Less popular Hidden Gems

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

I was going to say this, too.

And also in California, Pomona.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

I was going to say this, too.

And also in California, Pomona.

When you don't understand a term (e.g., "hidden gems"), consider googling it before chiming in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

I was going to say this, too.

And also in California, Pomona.

When you don't understand a term (e.g., "hidden gems"), consider googling it before chiming in.

+1. The #4 ranked national LAC according to USNWR is hardly hidden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

I was going to say this, too.

And also in California, Pomona.

When you don't understand a term (e.g., "hidden gems"), consider googling it before chiming in.

+1. The #4 ranked national LAC according to USNWR is hardly hidden.

Congrats to your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

I was going to say this, too.

And also in California, Pomona.

When you don't understand a term (e.g., "hidden gems"), consider googling it before chiming in.

Maybe take your own advice. Hidden gem: "something which is extremely outstanding and not many people may know about"

I literally lived by Claremont (Rancho Cucamonga/Pasadena to be precise) and most people in my area were unaware of it. For those who aren't aware, those are two highly educated cities filled with people who attended prestigious schools.

The Claremont Colleges are seriously underrated in the area. Williams and Amherst and whatnot- not so much in theirs, because students on the East Coast heavily desire an Ivy education and those LACs are similar with their liberal arts emphases. On the West Coast, everyone's dream are the UCs, USC, and Stanford. The Cal States are the other popular option. Liberal art colleges are not that seriously considered there. And the folks on the East don't want to travel all the way out west when so many top LACs exist in their backyards.

I don't know why people here lack critical awareness, thinking some ranking or acceptance number means a school is not underrecognized. Ask Americans what Pomona College or Claremont McKenna is, and at least 90% would have no clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Mary's College of Maryland

Great campus, right on the water. It's gorgeous. Plus, it's an honors college and attracts studious types. If your kid is into sailing or rowing, it must be on their list. Cheap in-state tuition, plus a high acceptance rate (70s).

The only downside is that it's remote. It's near nothing. Like, not even a pharmacy or grocery store. The nearest pharmacy is 7-8 miles away. There is no town around the school, nor restaurants or even a bar.

I think the location is what dissuades so many from applying.

I went there. That's actually part of the draw for a lot of people I think.

If I was the next Governor of MD, I'd focus on trying to make St Mary's College tuition-free in order to lure the state's top students. It's already an honors college, but I think the location does a big disservice to its desirability. Not a lot of 18 year-olds want to go to school at a state university in the middle of rural farmland on the Chesapeake. If the school was free, I think the school would get a lot of looks from students and families.

That school should be similar in caliber and prestige to William & Mary. It's has the capability to get there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Mary's College of Maryland

Great campus, right on the water. It's gorgeous. Plus, it's an honors college and attracts studious types. If your kid is into sailing or rowing, it must be on their list. Cheap in-state tuition, plus a high acceptance rate (70s).

The only downside is that it's remote. It's near nothing. Like, not even a pharmacy or grocery store. The nearest pharmacy is 7-8 miles away. There is no town around the school, nor restaurants or even a bar.

I think the location is what dissuades so many from applying.

I went there. That's actually part of the draw for a lot of people I think.

If I was the next Governor of MD, I'd focus on trying to make St Mary's College tuition-free in order to lure the state's top students. It's already an honors college, but I think the location does a big disservice to its desirability. Not a lot of 18 year-olds want to go to school at a state university in the middle of rural farmland on the Chesapeake. If the school was free, I think the school would get a lot of looks from students and families.

That school should be similar in caliber and prestige to William & Mary. It's has the capability to get there.

Free tuition would be a mistake. Tuition is $6000 if you have good stats. Can even be less if you get additional scholarships. I don’t think lowering it to $0 would make much of a difference. Plus, the school needs the money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

I was going to say this, too.

And also in California, Pomona.

When you don't understand a term (e.g., "hidden gems"), consider googling it before chiming in.

Maybe take your own advice. Hidden gem: "something which is extremely outstanding and not many people may know about"

I literally lived by Claremont (Rancho Cucamonga/Pasadena to be precise) and most people in my area were unaware of it. For those who aren't aware, those are two highly educated cities filled with people who attended prestigious schools.

The Claremont Colleges are seriously underrated in the area. Williams and Amherst and whatnot- not so much in theirs, because students on the East Coast heavily desire an Ivy education and those LACs are similar with their liberal arts emphases. On the West Coast, everyone's dream are the UCs, USC, and Stanford. The Cal States are the other popular option. Liberal art colleges are not that seriously considered there. And the folks on the East don't want to travel all the way out west when so many top LACs exist in their backyards.

I don't know why people here lack critical awareness, thinking some ranking or acceptance number means a school is not underrecognized. Ask Americans what Pomona College or Claremont McKenna is, and at least 90% would have no clue.

My DC kid is at one of the 5Cs. They are very well known and popular in this area. I haven’t spent much time around Claremont off campus, so no idea how they are regarded there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohio State is a great school and Columbus is much better than you might expect. The mid west land grant schools offer fantastic education. Purdue or UIUC for example.

