Thoughts on Gettysburg?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is Gettysburg so expensive?

$86k is going rate for slacs. my own us $88 (and not worth it). USC is now $95k a year. this is what the upper teach colleges are asking

[Anonymous]

I work at Gettysburg and I wouldn't send my kids here except for the tuition benefit makes it cheaper. There's nothing really special that makes it stand out from any other private school except the location (which is only really a draw if you're a Civil War nerd). I do like my co-workers and think we have good professors and a good library but the pathways stuff, the "career-ready experience" junk, is all just smoke and mirrors and marketing. Plus also the college hasn't really invested in updating buildings or dorms or anything since before covid. Many good professors and employees have left over the last year because of how poorly the main administration manages the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is Gettysburg so expensive?

$86k is going rate for slacs. my own us $88 (and not worth it). USC is now $95k a year. this is what the upper teach colleges are asking

not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg is the best of the three for job placement, but is has a different vibe from the other two, especially Wooster, which is quirky and intellectual (think Swarthmore for B students), whereas Gettysburg has more of a fratty, bro culture. Allegheny is an interesting wildcard. Its academics are underrated, and the "interesting combinations" approach is unique -- every student is required to pick up a minor or second major in something unrelated to their primary field of study. But bleak doesn't even begin to describe the location.

Can echo this with having family that lives nearby. Beautiful and intimate campus, Greek Life is the main social venue given how small Gettysburg is, and the students do not mix with the locals...COVID changed the culture a lot with student life outside of drinking and partying (as in there isn't much outside of alcohol and athletics).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg is the best of the three for job placement, but is has a different vibe from the other two, especially Wooster, which is quirky and intellectual (think Swarthmore for B students), whereas Gettysburg has more of a fratty, bro culture. Allegheny is an interesting wildcard. Its academics are underrated, and the "interesting combinations" approach is unique -- every student is required to pick up a minor or second major in something unrelated to their primary field of study. But bleak doesn't even begin to describe the location.

Can echo this with having family that lives nearby. Beautiful and intimate campus, Greek Life is the main social venue given how small Gettysburg is, and the students do not mix with the locals...COVID changed the culture a lot with student life outside of drinking and partying (as in there isn't much outside of alcohol and athletics).

That sounds awful.

[Anonymous]

What happened with the swim Team is UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

[Anonymous]

SHUT THE PLACE DOWNNN

[Anonymous]

DD just decided on Gettysburg. Only concern was the frat scene and less diverse than desired but checked all of the boxes academically and living wise. Dickinson would likely have won out but was $20k per year more. Also applied to Wooster….liked the student body but seemed a little lacking and politics made DD not want to go as far away and not to Ohio. Allegheny was awesome and was by far the cheapest option for us but the distance and remote town was not to DD liking. That said, I think she would have been great at any of these 4 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happened with the swim Team is UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

What happened? This tone made my heart race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happened with the swim Team is UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

What happened? This tone made my heart race.

Google is your friend but a white student swimmer etched a racial slur with a box cutter onto another teammate who was black…yet according to this report was not considered hazing.

https://www.abc27.com/local-news/gettysburg-college-swim-team-investigation-concluded/amp/

[Anonymous]

Gettysburg is a great liberal arts college. My visits there as a parent where very positive. The kids were always working hard and happy. I wouldn't overlook it. It has gone up on the rankings and it will likely continue to grow with the current president. The graduation ceremony was excellent and much more intellectual and personal than my niece’s Boston University graduation. Both schools are very strong, but Gettysburg is a hidden gem.

[Anonymous]

Gettysburg gives merit to 90%+ of all students. Very few are paying $86k.

[Anonymous]

I think people are questioning if it’s worth over 40K/yr after discounts.

I think +/-30K is probably reasonable

[Anonymous]

My nephew attends Gettysburg. He finds the school very easy (he went in TO and was not a superstar in high school). He didn’t get into his first choice Franklin & Marshall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Gettysburg about 20 years ago, so I guess you should take my thoughts with a grain of salt, as I am sure a lot has changed since then!

But, for what it's worth, I feel like I got a fantastic education at Gettysburg. Probably the best thing about Gettysburg would be the professors -- I felt like I really got to know my professors, and they made an effort to connect with students as individuals. Professors consistently made themselves available and were very present on campus, and several of my professors even invited whole classes over to their homes for dinner with their families. Classes were also small, so I felt like I got to know my classmates well too.

At the time, the campus was pretty fratty and preppy; in retrospect, I might have liked a quirkier, more diverse student body. By the time I was a senior, I was kind of over the campus social scene. But, I have heard that this fratty vibe might be changing a bit -- I don't know any students there now, so I can't speak to that.

The campus itself is very pretty, and the town is touristy, as a previous poster noted -- but then again, the touristy angle means that there are cute restaurants and shops (and the battlefields are right there! I have fond memories of going for long runs on the battlefields).

So, I'd say Gettysburg is a small, cozy school where professors truly make an effort to engage with and get to know their students. As a small school in a small town, it might not be the right fit for every kid. But, students can get a fantastic education there!

I could have written this about my small LAC in Iowa, Coe College. It’s similar to all these little schools out here- Allegheny and F&M and Wooster etc in that the professors are what make the experience. I had professors do this at Coe and my general experience there seems SO similar to this poster’s at Gettysburg! I got a fantastic education and went on to get my PhD and have had a great career. It was a super fit for me. Here’s to all the small LACs! 😊