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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not sure for the extreme hate of the area. Yes, it isn't the most exciting place on earth. But being near Allentown also means that there is a major hospital nearby (Lehigh Valley Health is excellent), at least some basic shopping nearby, and it isn't an awful drive from Philly, NYC or even DC. So if someone wants a SLAC, it is actually in a more densely populated area closer to civilization than a lot of the alternatives.

Unfortunately, it seems that some people here just can't wrap their arms around why a kid would choose a SLAC. If you are dumb enough to go in expecting to live in a city and/or go to a big school, it will be awful. But not everyone wants NYU or Ann Arbor. Different strokes for different folks. Don't yuck my yum. [/quote]

NP. This isn't an anti SLAC or anti rural or anti small town view. My kid was looking for a SLAC in a rural area close to nature. He hated 
Allentown as did we. It was the worst of all worlds. [/quote]

Well said.

It’s niche is a SLAC in a semi-depressed small city.  If that’s your thing…it’s the school for you.[/quote]

And for many kids the isolation of a rural SLAC is a huge turnoff so being away from a city but in an area where there are some signs of civilization is a big positive. To each his own. It's one thing to be realistic, which is great. It is another thing to be a hater. Not cool. Just because it isn't for you doesn't mean it isn't for others. And it is closer to home for a lot of kids, which could be appealing. And is unappealing to others.[/quote]

Right but OP asked for experiences so people are posting their experiences with the area. Some are not positive. That's not being a hater. Why are you so against people posting their candid experiences? Are only cheerleaders for the school allowed? [/quote]

I think honest appraisals are helpful - describing the area in an honest but relatively neutral way is what DCUM should be all about. But the tone presented was "why would anyone want to go here" which is not OK. Some people like Bates. Some people like NYU. That is the great thing about higher ed in America - lots of options.[/quote]

Correct…so folks are being honest that this school is located in a downtrodden 100,000 person city.  If that’s what you want, then great.

Nobody can claim Allentown is not that. Worcester, MA is also similar and someone on another thread literally said that was good for their college experience because local restaurants and other things to do were cheap as a result (and college students like cheap).

I don’t know much about the area where Bates is located, but of course NYC is a completely different experience.[/quote]

But does that need to be the constant focus? Every time Allentown is mentioned we must call it semi-depressed or downtrodden?

There are more places to eat than I care to count a short walk from campus, and a bunch of them look really good. There's a performing arts theater, a movie theater, fairgrounds, market, Cedar Creek Park and gardens... And that's just a short walk. There's stuff to do for those that care. The city's defining quality isn't its economy.[/quote]

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