Sweet Briar College - closing!

[Anonymous]

I've never even heard of it, and I'm one of those people who brought a horse to college (albeit to the University of CT). Clearly their marketing wasn't stellar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never even heard of it, and I'm one of those people who brought a horse to college (albeit to the University of CT). Clearly their marketing wasn't stellar.

Their former riding coach was the coach for the US Olympic Team. Dedicated riders knew Sweet Briar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not that it was ever an economic powerhouse, but how come all the well-to-do ladies who attended it over the years haven't produced much of an endowment? I always thought it was a preppy country club kind of a school.

The endowment was about $100 million. There are many private schools that exist on less. I don't think many of the alumnae knew of the financial pressures. Plus, they made the fatal mistake of building/renovating when they didn't need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never even heard of it, and I'm one of those people who brought a horse to college (albeit to the University of CT). Clearly their marketing wasn't stellar.

So not the same thing. Uconn has a horse...school. I used to park by the horse barn when I was in grad school there. This cold reminds me of that effing walk.

[Anonymous]

Really sad.

[Anonymous]

I see a few problems:

82% acceptance rate
school mascot = vixon

a little shocked they couldn't make it work for more than 114 years.
Everybody's white.

[Anonymous]

Very sad.

[Anonymous]

It actually has one of the best acceptance rates to Vet school. Not surprising because of the horse culture but that is nothing to scoff at. It still has a good endowment. But the reality is that in general small liberal arts colleges are having a tough time. I think this will continue to happen and it won't just be single sex schools. Obviously that didn't help Sweetbriar since it was so small and so remote and then on top of that, it only accepts women. On the other hand, there are tons of very small liberal arts college who should pay attention because this is probably coming there way.

One point to consider. The school had enrolled Freshman for next year. So they had been going along, business as usual. I know a freshman there who was given nearly $20K a year in scholarships to attend. It sounds like the school was on cruise control and just doing the same thing as always to get people in and have warm bodies at all costs (lower academic scores, more scholarships) and finally someone decided to face the music. So students are being transferred out and new students will have some time to look elsewhere. In other words, the process will be as smooth as it can be under the circumstances. Some of the SLACS out there who are shoveling money into kids hands to get those kids to come should probably think about doing what Sweet Briar has done.

I do think it is sad. It was a unique place and beautiful. I hope that the campus is transformed into something. Maybe it will be the Radcliffe of Virginia and have lots of education opportunities for women but not be a college. That's right--Radcliffe stopped being 4 year school quite a while ago.

[Anonymous]

What happens to its endowment when a college like this closes? What about the campus? They sell it? Who receives proceeds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It actually has one of the best acceptance rates to Vet school. Not surprising because of the horse culture but that is nothing to scoff at. It still has a good endowment. But the reality is that in general small liberal arts colleges are having a tough time. I think this will continue to happen and it won't just be single sex schools. Obviously that didn't help Sweetbriar since it was so small and so remote and then on top of that, it only accepts women. On the other hand, there are tons of very small liberal arts college who should pay attention because this is probably coming there way.

One point to consider. The school had enrolled Freshman for next year. So they had been going along, business as usual. I know a freshman there who was given nearly $20K a year in scholarships to attend. It sounds like the school was on cruise control and just doing the same thing as always to get people in and have warm bodies at all costs (lower academic scores, more scholarships) and finally someone decided to face the music. So students are being transferred out and new students will have some time to look elsewhere. In other words, the process will be as smooth as it can be under the circumstances. Some of the SLACS out there who are shoveling money into kids hands to get those kids to come should probably think about doing what Sweet Briar has done.

I do think it is sad. It was a unique place and beautiful. I hope that the campus is transformed into something. Maybe it will be the Radcliffe of Virginia and have lots of education opportunities for women but not be a college. That's right--Radcliffe stopped being 4 year school quite a while ago.

What exactly is Radcliffe then? Do they just offer classes but no degree? I thought a diploma from Radcliffe had both Harvard and Radcliffe on the diploma.

[Anonymous]

This is sad. The school really didn't adjust to changing times...Makes me wonder about other schools though.

[Anonymous]

Sweet Briar was sending my DD emails begging her to apply until just a week or two ago. While she wasn't at all interested, it's sad it's closing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never even heard of it, and I'm one of those people who brought a horse to college (albeit to the University of CT). Clearly their marketing wasn't stellar.

Their former riding coach was the coach for the US Olympic Team. Dedicated riders knew Sweet Briar.

Always nice to see how someone here can take an innocuous post and be bitchy. Perhaps I wasn't a hunter/jumper rider? (I wasn't). Perhaps I'm significantly older?

Aaaah, that's it. A quick google brings up Mimi Wroten, who you're presumably referring to, is more than 10 yrs younger than I am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never even heard of it, and I'm one of those people who brought a horse to college (albeit to the University of CT). Clearly their marketing wasn't stellar.

So not the same thing. Uconn has a horse...school. I used to park by the horse barn when I was in grad school there. This cold reminds me of that effing walk.

No, UConn was not the same thing. My only point was that I was into horses, since I brought mine to school. But yeah, it was cold there. And remote. There's freaking NOTHING in Storrs. At least not back in the day. Ride, study, drink. Repeat.

[Anonymous]

Really like the colors. Though I wonder if you can take a school whose colors are pink and green seriously.