Washington and Lee v Kenyon v Hamilton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compare and contrast, please. We got started on the college search process early. These are the top 3 choices for my rising senior.

Good luck to your DC on his/her decisions. Most people would consider June before senior year late to the game!

Ha! My first thought too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We toured Washington & Lee. In our child's assessment the 85% Greek membership and drinking culture was not acceptable. Very little diversity. It is difficult to get into, although after touring, I'm not quite sure why.

I'm not sure, either. What's the draw and how did they become so selective?

I really don't know. We put it on the tour list because it's the no. 1 SLAC in the south. We were doing UVA , Va Tech and VMI during the sweep. Nothing about it was appealing. Maybe because it was a hot and muggy day and few dorms at W & L have AC (turnoff for DC who had just spent a miserable summer in similar dorms at an Ivy). The tour officer was off-putting, going into great detail as to how difficult it was to get in ED1 and ED2 (this was two years ago, so maybe has changed). The buildings looked run-down. Lee's Memorial Chapel was pretty but I could see how minority students might find it uncomfortable there with Traveler's bones in the basement. DS wanted aerospace engineering so it was clear this was not going to be a good fit early on. The drinking culture starts thurs night and runs thru sunday night. I didn't like the fact that so much of the campus was Greek and it was expensive Greek. it was explained to me by someone who actually works there that this creates a "have" and "have nots" caste system on campus because even the minority /scholarship students can't afford to participate in the Greek life because it costs so much to join up. Even if they are full freight scholarship students, they can't afford the Greek fees. Also, the rents off-campus in the immediate down are ridiculously high because the owners know they can charge whatever they want and many are in unsafe condition. So students move even farther off campus Then we were told about the girl who had died flying through a car window when 11 kids were trying to get back to campus, drunk, after an off-campus party. that did it for us. Maybe legacies whose parents were really into Greek life want to go there. I don't see the magic at all.

Sounds atrocious! That civil war connection has not aged well!

Responding to your own posts. So cute.

Would be cute, I guess...but I was a new poster.

It's very difficult to respond to one's own post when they are 3 1/2 years apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hamilton is head and shoulders above W&L. Kenyon in the middle. Hamilton is small and cold, but if you're OK with those things, go there.

In what universe is Hamilton head and shoulders above W&L?

[Anonymous]

All these are tiny schools and incredibly desolate towns. They’re very different politically and socially, but they still need a student that can get lost in their own college world for four years to survive there.

[Anonymous]

Jesus Christ. Some of you DCUMers can't stand the idea of your precious babies going out and living like normal college students. The idea that W&L can't be "elite" because it has a typical party culture with high Greek participation is laughable. Look at its incoming student stats, its graduation rate, its endowment, the starting and 10-year salaries of its graduates. By every meaningful metric we use to judge colleges, W&L is as good as or better than the other two schools mentioned — as well as just about every other LAC in the country. God forbid your kid go to a frat party and get turnt on their way to receiving a great education and having a fantastic career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hamilton is head and shoulders above W&L. Kenyon in the middle. Hamilton is small and cold, but if you're OK with those things, go there.

In what universe is Hamilton head and shoulders above W&L?

In crazytown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We toured Washington & Lee. In our child's assessment the 85% Greek membership and drinking culture was not acceptable. Very little diversity. It is difficult to get into, although after touring, I'm not quite sure why.

I'm not sure, either. What's the draw and how did they become so selective?

I really don't know. We put it on the tour list because it's the no. 1 SLAC in the south. We were doing UVA , Va Tech and VMI during the sweep. Nothing about it was appealing. Maybe because it was a hot and muggy day and few dorms at W & L have AC (turnoff for DC who had just spent a miserable summer in similar dorms at an Ivy). The tour officer was off-putting, going into great detail as to how difficult it was to get in ED1 and ED2 (this was two years ago, so maybe has changed). The buildings looked run-down. Lee's Memorial Chapel was pretty but I could see how minority students might find it uncomfortable there with Traveler's bones in the basement. DS wanted aerospace engineering so it was clear this was not going to be a good fit early on. The drinking culture starts thurs night and runs thru sunday night. I didn't like the fact that so much of the campus was Greek and it was expensive Greek. it was explained to me by someone who actually works there that this creates a "have" and "have nots" caste system on campus because even the minority /scholarship students can't afford to participate in the Greek life because it costs so much to join up. Even if they are full freight scholarship students, they can't afford the Greek fees. Also, the rents off-campus in the immediate down are ridiculously high because the owners know they can charge whatever they want and many are in unsafe condition. So students move even farther off campus Then we were told about the girl who had died flying through a car window when 11 kids were trying to get back to campus, drunk, after an off-campus party. that did it for us. Maybe legacies whose parents were really into Greek life want to go there. I don't see the magic at all.

