College of Wooster

[Anonymous]

Why isn't this school more popular/attended by DC area students?

It was a safety school for my DD. She got in and received great merit. It is probably her least expensive choice at this point. The academics are very rigorous and all rankings regarding undergraduate teaching/undergraduate research is high.

Why don't more DC area kids attend this school? My DD was the only one who applied from her high school this year - it's not like the area high schools are having lots of kids even submitting applications yet they submit more applications to other remote schools/remote liberal arts schools in Ohio.

[Anonymous]

We really liked it and dd might attend. It is far and the curriculum is somewhat similar to other, closer schools: smcm, Washington college, Allegheny, Gettysburg, Dickinson. We all actually liked Allegheny a little more, but they offered a lot less merit, and I think Wooster has deeper pockets.

I have a friend who attended Wooster and loved it about 15 years ago.

[Anonymous]

We visited and it was in the mix for applying to before the visit.
Part of the problem for us was we visited after Kenyon which although more remote had a more polished feel in both the facilities and the student body. So it felt like a step down for my DS. My DS sat in on a class at Kenyon and at Wooster and the students at Wooster were materially less engaged. For my son, this really impacted his decision.
I liked Wooster and really enjoyed all the students I met but my son could not get past the class.

[Anonymous]

Wooster seems like an underrated gem that punches above its weight in academic experience. Whatever lack of popularity is probably due to location and lack of perceived "prestige." I tried to get my kid to apply, but it was the location that made it a deal breaker for DC.

[Anonymous]

location is tough. My DS applied on a whim as a safety and got in with huge merit. Is at UVA now but was happy to have the option.

[Anonymous]

I grew up not too far from there and the location is probably what turns a lot off. It's a tough place to be, for a college kid esp., for 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Because the school is in the middle of Trump country. The townies are something else.

[Anonymous]

I’m a bit biased bc my dd transferred out. She had some professors who were fantastic and some who were so-so. She started during Covid which definitely impacted the experience. But it seems that the school changed during Covid and not for the better.

I would peruse the Wooster voice to get an idea of what is going on. Several administrators have left and it seems that they are cutting some things.

My dd was super excited to go there but they it didn’t work out.

[Anonymous]

I live in Michigan. My senior son's friend attended but left after freshman year because the social scene was too alcohol/drugs related. Same reason I left Penn State main campus. This can be true of many colleges but it's very regrettable that so many people don't have the confidence to socialize without excess drinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a bit biased bc my dd transferred out. She had some professors who were fantastic and some who were so-so. She started during Covid which definitely impacted the experience. But it seems that the school changed during Covid and not for the better.

I would peruse the Wooster voice to get an idea of what is going on. Several administrators have left and it seems that they are cutting some things.

My dd was super excited to go there but they it didn’t work out.

I'm curious what you think changed during covid?

[Anonymous]

Wooster still requires the covid vaccine.

[Anonymous]

I think it is, especially as a safety school and especially since the merit is generous. I know two kids attending from DD’s year. And DS applied as a safety, was admitted with merit, but went to a different Midwestern SLAC.

The issue is that it is a Midwestern SLAC. By definition, it’s a niche school (considered by people interested in Midwestern SLAcs) and it only admits/ has a class size that a small fraction of the number of kids at any given state flagship. You will know few kids who attend Wooster than who attend VCU or UMD or Purdue— because many few kids attend. There are many SLACs of similar size and similar or better ranking that I never hear of kids attending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wooster still requires the covid vaccine.

Actually as we learned from the local ER (our college visit was fraught, through no fault of the college--and due to nothing that happened on campus), your child may also qualify for a free rabies vaccine!

If they are exposed to a bat in their freshman dorm, which is apparently a thing they happens.

The local ER is also very responsive but it's my impression that the town/gown relationship isn't great. Everyone seems to have the impression that Wooster is full of rich kids, never mind that with merit, going there costs close to the same as a state school. Wooster, Ohio also seems like a prosperous town, relatively speaking, and Im not sure the locals think they 'need' the school.

I will note that when on campus, it doesn't feel like the middle of nowhere: it's in an attractive suburban neighborhood close to downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wooster still requires the covid vaccine.

Actually as we learned from the local ER (our college visit was fraught, through no fault of the college--and due to nothing that happened on campus), your child may also qualify for a free rabies vaccine!

If they are exposed to a bat in their freshman dorm, which is apparently a thing they happens.

The local ER is also very responsive but it's my impression that the town/gown relationship isn't great. Everyone seems to have the impression that Wooster is full of rich kids, never mind that with merit, going there costs close to the same as a state school. Wooster, Ohio also seems like a prosperous town, relatively speaking, and Im not sure the locals think they 'need' the school.

I will note that when on campus, it doesn't feel like the middle of nowhere: it's in an attractive suburban neighborhood close to downtown.

Was you child bitten by a bat? How did that conversation come up in the ER?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wooster still requires the covid vaccine.

Actually as we learned from the local ER (our college visit was fraught, through no fault of the college--and due to nothing that happened on campus), your child may also qualify for a free rabies vaccine!

If they are exposed to a bat in their freshman dorm, which is apparently a thing they happens.

The local ER is also very responsive but it's my impression that the town/gown relationship isn't great. Everyone seems to have the impression that Wooster is full of rich kids, never mind that with merit, going there costs close to the same as a state school. Wooster, Ohio also seems like a prosperous town, relatively speaking, and Im not sure the locals think they 'need' the school.

I will note that when on campus, it doesn't feel like the middle of nowhere: it's in an attractive suburban neighborhood close to downtown.

Was you child bitten by a bat? How did that conversation come up in the ER?

No, asthma flare up. The nurse brought it up when we said why we were there.