What is Lawrence University like?

[Anonymous]

DC planned to apply as a safety/match had she not gotten into her first choice/reach school Carleton ED. We toured. Appleton is a nice town that packs an impressive punch for its size, IMO. It has its own airport and we found the flight to be easy peasy from DCA with a connection in Detroit. Their conservatory is definitely their "marquee" so I'm not surprised they emphasize it on their tour, but we got a good sense of the other academic subjects too which seemed strong.

Re: finances. I wonder if it gets dinged by its VERY small size? Obviously all LACs are quite small, but with ~1,500 students, being off enrollment projects by just a dozen or so students seems like it could really mess up a school's finances. Just precariousness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm late to the discussion, but I'll throw in my two cents. We didn't visit, but I wish we had. My son attended a school in the Midwest Conference and competed against Lawrence. He loved going there. Said the students were the nicest, most respectful group he played against. Always welcoming. In sports, the opposition is sometimes hostile, but that was never the case at LU. He also said Lawrence is unusually pretty.

I love this! I have a close friend whose parent was a professor there.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of good things about this little school. For one, the trimester system makes double or triple majors easier. Students generally take nine classes a year instead of eight, and you can take four classes in a trimester if you're feeling driven. Another is that Lawrence has a few hundred acres in Door County, WI, which is Heaven on Earth, imo (although it does get COLD in the winter). Students can visit the Door County campus for weekend retreats, summer classes, art seminars, music festivals, etc.

[Anonymous]

Both of my kids loved their Lawrence tours and seriously considered it but ended up at other colleges that are more popular for DCUM types. It is a really interesting place and Appleton is much better than you'd guess coming from DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC planned to apply as a safety/match had she not gotten into her first choice/reach school Carleton ED. We toured. Appleton is a nice town that packs an impressive punch for its size, IMO. It has its own airport and we found the flight to be easy peasy from DCA with a connection in Detroit. Their conservatory is definitely their "marquee" so I'm not surprised they emphasize it on their tour, but we got a good sense of the other academic subjects too which seemed strong.

Re: finances. I wonder if it gets dinged by its VERY small size? Obviously all LACs are quite small, but with ~1,500 students, being off enrollment projects by just a dozen or so students seems like it could really mess up a school's finances. Just precariousness.

My Carleton student also liked Lawrence as a safety. They are very generous with merit aid, and their communications with potential students show a high level of attention and personalization.

[Anonymous]

Lawrence has mini-campuses in Bloomingdale, London, and Senegal. Both are good places to spend a trimester.

[Anonymous]

The personal attention of the admissions staff was off the charts. We didn’t love the campus but the people were great and so was Appleton.

[Anonymous]

We did not get personal attention from the admissions staff. It was actually quite disorganized. The whole place just did not seem great. Appleton is cute though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Appleton is a nice town.

If you fly through there, say hi to my dad’s cousin Donna who owns the cheese shop at the airport.

[Anonymous]

My daughter has a good friend who is a junior at Lawrence. I’ve known her her whole life and I’ve never seen her happier.

[Anonymous]

DC ended up going ED at another SLAC, but we have nothing but great feelings for Lawrence. Including for the superb outreach from the admissions counselor.

[Anonymous]

Lawrence has a 6:1 student:faculty ratio and relatively high stats. Seems if should be ranked much higher than it is.

[Anonymous]

OP, honestly I don't know anything about Lawrence, but I would caution you about the opinions you receive. DCUM seems to have this fascination with schools in Wisconsin. Rarely, if ever, have i heard a negative weird. Glass is ALWAYS half full. Almost to the point of bias.

[Anonymous]

A friend's child is a current student there, and very happy. They study physics and comp sci, and had a fantastic internship with NASA.

[Anonymous]

What about LU for an athlete? Apparently, they're starting a men's lacrosse program in 2025. I know it's known for its music conservatory, but would a non-artsy athlete fare well there? I hear so many great things about this school, yet I don't anyone who has chosen it.