Reply to LACs with the WORST locations

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Most location bias is just a matter of subjective taste (e.g. hot/ cold climate,  rural/suburban/urban, setting).  And of course, there’s also the silly parochialism of DCUM commenters and their spoiled offspring, who think coming from Bethesda or Vienna gives them standing to write off entire states or regions.   Whatever.   Objectively, [b]I think the LACs with the worst locations are those located in cities or urban neighborhoods that might have been pleasant once upon a time but are now depressed or slummy.  Eg Clark/Worcester, Conn College/New London, Trinity/Hartford, Vassar/Poughkeepsie.  I think it’s hard to get enthused about those settings (unless maybe you’re a sociology major…), and I think a depressing or even dangerous setting takes a greater toll on the campus-bound LAC experience than it does on the large university experience.[/b]

But many people graduate from those schools with really positive experiences, while readily admitting “oh yeah, [city name] is a pit.”   I just don’t think location matters that much in the grand scheme of the educational experience, except maybe to chatty DCUM parents and a few unadaptable kids.[/quote]

I can only speak about Vassar but DC just graduated from there and while students all live on campus (very little rental housing has ever been built around campus, and the college has sufficient housing)and there's not much immediately off campus, the college isn't "campus-bound" nor is the area around it "a depressing or even dangerous setting." Downtown Poughkeepsie is indeed very run down along the main streets of the old downtown, and overall, the area suffered when IBM pulled out much of its presence and other employers cut back years ago. But it's gentrifying hard in some areas, and Vassar and Marist College in Poughkeepsie are close to historic properties, the Culinary Institute, a lot of newer wineries/breweries/"town center" shops being built, etc. And yeah, students do get out to those things at times, though they're usually too busy on campus for a lot of it. Vassar's a bit of an island as a campus [b]but it's not something that's "taking a toll" on student experience in some negative way. That's a bit dramatic. [/quote][/b]

Disagree. It does take a toll on students, but most do not know any better as they have not attended a large university.[/quote]

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