“Colleges That Change Lives” List

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at a few of them and DD goes to one (Juniata) There is definitely a big range of school experiences there but their commonalities are small schools with nurturing environments and easy admit for a B student.

I'm sure someone will pop up soon to denounce it as just a marketing thing. But what college list isn't a marketing thing. I found reading the book helpful early in DD's search to understand some of the benefits of a small college (I went to a big state U). Not all DD's list was from that but I'd say most of her list were similar to those.

As with any small college, you should do you due diligence re their sustainability. Lots of variation in this list on that. And there are lots of colleges that are similar to these that aren't on the list.

Is Juniata for 'B' students??

It has a 78% acceptance rate and median SAT is 1170. So, I'd think, yes, they would be happy to have a B student, although you might not get the merit $ to make it a contender. FWIW, DD had a mix of As and Bs, with a good number of APs but a lighter schedule that a lot of classmates at a very competitive NoVA HS. Ended up with just barely a weighted 4.0. Merit $ made it similar in cost to our in-state options.

Our oldest (A student) was accepted with an award that made it a strong contender. I was quite impressed with Juniata. Their museum and museum program and the environmental studies program both struck me as strong.

Kid wanted a bigger school in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:E&H almost made it on my child’s list when I happened across it on this list. Had she gone to Randolph, she likely would have taken classes at Lynchburg (consortium). Several of these schools were on our radar anyway but weren’t the right fit for various reasons (Hope is a bit too religious and Goucher didn’t have the second major she wanted). To me, it’s another list of schools to consider - no more, no less. Some of them do have an extra CTCL scholarship, so could help.

Why didn’t she go to Randolph?

She got into another small school in New England that had great programs in everything she wanted. Randolph just didn’t have the same resources at their disposal. She liked Randolph very much, though-it was a strong contender. It was by far her cheapest option with merit, arts scholarship, visit scholarship, plus the VTAG money.

Can you elaborate on what resources were missing? At such a small school, you would think every resource would be at the disposal of essentially every student.

[Anonymous]

Just want to agree with a couple of comments above:

1) we went to one of their fairs with my older kid. It was at a hotel in DC and it helped us consider some schools that were not on our radar and that I had never heard of. In the end, he only wanted a big school though.

2) it is a good idea to check the financials at these schools. I really like the Forbes financials grades for this. They consider not just the endowment but also operating costs and other metrics.

I will be taking the next kid to these CTCL fair. He can definitely benefit from a smaller school if we can afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids is at one of the west coast CTCLs, and we love it. Outstanding education, in a warm and friendly atmosphere, just terrific all around. More than we hoped for, actually.

OP, it is absolutely worth going to one of the CTCL fairs -- you can visit with a lot of really great little schools in a very short amount of time. This was one of the first things we did for DC's search, and it was such a nice way to kick the process off. Know which schools you want to know more about -- the fairs are too busy to visit with all, so you'll want a plan.

PPs are correct that there are VERY different schools on the list -- in terms of ethos, academics, applicant strength, and financials. Definitely do your homework.

Re: financials. The small liberal arts college model is tougher than it used to be, and some CTCL schools have fared better than others, and in ways that could materially affect student experiences. Some of these schools have large endowments and get strong financial ratings from Forbes, while others are struggling.
So do your homework, but FYI our family found CTCL to be a very helpful resource.

Between multiple kids, and multiple college road trips, we have visited a good number of schools on the list, so if you have questions about any specific ones, feel free to ask questions.

Can you please share the school and what the travel is like? Concerned some of the west coast schools are difficult to get to....

[Anonymous]

Seriously who is so fragile about these schools that they report any post that dares challenges the legitimacy of the list? It’s a head scratcher. A similar criticism of any other grouping of schools would never be stricken

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most well-regarded imo:

Bard
Denison
Reed
Rhodes
St. Johns
St. Olaf

Isn’t Lawrence also highly regarded?

ehh. for what major?

Reputedly, physics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:E&H almost made it on my child’s list when I happened across it on this list. Had she gone to Randolph, she likely would have taken classes at Lynchburg (consortium). Several of these schools were on our radar anyway but weren’t the right fit for various reasons (Hope is a bit too religious and Goucher didn’t have the second major she wanted). To me, it’s another list of schools to consider - no more, no less. Some of them do have an extra CTCL scholarship, so could help.

Why didn’t she go to Randolph?