Sounds atrocious! That civil war connection has not aged well!

Responding to your own posts. So cute.

Would be cute, I guess...but I was a new poster.

It's very difficult to respond to one's own post when they are 3 1/2 years apart.

Funny that you think that’s difficult. Tying your shoes must be baffling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Hamilton both have really strong writing programs. W&L is very strong in econ; it's also probably the most right-wing of all the "prestigious" colleges in the country.

Lol.....W&L isn't prestigious.....it's fratty and southern and has an unremarkable academic reputation. Hamilton really surprised us with it's lovely campus, serious but outgoing students and what I perceived to be a good balance between academics and social life. Growing up in DC I had never even heard of Hamilton but was very familiar with the rest of the NESCAC schools....which is odd. Maybe they draw more from NY/NE but I was very impressed.

Noticed same things re Hamilton. I'm a Democrat. I don't know from Washington & Lee.

The fact you say “I don’t know from...” means W&L is not for your DC.

Thanks for getting the joke, which probably went over the heads of many readers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these are tiny schools and incredibly desolate towns. They’re very different politically and socially, but they still need a student that can get lost in their own college world for four years to survive there.

Many LACs are in small towns. It's a different experience, compared to the experience at a large university, but very rewarding for the right students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Hamilton both have really strong writing programs. W&L is very strong in econ; it's also probably the most right-wing of all the "prestigious" colleges in the country.

Lol.....W&L isn't prestigious.....it's fratty and southern and has an unremarkable academic reputation. Hamilton really surprised us with it's lovely campus, serious but outgoing students and what I perceived to be a good balance between academics and social life. Growing up in DC I had never even heard of Hamilton but was very familiar with the rest of the NESCAC schools....which is odd. Maybe they draw more from NY/NE but I was very impressed.

Noticed same things re Hamilton. I'm a Democrat. I don't know from Washington & Lee.

The fact you say “I don’t know from...” means W&L is not for your DC.

Thanks for getting the joke, which probably went over the heads of many readers.

If you didn't get the joke, this link may clue you in, but it also may explain why the stereotype is probably wrong.

https://my.wlu.edu/hillel

[Anonymous]

Charles Allen, known of late for the D.C. Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act, is a Washington & Lee graduate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these are tiny schools and incredibly desolate towns. They’re very different politically and socially, but they still need a student that can get lost in their own college world for four years to survive there.

Many LACs are in small towns. It's a different experience, compared to the experience at a large university, but very rewarding for the right students.

Also, Lexington is desolate? It’s a very cute and thriving (if tiny) town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these are tiny schools and incredibly desolate towns. They’re very different politically and socially, but they still need a student that can get lost in their own college world for four years to survive there.

Many LACs are in small towns. It's a different experience, compared to the experience at a large university, but very rewarding for the right students.

Also, Lexington is desolate? It’s a very cute and thriving (if tiny) town.

My foreign-born wife certainly liked Lexington it better than other towns and cities in the area including Charlottesville. Nice downtown area for a city so small. If you are the type of person who wants to go to school in NYC, though, it is not going to be for you.

[Anonymous]

These are all excellent SLACs. Great reputations. Beautiful campuses. Strong alumni networks. That's the upside. Downside? They are all SLACs...small, in the middle of the nowwhere, with majors that are hardly practical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are all excellent SLACs. Great reputations. Beautiful campuses. Strong alumni networks. That's the upside. Downside? They are all SLACs...small, in the middle of the nowwhere, with majors that are hardly practical.

I went to a SLAC (not one of the ones mentioned here) -- and, yes, agree completely that I've benefited from the excellent reputation and strong alum network. And I do love going back to campus for reunions -- the lake, the rhododendrons, the carillon bells ringing -- all lovely. Of course, you're also right that majoring in English was completely impractical. I only learned to read with discernment, write with clarity and nuance, and appreciate subtleties of word choice and tone. To my surprise, these impractical and paltry skills turned out to serve me well in law school and practice. Not only that, but the insights into how human beings face the unexpected vicissitudes of life with grace and courage now offer unexpected sustenance in this challenging time. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for encouraging me to go to my SLAC and major in English, despite the fact that you were both STEM majors yourselves.