Sewanee . . . thoughts?

[Anonymous]

"Would a Jewish kid feel comfortable there?"

Yes.

[Anonymous]

The drinking at the school is less excessive than it was a few years ago. The student body is changing as it becomes a more selective institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The University of th South needs context. If they landed ion the name today, yeah, a little pretentious. But at the time, it was an effort to promote southern academia when there were not a lot of opportunities in the region. The name is so anachronistic I find it charming. It's got a - BOOM THERE IT IS QUALITY to it.

Apparently, they only recently started officially referring to themselves as "Sewanee." Prior to ten years ago, it was simply "The University of the South." Even just adding the "Sewannee" to the front was controversial among its alumni.

I graduated from Sewanee well over 10 years ago, and no one called it "The University of the South" at that time. I've never heard anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the school call it anything other than Sewanee. So this PP is misinformed.

In response to OP, it is a small school in a fairly remote location, so it is not for everyone. The campus is beautiful. It is very self-contained so your whole life is the school/campus and your classmates and whatever is going on on campus. The PP who posted earlier about fraternity parties being open to all is correct. I think the emphasis on Greek life is lessening but I'm sure it's still there. It's hard to describe, but I think (and I've heard other alums say this), but relative isolation makes for an intensified experience. You spend all your time with the other students / professors in this place of natural beauty, and you make really strong and lasting friendships. For me the environment was very conducive to not just learning but thinking. The students are expected to go beyond what is taught in class in order to get a good grade on a paper or a test. Very little focus on memorization and more about considering a fact or theory and taking your analysis further than what the professor has given you. The culture is work hard/play hard. No social events / going out during the week, when everyone is studying and writing papers etc. A good amount of partying on weekends.

There is a focus on writing and improving writing skills. English and History were popular majors, but also lots of Natural Resources (the location is great for that), in addition to the usual Poli Sci, Econ. Lots of outdoor activity (hiking, caving, mountain biking). As I mentioned, I think most students form lasting friendships; I did. In general, alums are very loyal. When I went to grad school I had 2 other Sewanee alums there with me and I can remember how much more strongly and connected we felt about/to our undergrad experience than most of our peers. They were more detached about college and I can remember being surprised by that.

There is a strict honor code, and it is a place with a lot of tradition and the students are expected to respect that. And people are friendly! One of the traditions is that everyone says hello to each other in passing, whether you know them or not.

The student body is heavily southern but I hear it's becoming less so. My friends were from the south, Texas, and the west coast. I loved it but again it is not for everyone. It's hard to know unless you visit. Good luck to your DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent and a professor, I have a slightly different take on choosing schools for my kids. I tend to look at specific programs, things like whether the faculty are active scholars and researchers in their areas of expertise, how often faculty publish with students, where the faculty got their doctorates, how much room there is for the development of innovative curricula and programs and whether the endowment is big enough to support occasionally taking a gamble to put together a program that may or may not work, whether there's enough money to support things like study abroad, and I do also look at things like student diversity and how recruitment takes place. The faculty at Sewanee are every bit as impressive as those at any East Coast LAC. Most top scholars today would consider this as a terrific job to get out of graduate school -- provided they weren't looking to teach at a research university.

I find it so funny that people on these fora are obsessed with finding a school so prestigious that their neighbors will keel over when they hear the name and that they use questionable metrics like 'how many Asians attend this school' as the best way to make their choices. Or the particular name of the particular school -- though if you check College Confidential, you'll also hear parents lamenting the fact that a kid doesn't want to go to a school called "Harvey Mudd" and the like.

I'd urge you to establish your own private metric of what matters to you when choosing a school and then to do the research that you need to do to see which school fits you, your family and your finances.

You are far too sane, reasonable and knowledgeable to be allowed to post anything further on this topic. You are hereby ordered to cease and desist from posting anything other than the following comments:

1) the only "good schools" are "Top Ivies";
2) no private school is worth the money -- everyone must attend a state school;
3) all SLACs are preppy, elitist and a waste of money
4) any school located outside of New England and the Mid-Atlantic is strictly for losers
5) all state schools are strictly for losers
5) selectivity in admissions is the only criterion important in evaluating a college

If you post anything deviating from the above sanctioned views, you will be banished from DCUM!

Hilarious.


Also that Huffington article is pretty accurate.

[Anonymous]

Sewanee seems like a magical place for an intellectual student. I chose to attend the University of Chicago instead (back in the 80s), but in many ways Sewanee might have provided me with more of the guidance and support I needed as a naive college student.

The only person among my children's peers who went to Sewanee was a nice young man, and strong athlete in a sport, who had academic difficulties as a student at STA. As an example, it makes me think that Sewanee's academic standards for admissions are not yet at the level of the peers it aspires to. Also, if Sewanee becomes a pipeline for wealthy, preppy, largely Episcopal children from the South and DC, it takes away from the charm of the place.

[Anonymous]

Sewanee seems like a magical place for an intellectual student. I chose to attend the University of Chicago instead (back in the 80s), but in many ways Sewanee might have provided me with more of the guidance and support I needed as a naive college student.