She got into another small school in New England that had great programs in everything she wanted. Randolph just didn’t have the same resources at their disposal. She liked Randolph very much, though-it was a strong contender. It was by far her cheapest option with merit, arts scholarship, visit scholarship, plus the VTAG money.

Can you elaborate on what resources were missing? At such a small school, you would think every resource would be at the disposal of essentially every student.

The school she chose is on a train line to Boston and has a partnership with the Kraft group (patriots organization + a MLS team). The school is also notable for its performing arts programs and has onsite athletic trainers specifically for those students. An internship is required there, and students can intern right on campus with the performing arts ATs. My child hopes to combine Dance with Exercise Science and work as a Dance Trainer (there is actually a field known as dance science, which this school has held symposiums on).

The other selling point is that this school is well known for its supports for students with LDs.

Randolph is a great little school and we loved the Take2 curriculum, but Lynchburg isn’t Boston area and their dance program is only a minor now. I also didn’t get great answers on their academic supports, although I am sure she could have received personalized attention there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at a few of them and DD goes to one (Juniata) There is definitely a big range of school experiences there but their commonalities are small schools with nurturing environments and easy admit for a B student.

I'm sure someone will pop up soon to denounce it as just a marketing thing. But what college list isn't a marketing thing. I found reading the book helpful early in DD's search to understand some of the benefits of a small college (I went to a big state U). Not all DD's list was from that but I'd say most of her list were similar to those.

As with any small college, you should do you due diligence re their sustainability. Lots of variation in this list on that. And there are lots of colleges that are similar to these that aren't on the list.

Is Juniata for 'B' students??

It has a 78% acceptance rate and median SAT is 1170. So, I'd think, yes, they would be happy to have a B student, although you might not get the merit $ to make it a contender. FWIW, DD had a mix of As and Bs, with a good number of APs but a lighter schedule that a lot of classmates at a very competitive NoVA HS. Ended up with just barely a weighted 4.0. Merit $ made it similar in cost to our in-state options.

Our oldest (A student) was accepted with an award that made it a strong contender. I was quite impressed with Juniata. Their museum and museum program and the environmental studies program both struck me as strong.

Kid wanted a bigger school in the end.

Even though I just wrote above why MY child didn’t choose Randolph (not a CTCL, but in a consortium with Lynchburg), they are pretty well known for their museum program. One of my sorority sisters has a neighbor from FL that has a child there for that program.

I think that CTCL and schools like them appeal to certain types of students. They aren’t for everyone, but they are definitely appealing as places for a more personalized education and c more engagement with faculty and staff.

[Anonymous]

In some cases, watch out for their low graduation rates! For all colleges, look up their Common Data Set document. So much information there. And if they don't publish it? It's a huge red flag imo

One fact that will be in there is how many students graduate in each major. Small schools may say they have a certain major and only graduate a small number in that major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at a few of them and DD goes to one (Juniata) There is definitely a big range of school experiences there but their commonalities are small schools with nurturing environments and easy admit for a B student.

I'm sure someone will pop up soon to denounce it as just a marketing thing. But what college list isn't a marketing thing. I found reading the book helpful early in DD's search to understand some of the benefits of a small college (I went to a big state U). Not all DD's list was from that but I'd say most of her list were similar to those.

As with any small college, you should do you due diligence re their sustainability. Lots of variation in this list on that. And there are lots of colleges that are similar to these that aren't on the list.

Is Juniata for 'B' students??

It has a 78% acceptance rate and median SAT is 1170. So, I'd think, yes, they would be happy to have a B student, although you might not get the merit $ to make it a contender. FWIW, DD had a mix of As and Bs, with a good number of APs but a lighter schedule that a lot of classmates at a very competitive NoVA HS. Ended up with just barely a weighted 4.0. Merit $ made it similar in cost to our in-state options.

Our oldest (A student) was accepted with an award that made it a strong contender. I was quite impressed with Juniata. Their museum and museum program and the environmental studies program both struck me as strong.

Kid wanted a bigger school in the end.

Even though I just wrote above why MY child didn’t choose Randolph (not a CTCL, but in a consortium with Lynchburg), they are pretty well known for their museum program. One of my sorority sisters has a neighbor from FL that has a child there for that program.

I think that CTCL and schools like them appeal to certain types of students. They aren’t for everyone, but they are definitely appealing as places for a more personalized education and c more engagement with faculty and staff.

Interesting. What is the city of Lynchburg like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at a few of them and DD goes to one (Juniata) There is definitely a big range of school experiences there but their commonalities are small schools with nurturing environments and easy admit for a B student.

I'm sure someone will pop up soon to denounce it as just a marketing thing. But what college list isn't a marketing thing. I found reading the book helpful early in DD's search to understand some of the benefits of a small college (I went to a big state U). Not all DD's list was from that but I'd say most of her list were similar to those.

As with any small college, you should do you due diligence re their sustainability. Lots of variation in this list on that. And there are lots of colleges that are similar to these that aren't on the list.

Is Juniata for 'B' students??

It has a 78% acceptance rate and median SAT is 1170. So, I'd think, yes, they would be happy to have a B student, although you might not get the merit $ to make it a contender. FWIW, DD had a mix of As and Bs, with a good number of APs but a lighter schedule that a lot of classmates at a very competitive NoVA HS. Ended up with just barely a weighted 4.0. Merit $ made it similar in cost to our in-state options.

Our oldest (A student) was accepted with an award that made it a strong contender. I was quite impressed with Juniata. Their museum and museum program and the environmental studies program both struck me as strong.

Kid wanted a bigger school in the end.

Even though I just wrote above why MY child didn’t choose Randolph (not a CTCL, but in a consortium with Lynchburg), they are pretty well known for their museum program. One of my sorority sisters has a neighbor from FL that has a child there for that program.

I think that CTCL and schools like them appeal to certain types of students. They aren’t for everyone, but they are definitely appealing as places for a more personalized education and c more engagement with faculty and staff.

Interesting. What is the city of Lynchburg like?

The parts where ULynchburg and Randolph campuses sit are more residential. I didn’t see a ton of the city itself. Do keep in mind Liberty is nearby, too. It’s a bit of a mishmash

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most well-regarded imo:

Bard
Denison
Reed
Rhodes
St. Johns
St. Olaf

Isn’t Lawrence also highly regarded?

ehh. for what major?

Reputedly, physics.

Lawrence only has 4 faculty members in physics...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most well-regarded imo:

Bard
Denison
Reed
Rhodes
St. Johns
St. Olaf

Isn’t Lawrence also highly regarded?

I have multiple friends in the Midwest who went to top schools themselves — one even taught at a school that gets mentioned aspirationally on DCUM often — whose kids went to Lawrence and were very happy with it. I think having an outstanding conservatory (which I believe — am not sure — is open to non-con students for lessons and ensembles) attracts smart kids who value music.

I remember Lawrence showed up as one of the top 50 feeders to doctoral programs in general, and I think on some of the STEM lists, too. So they must be doing something right,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In some cases, watch out for their low graduation rates! For all colleges, look up their Common Data Set document. So much information there. And if they don't publish it? It's a huge red flag imo

One fact that will be in there is how many students graduate in each major. Small schools may say they have a certain major and only graduate a small number in that major.

+1 my DD wanted a small school and we paid close attention to this. The top contenders were only schools where her major was one of the schools biggest programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:E&H almost made it on my child’s list when I happened across it on this list. Had she gone to Randolph, she likely would have taken classes at Lynchburg (consortium). Several of these schools were on our radar anyway but weren’t the right fit for various reasons (Hope is a bit too religious and Goucher didn’t have the second major she wanted). To me, it’s another list of schools to consider - no more, no less. Some of them do have an extra CTCL scholarship, so could help.

Why didn’t she go to Randolph?

She got into another small school in New England that had great programs in everything she wanted. Randolph just didn’t have the same resources at their disposal. She liked Randolph very much, though-it was a strong contender. It was by far her cheapest option with merit, arts scholarship, visit scholarship, plus the VTAG money.

Can you elaborate on what resources were missing? At such a small school, you would think every resource would be at the disposal of essentially every student.

The school she chose is on a train line to Boston and has a partnership with the Kraft group (patriots organization + a MLS team). The school is also notable for its performing arts programs and has onsite athletic trainers specifically for those students. An internship is required there, and students can intern right on campus with the performing arts ATs. My child hopes to combine Dance with Exercise Science and work as a Dance Trainer (there is actually a field known as dance science, which this school has held symposiums on).

The other selling point is that this school is well known for its supports for students with LDs.

Randolph is a great little school and we loved the Take2 curriculum, but Lynchburg isn’t Boston area and their dance program is only a minor now. I also didn’t get great answers on their academic supports, although I am sure she could have received personalized attention there.

Dean College? There is a lot to like about this school.