Reply to Thoughts on this college list - SLAC with supportive community and mellow vibe

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Thoughts on this college list - SLAC with supportive community and mellow vibe"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Kalamazoo?[/quote]

Kalamazoo in case anyone reading this is curious: compact campus, traditional in appearance (old brick buildings around a green with criss-crossing paths, on a sloping hill), at the edge of an extremely unfancy midwestern city with a vibrant community arts scene. Students are encouraged to engage with the community, and there are robust opportunities to volunteer. Mostly open curriculum but with high standards annd expectations of independent research and hands-on learning. Lots of personal attention; the place clearly had a lot of heart. Seems to punch above its weight academically, with a graduation rate that is on par with far more selective schools, which suggested good things about the education. Eclectic group of kids who all seemed to like one another. All reported working hard.

We visited a bit on a lark, but turned out my kid really, really liked the vibe and is applying.

There’s an Amtrak station in town, maybe a mile from campus, which is probably how she’d get there were she to go. [/quote]

Kalamazoo is also one of the best non-competitive lacs to go to if you like a livelier social location, want to study abroad and want to go into the health sciences (2 hospitals in town, original headquarters of Upjohn/Pfizer and of the Stryker medical equipment center, and Western Michigan University nearby with lots of additional research facilities).  The school supports lots of internships as well as study abroad (it has an experiential learning focused curriculum along with traditional liberal arts). My kids ended up at their top in-state options (UVA and W&M) but Kalamazoo was their favorite safety--above higher ranked schools.  Also very generous with merit aid--would have been cheaper for them to go there than UVA/W&M.  I think the school should be on more people's safety lists--I think they just don't get out there because there aren't any other LACs nearby--people might do the Ohio tour or Minnesota.  I also think it's a great place for strong academic kids who want to go to tough med school/health programs where GPA and medical experience are what matters more than the perceived reputation of your undergrad.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics