If a nice student is shut out - the NACAC list

[Anonymous]

There are some nice schools on that list! Thanks ... this is a cool resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn State, University Park(main campus) will not be an option. And, as a poster mentioned, all branch campuses are 2 years minimum. Some campuses provide 4 year degrees depending on the major.

- PA resident

2 year branch campuses can be really great experience. Much more of a stepping stone. They seem to attract good faculty and small class sizes and the students bond much more. My sister did this and the connections she made with professors far exceeded mine (same degree but at the main college) and her subsequent recommendation letters got her into Ivy law school. Im not sure why more people don’t see these as an asset.

+1. People get caught up in prestige. But statistically, a very good student at a school with lots of mediocre ones does better than if he'd gone somewhere he was average or below, and part of it is because the faculty are going to notice him. And those faculty are quite possibly going to be more drawn towards teaching than research, since the latter is usually what gets you the attention from schools with higher rankings.

If you don’t live in PA (heck, even if you do), there are so many better options than a PSU satellite campus. Most of them don’t even have dorms, have under 1500 students, are in freezing, run-down rural towns and I could go on. I can’t imagine paying OOS for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NMSU great option for the science kids

Lots of good schools on this list.

+1 Surprised by Penn State, Colorado, UNC Asheville, Lawrence, Marquette, Sewanee/University of the South, Ithaca, and St. Mary’s in CA.

Penn state is likely not the main campus

Marquette is not shocking. Their biggest Freshman class was fall 2018. They have been planning for smaller class sizes since then and covid sped the process along. Much of their staff/faculty cuts have been in anticipation of this. It's a great school, but the area is not for everyone and it's expensive especially if you are first gen/lower income but don't get full need met.

[Anonymous]

For any of the publics & some privates on that list, you might have to find your own housing if you were to enroll at this point, including for freshmen. Definitely investigate that. Don’t expect any merit or FA.


However, something on this list could be a great option for someone.

[Anonymous]

The trend is toward urban schools (both public & private), schools located in popular vacation destinations and big rah-rah flagships.

[Anonymous]

I think the Penn State satellite campuses work well for a couple of kinds of kids:

1.) Loves Penn State so much that they are content to work hard at Penn State-East Bumblef** for two years, knowing they will get to main campus eventually.

2.) Isn't sure they are ready for college, but wants to try something more rigorous than community college. I live near one of the satellite campuses, and I know a few kids in this situation. Some of the satellite campuses do offer 4-year degrees, and I know a couple of kids who had the grades for main campus but preferred this route.

[Anonymous]

St Joe's PA, Hofstra NY, Earlham IN, Campbell NC, Radford, Northern AZ, Shenandoah - many great options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Surprised at the number of Pennsylvania colleges on the list plus Mary Washington, SUNY Oswego, Pace, Hofstra, Towson, Salisbury, University of Dayton.

I think it was Mary Baldwin not Mary Washington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Example: the University of Arizona is still taking applications and offering financial aid.

So are Alfred University, Hofstra and Pace in New York; Whittier in California; and South Dakota State, which is only about $25,000 all in for out-of-state students:

https://www.nacacnet.org/college-openings-update/

You might want to investigate Whittier a little further before going that route.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-30/whittier-college-hit-with-low-enrollment-financial-woes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Example: the University of Arizona is still taking applications and offering financial aid.

So are Alfred University, Hofstra and Pace in New York; Whittier in California; and South Dakota State, which is only about $25,000 all in for out-of-state students:

https://www.nacacnet.org/college-openings-update/

You might want to investigate Whittier a little further before going that route.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-30/whittier-college-hit-with-low-enrollment-financial-woes

That’s going to be the case for most of the privates on that list. Make of that what you will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St Joe's PA, Hofstra NY, Earlham IN, Campbell NC, Radford, Northern AZ, Shenandoah - many great options

St. Joes bought U of the Sciences last year, which is in West Philly located near Penn & Drexel. I live there and often see SJU shuttle buses that say something like “Hawks in University City” that are presumably going back & forth from there to their main campus outside the city. Not sure if they have undergrads at both campuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Example: the University of Arizona is still taking applications and offering financial aid.

So are Alfred University, Hofstra and Pace in New York; Whittier in California; and South Dakota State, which is only about $25,000 all in for out-of-state students:

https://www.nacacnet.org/college-openings-update/

You might want to investigate Whittier a little further before going that route.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-30/whittier-college-hit-with-low-enrollment-financial-woes

That’s going to be the case for most of the privates on that list. Make of that what you will.

It seems like privates are either the elite (how most people would use that term, not DCUM debating if Cornell is elite) or in real trouble. Without state support and without the ability to really scale like research universities, you're left with a very high overhead which requires high tuition, but people are becoming more skeptical about paying Harvard prices for Bennington. There are a few like Dickenson who seem to be doing well attracting kids who want, but can't afford, slacs with tons of merit, but I don't think that's sustainable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Joe's PA, Hofstra NY, Earlham IN, Campbell NC, Radford, Northern AZ, Shenandoah - many great options

St. Joes bought U of the Sciences last year, which is in West Philly located near Penn & Drexel. I live there and often see SJU shuttle buses that say something like “Hawks in University City” that are presumably going back & forth from there to their main campus outside the city. Not sure if they have undergrads at both campuses.

was that school of pharmacy and science back in the day? One of my best friends went there. Her husband is a Drexel grad