Vassar vs Bates vs Skidmore vs Kenyon
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Anonymous
| My DD has decided she wants to apply ED 2 to one of these schools and is really torn as to which she likes best. She wants to study History and Studio Art. Thank you for any thoughts. They all seem to have an even split of pros and cons, IMHO. Help! |
Anonymous
Skidmore is the strongest for studio art among your options. |
Anonymous
| Has she visited skidmore? My dd and I absolutely loved both Skidmore and Saratoga Springs. |
Anonymous
| Vassar is a much more selective school than the other 3 you have listed... |
Anonymous
No, it's in the same selectivity range as Bates and Kenyon. |
Anonymous
Correct. Skid ore is a shade lower. How does she feel about location? Kenyon and Bates are much more remote and in much smaller towns than the others. |
Anonymous
| Vassal is very cool. I grew up near there and my husband went there. Smart, artsy and socially aware kids. Poughkeepsie is a gritty place, but Hudson valley is gorgeous. |
Anonymous
|
Skidmore may be lower in the rankings overall, but it’s great for an art major and has an overall artsy vibe.
Kenyon seems like the odd one out to me, and a bit removed from the world of museums that she may be destined for with a history and art major. |
Anonymous
| Skidmore needs to change it’s unfortunate name |
Anonymous
I’d say skidmore is an entire level below the other three. We visited Bates and liked the campus and the town, whilst gritty, was actually a pleasant surprise both in terms of size and features. If DC is planning on settling in the northeast I think there is a benefit from having graduated from a Nescac college as all of those grads will instantly recognize the value of the education. I’m not sure I would say the same for Kenyon. Vassar is a lovely school and its proximity to NYC is a plus. |
Anonymous
| What are your DD’s stats? |
Anonymous
I went to a NESCAC school and so does my oldest child. Kenyon is pretty well-known among New Englanders and NESCAC grads. |
Anonymous
| Stats: 32 ACT....interesting/unique ECs....DC private. GPA in the 3.4 range. Per her teachers, very strong portfolio. |
Anonymous
| I'm a big fan of both Kenyon and Bates, but I don't see either coming out as your DD's top choice for various reasons. I'd try to have her visit both Vassar and Skidmore (even just as a weekend road trip) and go with whichever feels right-er. |
Anonymous
|
Great ACT, but the GPA may point more toward Skidmore. I would highly recommend visiting if you haven’t already.
My senior ds spent last summer there taking two undergrad classes. He absolutely loved it. The campus is wooded and beautiful, there was a constant stream of speakers, exhibits, and performances. The town of Saratoga Springs is an easily walkable single mile down the road, and there’s also a free bus that makes a loop from campus to downtown, to the mall, to the grocery store and Walmart, etc. He absolutely loved his professors and made some great friends, most of whom were there for the art program. My ds is leaning toward the sciences, and they just broke ground on a new science facility. Skidmore is one of his top choices. |