Favorite College that changes lives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A bunch of mediocre schools for average kids.
Move on.

Whatever, sad middle manager at an outdated government consulting software job.

dp.. I mean, at least they have a good paying job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the GPNW and know the schools on this list from that region pretty well--have had friends attend all of them. They're all great places for kids who dig their respective ethos. In alpha order:

Evergreen State is super hippie. Like a left coast version of UNC-Asheville only more so. Or a mini UC Santa Cruz. More intellectual than academic, if that makes sense.

Reed is intense. Like a less selective but no less ambitious Swarthmore--but with lots of black eyeliner and hard drugs. If you're not both brilliant and cynical, it's not your spot.

UPS is kind of like a miniaturized flagship. Solid for business, music, and liberal arts and sciences. Wide range of kids there, almost all of them happy.

Whitman is like west coast Middlebury but in a bigger, better town (but also way further from anything else). For kids who check the "intellectual," "outdoorsy," and "at least somewhat preppy" boxes, it's heaven.

Willamette is right next to the state capital and is a school for go-getters, across a decent range of raw intellectual firepower levels.

Yeah but the crazy “I am what I feel” student mob turned on the hippie evolutionary biology professors to the point where two of their most tenured professors began sounding the alarm a few years ago that Biology itself as a science is under attack by the fringe on the left. (This was very unexpected, as it’s usually challenged by fanatics on the right.) Back in 2019, people thought they were exagerrating…everyone knows biology is hard science, right? Right???…and yet here we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the list has lost meaning as some of these schools are now struggling. Look at this https://apple.news/AlZoc9AHiQ0CdUdlpzOCRbg

Tiny classes and fantastic student-faculty ratio

in a school that's struggling. If you are not a senior, I would be concerned that the school may shut down while you are there, or professors let go, or you major shut down.

Right. That's why not every slac is a good idea. Some are a risk. But there are also plenty of stories of slacs that have been on the verge of shutting down that rebounded. Look at Hampshire, it's practically trendy again. (Not with the people you know, probably, but it is). Or, twenty years ago, Bard was a hot mess and now it's got half a billion and has quadrupled its enrollment. That's why it's important to look at finances and enrollments and bond ratings. Capital plans.

There are some slacs I'm not sure about. I like them on paper a lot, I like what they're trying to do and the departments dc wants to study, but I'm less sure that they're not going to do some radical curriculum change in the next few years to draw more students that could eliminate things I like about them, or that some of the changes they've already made are working.

It would be really great if the poster who just doesn't know anything about slacs except that they dont like them could just move on. Or read and learn something. Ask questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

The dumpiest dorm I've seen is at Williams College and the second dumpiest right next to that one, so go figure.

That is great, except we know that anyone on this thread - including you - doesn’t have a kid in the running for Williams.

Three generations and going strong.

Not for all of your kids obviously

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the GPNW and know the schools on this list from that region pretty well--have had friends attend all of them. They're all great places for kids who dig their respective ethos. In alpha order:

Evergreen State is super hippie. Like a left coast version of UNC-Asheville only more so. Or a mini UC Santa Cruz. More intellectual than academic, if that makes sense.

Reed is intense. Like a less selective but no less ambitious Swarthmore--but with lots of black eyeliner and hard drugs. If you're not both brilliant and cynical, it's not your spot.

UPS is kind of like a miniaturized flagship. Solid for business, music, and liberal arts and sciences. Wide range of kids there, almost all of them happy.

Whitman is like west coast Middlebury but in a bigger, better town (but also way further from anything else). For kids who check the "intellectual," "outdoorsy," and "at least somewhat preppy" boxes, it's heaven.

Willamette is right next to the state capital and is a school for go-getters, across a decent range of raw intellectual firepower levels.

Yeah but the crazy “I am what I feel” student mob turned on the hippie evolutionary biology professors to the point where two of their most tenured professors began sounding the alarm a few years ago that Biology itself as a science is under attack by the fringe on the left. (This was very unexpected, as it’s usually challenged by fanatics on the right.) Back in 2019, people thought they were exagerrating…everyone knows biology is hard science, right? Right???…and yet here we are.

I wouldn't touch Evergreen with someone else's... anything. Have family in Olympia. The school and the area are a social justice hot mess. I am extremely liberal, but I have no tolerance for that place.