OSU is a meathead school in a redneck town. (And I guarantee I know both better than you do.)

Not even close to being true. Columbus is so far from a redneck town as to make that statement laughable, although there are certainly meatheads at OSU.

But, OSU is one of the most well known schools in the country. Would hardly call it a hidden gem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohio State is a great school and Columbus is much better than you might expect. The mid west land grant schools offer fantastic education. Purdue or UIUC for example.

OSU is a meathead school in a redneck town. (And I guarantee I know both better than you do.)

Not even close to being true. Columbus is so far from a redneck town as to make that statement laughable, although there are certainly meatheads at OSU.

But, OSU is one of the most well known schools in the country. Would hardly call it a hidden gem.

I tend to not have anything good to say about OH - it is a Midwest thing, but Columbus has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Yeah, sure there are still a few "redneck" areas, but there are plenty in metro DMV and NYC (did you say Staten Island?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohio State is a great school and Columbus is much better than you might expect. The mid west land grant schools offer fantastic education. Purdue or UIUC for example.

OSU is a meathead school in a redneck town. (And I guarantee I know both better than you do.)

Not even close to being true. Columbus is so far from a redneck town as to make that statement laughable, although there are certainly meatheads at OSU.

But, OSU is one of the most well known schools in the country. Would hardly call it a hidden gem.

I tend to not have anything good to say about OH - it is a Midwest thing, but Columbus has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Yeah, sure there are still a few "redneck" areas, but there are plenty in metro DMV and NYC (did you say Staten Island?).

I went to OSU for grad school 30 years ago, and even then Columbus wasn’t a purely redneck town. There are some great neighborhoods and while it was a smaller city without any professional athletic teams, had a decent vibrancy. Not enough for me to stay but I didn’t feel completely out of water as a New Englander, POC.

[Anonymous]

If I was the next Governor of MD, I'd focus on trying to make St Mary's College tuition-free in order to lure the state's top students. It's already an honors college, but I think the location does a big disservice to its desirability. Not a lot of 18 year-olds want to go to school at a state university in the middle of rural farmland on the Chesapeake. If the school was free, I think the school would get a lot of looks from students and families.

That school should be similar in caliber and prestige to William & Mary. It's has the capability to get there.

My DD is a freshman there. I don’t think you need to make tuition free to lure top students. Being generous with merit aid should be enough, and is one reason DD is there.

The location is a plus for her. She didn’t want a big city but it’s not as rural as you think. Pax River Naval Air Station is about 10 minutes away and there are some shopping centers and places to eat within a 10 mile radius. Freshmen can have cars on campus, so that makes getting around easier. Also, it’s on the St. Mary’s River, not the Chesapeake.

Our DD likes it and describes it as a “small STEM school”, and less of a classical liberal arts college, which is fine for her since she’s a biochem major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Mary's College of Maryland

Great campus, right on the water. It's gorgeous. Plus, it's an honors college and attracts studious types. If your kid is into sailing or rowing, it must be on their list. Cheap in-state tuition, plus a high acceptance rate (70s).

The only downside is that it's remote. It's near nothing. Like, not even a pharmacy or grocery store. The nearest pharmacy is 7-8 miles away. There is no town around the school, nor restaurants or even a bar.

I think the location is what dissuades so many from applying.

I went there. That's actually part of the draw for a lot of people I think.

If I was the next Governor of MD, I'd focus on trying to make St Mary's College tuition-free in order to lure the state's top students. It's already an honors college, but I think the location does a big disservice to its desirability. Not a lot of 18 year-olds want to go to school at a state university in the middle of rural farmland on the Chesapeake. If the school was free, I think the school would get a lot of looks from students and families.

That school should be similar in caliber and prestige to William & Mary. It's has the capability to get there.

No, William & Mary is fairly unique as one of the country's oldest schools and it's mid-sized (6500 undergrads). St. Mary's is a lot more like Mary Washington in VA--they serve an important niche--liberal arts programs for students who aren't academic superstars and don't want to spend on private school tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you polled 10 random executives and asked them which school excited them more for applicants - Claremont McKenna or University of Alabama I bet 8 would say Alabama - at least.

LOL. Maybe at a lumber company or a gun maker.

Right? Where I am from, going to college in ALABAMA opens zero magic doors 😂

It's not a state known for its higher education or for that matter, education in general.

Roll Tide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna. Super underrated here, but top notch academics, great quality of life, internships/opportunities abound, alumni network + top outcomes.

Not a hidden gem. It’s a very elite college. You people know nothing!

It is not well-known at all. Even in SoCal, it's not known.

Just stop. It’s ranked 8th in Us News. It’s extremely selective. It’s not “hidden” in any way, shape or form. [/quote]


+1. I grew up out there. Everyone knows about it. Decades ago it was called Claremont Men's college. They accepted their first woman in 1976 and subsequently changed the name. It was the all-male school next to all-female Scripps.