The only person among my children's peers who went to Sewanee was a nice young man, and strong athlete in a sport, who had academic difficulties as a student at STA. As an example, it makes me think that Sewanee's academic standards for admissions are not yet at the level of the peers it aspires to. Also, if Sewanee becomes a pipeline for wealthy, preppy, largely Episcopal children from the South and DC, it takes away from the charm of the place.

1: Ouch - I hope that your friend's kid doesn't read this. You should never single out a kid in a way that makes him or her identifiable.

2: Sewanee will never be more of an Episcopal pipeline for rich white kids than it is today. And by that, I mean that it is taking aggressive steps to diversify, just like every other SLAC.

[Anonymous]

STA is an academically challenging school with many strong athletes, and they have sent a good number of graduates to Sewanee over the last decade. It will not be easy to identify anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STA is an academically challenging school with many strong athletes, and they have sent a good number of graduates to Sewanee over the last decade. It will not be easy to identify anyone.

In that everyone has academic difficulties at STA, it is not an easy school to get good grades.

[Anonymous]

can someone explain why you would choose this place over say, Davidson -- assuming you could get in to both?
Makes no sense to me. Seems approximately equivalent to Elon (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can someone explain why you would choose this place over say, Davidson -- assuming you could get in to both?
Makes no sense to me. Seems approximately equivalent to Elon (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Sewanee, Davidson, and Elon appear equivalent in terms of admissions standards.

I would say that Sewanee appears to be making an effort to recruit and admit certain students (the B students whose A siblings attend the Ivies) from well-off, connected families who attended some very traditional and WASPy Prep Schools. Think STA in DC, or MBA in Nashville. It is a smart strategy because you have grateful students and families connected into their already strong STA or MBA, and Ivy League networks. The students meet and socialize with others who have similarly affluent and connected backgrounds, and everyone is happy.

Then of course the school admits truly bright students from more disadvantaged backgrounds, and though they may initially feel out of place, they eventually benefit from the greater Sewanee network and connections as well. Everyone benefits from the isolation and smaller college size, as you cannot hide an academic issue and the teachers can encourage and support you.

[Anonymous]

Read the Niche reviews on Sewanee. Students seem to like the professors, dislike the older dorms and dining options, lament the lack of local entertainment or culture, and love the natural beauty and outdoors options. The Greek system is quite big in campus life, but their parties are open to all students. Students describe a still largely preppy culture with lots of Polo shirts and salmon pants, but say diversity is expanding. And there appears to be a great deal of drinking, and a good deal of pot use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can someone explain why you would choose this place over say, Davidson -- assuming you could get in to both?
Makes no sense to me. Seems approximately equivalent to Elon (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Nobody in their right mind would choose Sewannee over Davidson. By every objective criteria Davidson is superior (acceptance rate, yield, test scores, etc.) and not by a little.....by a lot. I'm sure it's a fine school that delivers a solid education with a distinct culture but at best it's a third tier LAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can someone explain why you would choose this place over say, Davidson -- assuming you could get in to both?
Makes no sense to me. Seems approximately equivalent to Elon (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Nobody in their right mind would choose Sewannee over Davidson. By every objective criteria Davidson is superior (acceptance rate, yield, test scores, etc.) and not by a little.....by a lot. I'm sure it's a fine school that delivers a solid education with a distinct culture but at best it's a third tier LAC.

^ well it my be better than "third tier" (that's a bit harsh), but I can't believe people on here are saying with a straight face it's anywhere near the equivalent to a Davidson or Vandy -- not that most Sewanee attendees would be admitted to either of those schools in the first place.

I have an actual interest in this since, if DC doesn't get into Davidson or Vandy, we will consider Sewanee. (Yes DC is from a Northern prep school.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can someone explain why you would choose this place over say, Davidson -- assuming you could get in to both?
Makes no sense to me. Seems approximately equivalent to Elon (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Nobody in their right mind would choose Sewannee over Davidson. By every objective criteria Davidson is superior (acceptance rate, yield, test scores, etc.) and not by a little.....by a lot. I'm sure it's a fine school that delivers a solid education with a distinct culture but at best it's a third tier LAC.

^ well it my be better than "third tier" (that's a bit harsh), but I can't believe people on here are saying with a straight face it's anywhere near the equivalent to a Davidson or Vandy -- not that most Sewanee attendees would be admitted to either of those schools in the first place.

I have an actual interest in this since, if DC doesn't get into Davidson or Vandy, we will consider Sewanee. (Yes DC is from a Northern prep school.).

With a 40% acceptance and a 25% yield it really is third tier (with williams, amherst, bowdoin, etc, first tier and vassar, kenyon, oberlin, etc, second tier). Having said that I think it's a good safety school although my concern as a parent would be how Sewanee's grads fare in the geographic area that DC plans on settling. if the intent is the northeast, then you may be better off with a school like Trinity or Connecticut College.....strong regional alumni bases.

[Anonymous]

In response to the above PP re: choosing Sewanee over Davidson, Vandy, etc. I know someone who chose it over Davidson and Middlebury.
Not everyone is making their decisions based solely on rankings. It is such a truly unique place that it calls certain kids to attend. This person ended up attending an Ivy grad school, so they seemed to have turned out just fine.

On a side note, I truly believe that spending time in nature really opens your mind and helps your psyche. I think that is the case at Sewanee.
It's just a great learning environment, both in terms of accessibility to professors and the literal or physical geography.