Didn't used to be that way. Evergreen used to be really inexpensive and kind of a blue collar hippie school for kids that wanted a freewheeling curriculum in between their sub pop band tours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“A huge percentage of these schools major in humanities and go on to PhDs. Those circles must overlap. Even STEM PhDs aren't that much to brag about though? Like if you can get a good job with your bachelor's alone, isn't that the best case?”

Lol. My friend who got a STEM PhD after attending our CTCL made bank working for biotech startups and retired at 40.

andecdata of 1.

-dp

Not the PP and also recognize this is an anecdata of one. That said, my former STEM classmates from a CTCL include retired from tech startups, university chair profs, or doctors going into second careers (usually pro bono/non profit).

Not everyone is interested in BigLaw, Wall Street (or hedge, PE, etc).

The vast majority of people don't end up in big law, wall street, or tech startups.

Having stated that, look at the post grad stats for the schools. How many get good paying jobs?

It's nice that a student can have small class sizes, and individual attention, and pontificate the meaning of life or whatever, but at the end of the day, the vast majority of college students need a good paying job. And if the college did not prepare them for that, then it failed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

Lol that you think an admissions rep has the interest or time to monitor/post here in the middle of reading season ( if ever)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

Lol that you think an admissions rep has the interest or time to monitor/post here in the middle of reading season ( if ever)

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

Lol that you think an admissions rep has the interest or time to monitor/post here in the middle of reading season ( if ever)

You are naive. Plus, referring to "here in the middle of reading season" blows your cover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

Lol that you think an admissions rep has the interest or time to monitor/post here in the middle of reading season ( if ever)

You are naive. Plus, referring to "here in the middle of reading season" blows your cover.

I'm a parent, just a well educated one about college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

Lol that you think an admissions rep has the interest or time to monitor/post here in the middle of reading season ( if ever)

You are naive. Plus, referring to "here in the middle of reading season" blows your cover.

I'm a parent, just a well educated one about college admissions.

Sure, we believe you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew attends College of Wooster and loves it. They have a cool thesis programs for
seniors.

This is one of ours. I honestly wasn't sure dc would get accepted, they're more selective than some others and I know they're popular. I have a friend who went there about fifteen years ago and loved it and has done quite well in a very tough and very popular field. Wooster's even moved to the top of my list, but they're farther away than I'd like and there are some closer options that also do capstone projects and offer many things that seem similar.

Wooster does seem like it's in good financial shape, and the merit was good.

My dd attended Wooster for 3 semesters and then transferred. Granted, she was there during the height of Covid so she did not have a traditional experience. But the reality for her was very different based upon what she expected from several visits.

Dorms: Research this. You can’t choose (understandable) as a freshman but some dorms are fairly new with A/C and some are literally falling apart. The dorm sophomore year was so bad that dh was worried about leaving her there. Read articles about the bats, etc. in the dorms.

Finances: Check our recent issues of the school newspaper (dd occasionally still reads it and mentioned it). They are making some changes to reduce expenses. I’m not saying they are close to closing but some of the changes may affect the school going forward.

The school has a new president since dd was there. The former president is now at Whitman…

I thought they had one of the healthier endowments. I could be wrong.

I know a lot of these kinds of schools are eliminating or consolidating some majors. That's one of my concerns. Don't want to sign up for one kind of experience and have it change. It looks like Allegheny did that recently, and I'm not sure what to think. In general, that's one that confuses me: there are some things I really really like (and I think Meadville sounds okay, I know it has its detractors), and some things I'm uncertain about (social stuff).

It's also a little bit of a relief to hear something negative about Wooster. When dcurbanmom gets too glowingly positive it makes me nervous. Not because I think the posts are fake, but because I' don't always share the same opinions about what is valued.

There are probably a lot of LAC admissions reps posting. They tend to be the most militant and most unaccepting of differing experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

College of Wooster gets a lot of positive reviews largely because it awards a lot of merit scholarships. This is a true positive.

Lol that you think an admissions rep has the interest or time to monitor/post here in the middle of reading season ( if ever)

+1

What a ridiculous conspiracy theory! How exactly do the admissions reps decide which of the hundreds of online parenting boards to post on?

[Anonymous]

Some day, a scientist will invent the right meds to treat the main character syndrome that pervades DCUM threads like these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some day, a scientist will invent the right meds to treat the main character syndrome that pervades DCUM threads like these.

And the same people who won't even get vaccinated against a potentially deadly virus will take those meds? LOL