Hidden Gems

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dickinson

My cousin’s child may wind up there in the end-she went overseas and things are unfortunately not going well.

We oddly wound up nearby on our way to a family wedding in Scranton this past weekend. The area surrounding Dickinson is Trumpy AF. We were in a Ford F150 and I really wanted to fly a ginormous Harris flag from the back of it just to confuse people.

Not sure if the campus and actual town is that bad, but the road going straight north into town was definitely red, red, red.

That's just most of PA, but Carlisle is not like that at all. With the college and the law school, there's a large student/professor presence, and it feels like a true college town. It's really quite quaint.

Have relations between the town and the college improved substantially? When I was there in the 90s there was a big town and gown problem. Some locals even literally sped up their cars if they saw students crossing the street.

My kid is there and now and there doesn't seem to be any tension with the town. In fact they walk downtown all the time to go to the restaurants and shops. The surrounding area may be Trumpy, but the school itself is not. I would say it leans progressive, but not too woke at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a creative for a kid? Then you MUST take a serious look at Belmont University. The musical talent concentrated in one small school is bananas, particularly the commercial musical talent.

You'll also find the kids who design the merch and design the sets for shows.

Yes, I think this fits the definition of a "hidden gem." Very cool place!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter really liked Meredith, a women's college in NC. The campus is adorable, and it is right down the road from NC State, so there is plenty of interaction.

I honestly think ODU did the best open house of the ones we attended. I know people poo poo Norfolk, but I was pretty happy with the campus and vibe there.

I will add Shenandoah to the list. Not too far from DC, small school, good programs.

Can't forget Randolph College. Such an adorable little campus and we loved the Take2 model. It is in a consortium with ULynchburg and Sweet Briar, so there are options if you want to take classes that aren't offered at Randolph.

Same. We visited an open house event at ODU in the fall of 2022 and were very impressed.

Okaaaaay, adding ODU to my B student's list! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trinity University. Super well resourced school with merit to give. For kids who are open to going South, tempted by Alabama money, but want a SLAC .. here's your school. Intellectually rigorous, no athletic scholarships at all. Great new buildings, fantastic dorms. Engineering, accounting, Chinese (one of the best in the country) .. they deliver the goods. And San Antonio is a gem.

Couldn't talk my dd into looking and I don't blame here, but it's a great option

ON paper, maybe. The reality is that the student body is really, really native Texan and a shockingly high number of students go home on the weekends. To their homes in Houston and Dallas particularly.

I don't understand it, but that is the culture currently.

Strange.

We happened across it on our way to try to go to the zoo (we aborted mission because it cost an arm and a leg) with my MIL who lives north of SA.

Are they driving home? Those aren’t close. And TX isn’t known for public transport options

I am told that they fly, and tickets are cheap enough on SWA if you plan ahead. El Paso was another city where kids go home on the weekend.

Again, I don't know why. But with a relatively small student body, I am to understand it feels very desolate on campus Fri nite - Sunday nite.

Fascinating use of the passive voice.

You are told this by whom, exactly? It doesn’t feel credible. Heading home to Dallas on weekends would be the equivalent of going from the DMV to Raleigh, NC or Brooklyn every weekend.

San Antonio to El Paso would be like DMV to Detroit or Cape Cod.

You have no reason to believe me of course but my source is my best friend and her kid attends currently. Importantly, kid is not a Texan and so does not fly from SA to Houston etc most weekends like so many of their dormmates.

WRT to money and flying, are you serious? Mom and Dad buying budget airline plane tix is NBD for a lot of families, such as my own. (Although my kid at a different school tends to fly Spirit Air or SWA or Delta to the Northeast. RT can be had for $102)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter really liked Meredith, a women's college in NC. The campus is adorable, and it is right down the road from NC State, so there is plenty of interaction.

I honestly think ODU did the best open house of the ones we attended. I know people poo poo Norfolk, but I was pretty happy with the campus and vibe there.

I will add Shenandoah to the list. Not too far from DC, small school, good programs.

Can't forget Randolph College. Such an adorable little campus and we loved the Take2 model. It is in a consortium with ULynchburg and Sweet Briar, so there are options if you want to take classes that aren't offered at Randolph.

Same. We visited an open house event at ODU in the fall of 2022 and were very impressed.

Okaaaaay, adding ODU to my B student's list! Thanks!

