LACs with the WORST locations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, Middlebury, Hamilton and Colgate

Mostly correct but with following comments:

Bowdoin is in Brunswick, Maine - which is: 1) a nice town with good restaurants and very close to campus. 2) within a few miles of the beautiful Maine coast, and 3) 20 minutes to Portland, a fun small city with a great food scene, a very attractive waterfront and downtown area, and 3) on a per-capita basis, one of the best food cities in the US

Appears they like to eat in Maine.

Bowdoin has a lovely campus but DC was not enthusiastic about Brunswick. Despite having better eating options than some other schools visited, just did not like that bleak Maine feel. Said it would be too depressing in the winter. Whereas she didn't mind the Berkshires slacs, because she likes the mountains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easily St. Lawrence. It's in the absolute middle of nowhere with no transportation options. There's no local retail and a run down local economy. It's freezing and windy--as cold as Montreal and colder than Juneau--but not in with pretty mountains.

To each her own. St. Lawrence offers one of the most collegial, friendly, and welcoming university environments. Students there love to ski, hike, kayak, and generally, spend their time outdoors.Yes, it’s a long winter. But it’s full of fun events and activities. If your dream school is Miami, you won’t like St. Lawrence but for those who love winter sports, it’s ideal.

A school can have lots of fun events, but still be in a terrible location. Nothing you said refutes its bad location. Kayaking and hiking are possible for about 6 weeks in the fall before the weather turns. Skiing is still a good drive.

There is nothing wrong with SLU's location, but again as a PP said, if you're looking to go to college in a warm climate, or a city, do not apply.

The remoteness of Canton is part of it's draw, it's a very different atmosphere from where most of it's students come from, and guess what, being exposed to new areas, and different cultures, is part of the LAC experience in my view. Saying it's a "terrible" location is just your opinion. I'd put Trinity in Hartford or Conn College as terrible because they are not very safe. Canton is safe, just remote.

I went to SLU from the NYC burbs and there was nothing more peaceful than the drive up through the Adirondacks to school.

[Anonymous]

You are going to school to study. You are not going on a vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Williams, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, Middlebury, Hamilton and Colgate

Worst is definitely in the eye of the beholder. i desperately wanted to go to Middlebury because I loved Vermont and wanted to ski all winter. Didn't get in, which in the end wasn't a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Williams and Bates - speaking from experience lol - god awful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Williams and Bates - speaking from experience lol - god awful

Williams is lovely but of course very remote. Was that your issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are going to school to study. You are not going on a vacation.

Partially correct.

College is a growth experience both academically & socially. Most also want a job upon graduation. Small isolated schools do not attract recruiters--who need to use time & resources in an efficient manner. Social options & opportunities are more limited than for those who attend larger schools and/or schools in non-isolated locations.

A super elite LAC such as Williams College is less of a concern regarding employment opportunities, but Williams College is almost in a class by itself among LACs.

Also, too many options for US students to settle for a small, rural school in an undesirable location. To the PP, if you really believe that students only attend college to study, I suspect that you lack familiarity with US colleges & universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Holy Cross, WPI, Clark, Assumption, all great Woo schools worthy of a closer look. “

Assumption is in a nice part of Worcester even if the campus is rather dated. WPI is in an ok area. Clark and Holy Cross in very run down areas, though HC has a fence that insulates it from the surrounding neighborhood but Clark does not.

Worcester has always had many great restaurants and still does, not to mention great diners. Easy train ride into Boston, but there are cultural events in Worcester too: Worcester Art museum is probably in the top 5 in all of New England, Mechanics Hall has great acoustics and concerts, triple A Red Sox baseball, and great local internship and service opportunities. But here’s the best thing, especially if you are used to Metro DC and it’s generally exurban outskirts: though Worcester is the second largest city in New England, you can be in the country with beautiful New England towns and rolling hills in a literally 15-minute drive. I really don’t understand why it’s not considered a decent place to go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams and Bates - speaking from experience lol - god awful

Williams is lovely but of course very remote. Was that your issue?

isolating and claustrophobic- feels like staying at the overlook hotel from November to March. Lot of drinking during this period, especially the athletes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams and Bates - speaking from experience lol - god awful

Williams is lovely but of course very remote. Was that your issue?

isolating and claustrophobic- feels like staying at the overlook hotel from November to March. Lot of drinking during this period, especially the athletes

Sorry you or your kid got turned away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams and Bates - speaking from experience lol - god awful

Williams is lovely but of course very remote. Was that your issue?

isolating and claustrophobic- feels like staying at the overlook hotel from November to March. Lot of drinking during this period, especially the athletes

DP

Actually this is a common problem at small, rural, isolated LACs--not limited to any one school.

[Anonymous]

Allegheny.

Seems like a good school, but the town is beyond sketchy.

Conn College’s town is not great either, but nearby Mystic is nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, Middlebury, Hamilton and Colgate

Worst is definitely in the eye of the beholder. i desperately wanted to go to Middlebury because I loved Vermont and wanted to ski all winter. Didn't get in, which in the end wasn't a bad thing.

m

We loved Bowdoin’s cute town. And the school has field stations and it’s own island!

[Anonymous]

Why do people keep mentioning places kids have to drive to from campus? How many college kids have cars these days? I didn't and neither did most of my friends. yeah my college was within half an hour of mountains and a beach but that didn't matter since we didn't have cars!

Anyway, having not great surroundings can be a plus - it can lead to livelier campus life.

[Anonymous]

"In the middle of nowhere" is one thing (Colby, Hamilton, Kenyon, Williams). Adjacent or in an urban war zone or depressed blue collar area is another (Trinity, Rhodes, Bates, Conn College, Vassar).