Less popular Hidden Gems

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:St. Mary's College of Maryland

Great campus, right on the water. It's gorgeous. Plus, it's an honors college and attracts studious types. If your kid is into sailing or rowing, it must be on their list. Cheap in-state tuition, plus a high acceptance rate (70s).

The only downside is that it's remote. It's near nothing. Like, not even a pharmacy or grocery store. The nearest pharmacy is 7-8 miles away. There is no town around the school, nor restaurants or even a bar.

I think the location is what dissuades so many from applying.

What puzzles me about this “honors college” is the student profile does not reflect a really strong cohort. It seems like more of a CTCL school than a William & Mary, for example.

+1. What are internships like? What about research opportunities? What about their financials?

I really want to like this school and will definitely have DD visit but the student profile also puzzles me.

Some of the CTCL schools are stronger. SMCM is losing students.

Can you tell us more about what’s going on at SMCM? We visited and wanted to love it, but the info session and the tour guide were very unimpressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Clark University in Worcester, MA? I have heard good things about it but don't know anybody who has attended.

Clark is a great school but Worcester is a hard place to be a college student. The immediate surrounding area is pretty depressed and even if you venture further out, there’s not much there. The school does a good job of creating a full experience on campus, so a student who is fine to basically never leave the property will do fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Midwest in general is chock full of some very impressive schools with solid academics. Many research powerhouses as well. For example, many people here may be surprised to learn that UIUC, Illinois's state flagship, has better name recognition around the globe than UVA, especially in engineering where it commands a lot of respect. Even the crown jewels of the Midwest university landscape, UChicago and Northwestern, get relatively less attention than their peers on the coasts and can be excellent options for students building out their lists.

I wouldn’t recommend UIUC for OOS unless CS, engineering, or business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Clark University in Worcester, MA? I have heard good things about it but don't know anybody who has attended.

Clark is a great school but Worcester is a hard place to be a college student. The immediate surrounding area is pretty depressed and even if you venture further out, there’s not much there. The school does a good job of creating a full experience on campus, so a student who is fine to basically never leave the property will do fine.

My DC went to Clark and really liked Worcester. Lots of great ethnic restaurants. There are 5 colleges in Worcester, so lots of young people around. Easy to get to Boston, NYC, Rhode Island beaches, skiing in VT and NH.

Academically, DC had a great experience.

[Anonymous]

College of the Atlantic. Very niche but wonderful for the right, science/nature/conservation-loving kid. Basically in the middle of Acadia NP.

[Anonymous]

Lynchburg College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a big fan of Santa Clara University. The campus is beautiful. It has good academics and a strong community atmosphere. There are good scholarships for students, the school has a ton of money. Also, it has a strong alumni network and great job placement because of its location.

Every person I know who has attended Santa Clara has absolutely loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough of bunch of random no mame schools

um...isn't that the point about a thread titled Less Popular Hidden Gems?

Posts like this make me lol. If this poster had their way, we would only be able to discuss about 10 of the same schools over and over again and all threads would obsess over which one is the best based on its acceptance rate and USNWR ranking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Clark University in Worcester, MA? I have heard good things about it but don't know anybody who has attended.

Clark is a great school but Worcester is a hard place to be a college student. The immediate surrounding area is pretty depressed and even if you venture further out, there’s not much there. The school does a good job of creating a full experience on campus, so a student who is fine to basically never leave the property will do fine.

Worcester as a city is far better now than it was in the 1980s/1990s. That was depressing. I think Clark, WPI and Holy Cross in one location helps for all of the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Clark University in Worcester, MA? I have heard good things about it but don't know anybody who has attended.

Clark is a great school but Worcester is a hard place to be a college student. The immediate surrounding area is pretty depressed and even if you venture further out, there’s not much there. The school does a good job of creating a full experience on campus, so a student who is fine to basically never leave the property will do fine.

Worcester as a city is far better now than it was in the 1980s/1990s. That was depressing. I think Clark, WPI and Holy Cross in one location helps for all of the students.

+1 I agree. We were there this fall and it was a pretty typical small town. Parts were charming, parts were gritty, but nothing unexpected. I thought Worcester actually looked a lot prettier than many of the surrounding towns. It seemed like a nice little college town.

[Anonymous]

University of Dayton

[Anonymous]

Has anyone mentioned Creighton? For DCUM it would be a hidden gem. For the mid-West it is well known. In the heart of Omaha, it is a great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a big fan of Santa Clara University. The campus is beautiful. It has good academics and a strong community atmosphere. There are good scholarships for students, the school has a ton of money. Also, it has a strong alumni network and great job placement because of its location.

Every person I know who has attended Santa Clara has absolutely loved it.

Same. It seems to have started getting some attention in the DMV area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a big fan of Santa Clara University. The campus is beautiful. It has good academics and a strong community atmosphere. There are good scholarships for students, the school has a ton of money. Also, it has a strong alumni network and great job placement because of its location.

Every person I know who has attended Santa Clara has absolutely loved it.

Same. It seems to have started getting some attention in the DMV area.

In California, it's the new USC.

Good backup option if you're a full pay rich kid who didn't get into one of the most prestigious UCs or USC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denison

Tried to get DC interested but wary about Greek and sports scene. Do know the admin is trying to create a more diverse student body (ethnicity, interests, race, etc), but DC didn't want to be at the front end of that curve.

Personally I think Denison is a little overrated