are likely to also be familiar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I may be wrong but it is my understanding that Gettysburg will be much more expensive than the others given the avg aid on the CDS.

They do a good amount of merit aid for a lot of students. Here are the levels. I'm the PP waiting for decisions next week and hoping DD is offered at least the 1832 Founders Scholarship. Without it, the cost will be hard to justify vs her other options.

https://www.gettysburg.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid-options/scholarships

[Anonymous]

Gettysburg is a really nice school, great campus!

I am sure Allegheny is a great school but I wouldn't want to spend 4 years in Meadville, PA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg is the best of the three for job placement, but is has a different vibe from the other two, especially Wooster, which is quirky and intellectual (think Swarthmore for B students), whereas Gettysburg has more of a fratty, bro culture. Allegheny is an interesting wildcard. Its academics are underrated, and the "interesting combinations" approach is unique -- every student is required to pick up a minor or second major in something unrelated to their primary field of study. But bleak doesn't even begin to describe the location.

Not questioning what you say about the, but how do you know so much about these three, random schools?

I'm a different poster but my family is near Gettysburg, I went to Allegheny, and I did summer research at Wooster. I have many friends and family associated with this group of schools, all with kids approaching college age. I associate Gettysburg with F&M and Dickinson. Allegheny, Wooster, Juniata and some others are another set. I guess they are small and random but if someone has familiarity with one of them, the others are likely to also be familiar.

My DD looked at all of these. I think of them as a set but Gettysburg, F&M, Dickinson more selective & more expensive. The others were similar in lower cost after merit aid.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from Gettysburg about 20 years ago, so I guess you should take my thoughts with a grain of salt, as I am sure a lot has changed since then!

But, for what it's worth, I feel like I got a fantastic education at Gettysburg. Probably the best thing about Gettysburg would be the professors -- I felt like I really got to know my professors, and they made an effort to connect with students as individuals. Professors consistently made themselves available and were very present on campus, and several of my professors even invited whole classes over to their homes for dinner with their families. Classes were also small, so I felt like I got to know my classmates well too.

At the time, the campus was pretty fratty and preppy; in retrospect, I might have liked a quirkier, more diverse student body. By the time I was a senior, I was kind of over the campus social scene. But, I have heard that this fratty vibe might be changing a bit -- I don't know any students there now, so I can't speak to that.

The campus itself is very pretty, and the town is touristy, as a previous poster noted -- but then again, the touristy angle means that there are cute restaurants and shops (and the battlefields are right there! I have fond memories of going for long runs on the battlefields).

So, I'd say Gettysburg is a small, cozy school where professors truly make an effort to engage with and get to know their students. As a small school in a small town, it might not be the right fit for every kid. But, students can get a fantastic education there!

[Anonymous]

Gettysburg just ditched the Gettysburg Review, their undergrad lit magazine that was quite prestigious. We were considering it for a Creative Writing kid, but that made me pause.

There still is an Allegheny Review, and I think it's got a decent rep.

Right now we're actually torn between Wooster and Allegheny so I'd love to hear more insights about those too, if you don't mind me piggybacking into this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg just ditched the Gettysburg Review, their undergrad lit magazine that was quite prestigious. We were considering it for a Creative Writing kid, but that made me pause.

There still is an Allegheny Review, and I think it's got a decent rep.

Right now we're actually torn between Wooster and Allegheny so I'd love to hear more insights about those too, if you don't mind me piggybacking into this thread.

My DD didn't apply to Allegheny but she was accepted to Wooster. Did your DD (you have a DD, correct) get the invite to meet the Wooster president in DC? It's an alumni event. Might that be a good event for her to attend so she can network with alum and talk to them about their experiences?