Good! There is a lot to like there. My daughter attended their dance intensive 2 years in a row (my parents have a condo on the Bay, so it was pretty easy to do) but we went down for their open house last year because she never had a full campus tour.

The event was fun and full of activities. Definitely worth taking a look.

It isn't where my child landed, but it was certainly in consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denison, Grinnell and Vassar

Odd response. These are not hidden gems at all. They're well-known schools with competitive admissions.

Well, I know a kid that was rejected by TU, F&M and St Olaf, TU was dream univ for him. However he was selected by Vassar, and Grinnell.. he had a real tough time on which one to accept.. finally went with Grinnell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denison, Grinnell and Vassar

Odd response. These are not hidden gems at all. They're well-known schools with competitive admissions.

Well, I know a kid that was rejected by TU, F&M and St Olaf, TU was dream univ for him. However he was selected by Vassar, and Grinnell.. he had a real tough time on which one to accept.. finally went with Grinnell

TU as in Trinity U in San Antonio?

That is so odd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trinity University. Super well resourced school with merit to give. For kids who are open to going South, tempted by Alabama money, but want a SLAC .. here's your school. Intellectually rigorous, no athletic scholarships at all. Great new buildings, fantastic dorms. Engineering, accounting, Chinese (one of the best in the country) .. they deliver the goods. And San Antonio is a gem.

Couldn't talk my dd into looking and I don't blame here, but it's a great option

ON paper, maybe. The reality is that the student body is really, really native Texan and a shockingly high number of students go home on the weekends. To their homes in Houston and Dallas particularly.

I don't understand it, but that is the culture currently.

Strange.

We happened across it on our way to try to go to the zoo (we aborted mission because it cost an arm and a leg) with my MIL who lives north of SA.

Are they driving home? Those aren’t close. And TX isn’t known for public transport options

I am told that they fly, and tickets are cheap enough on SWA if you plan ahead. El Paso was another city where kids go home on the weekend.

Again, I don't know why. But with a relatively small student body, I am to understand it feels very desolate on campus Fri nite - Sunday nite.

Fascinating use of the passive voice.

You are told this by whom, exactly? It doesn’t feel credible. Heading home to Dallas on weekends would be the equivalent of going from the DMV to Raleigh, NC or Brooklyn every weekend.

San Antonio to El Paso would be like DMV to Detroit or Cape Cod.

You have no reason to believe me of course but my source is my best friend and her kid attends currently. Importantly, kid is not a Texan and so does not fly from SA to Houston etc most weekends like so many of their dormmates.

WRT to money and flying, are you serious? Mom and Dad buying budget airline plane tix is NBD for a lot of families, such as my own. (Although my kid at a different school tends to fly Spirit Air or SWA or Delta to the Northeast. RT can be had for $102)

Does your kid fly Spirit or SWA or Delta *most* weekends?

No one is saying that some kids don’t fly home occasionally. But every weekend? And so many kids are doing this that the place feels abandoned and desolate on weekends? Strains credulity.

[Anonymous]

St. Mary's College of Maryland, lovely little school. Gorgeous location on the water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St. Mary's College of Maryland, lovely little school. Gorgeous location on the water.

This is a good one too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denison, Grinnell and Vassar

Odd response. These are not hidden gems at all. They're well-known schools with competitive admissions.

Well, I know a kid that was rejected by TU, F&M and St Olaf, TU was dream univ for him. However he was selected by Vassar, and Grinnell.. he had a real tough time on which one to accept.. finally went with Grinnell

Even if true, that still doesn’t make Vassar or Grinnell “hidden gems.”

[Anonymous]

Wofford

[Anonymous]

Ball State University. Indiana. Go Hoosiers, or whatever.

[Anonymous]

I worked in the midwest for a while.
The grads I met from Wabash,
DePauw and Kalamazoo were always impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gonzaga for engineering. Small class sizes, caring profs, ABET accredited. Small city. Pretty state. School spirit (D1 basketball). Merit $ is typical.

I'd say most Jesuit colleges are hidden gems and I'm surprised they aren't more popular (outside of the couple super popular ones). Hits the sweet spot for a lot of kids with mid-size + city locations. My friend's DD is very happy at University of Scranton.

+1

My kid decided between Gonzaga and Marquette (and we are not catholic or religious). Picked MU because they did not like spokane. Milwaukee is a much "nicer/better" city from most standpoints. But both are excellent schools with a medium size (6-8K undergrads) with a focus on caring for the students and providing a great education with excellent merit.