Niece went there, played soccer, went straight to grad school and is now a nurse. Good experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was also accepted to Muhlenberg. I have heard it is good for kids with anxiety, which I interpret to mean it is small and supportive. It doesn’t mean every kid who goes there is quirky or has anxiety, but it makes sense that kids who value that would choose a small school. FWIW my son will probably go elsewhere as he has higher ranked and better fitting options. He does have an IEP in HS and takes meds—he also has higher SAT scores than your kid, which I say only because I find your tone a little belittling, even though I get your concerns. A school where theater is the biggest major is going to have a lot of quirky kids but to my mind that’s the theater thing, not SN.

Hi. OP here. I am sorry if you found my tone belittling. That wasn't my intent at all.. Congrats to your kid.

Thanks—I would not give the IEP aspect another thought and I would not weigh that in your decision making. There are kids with learning support needs at every school. I am from the area and Muhlenberg is well regarded. Top notch music and theater. I think your daughter would have a good experience if it appeals to her.

Anonymous wrote:I think she’s reading way too much into the IEP question. One person asks this and she thinks the whole school is full of weirdos?

I think it is a lovely SLAC. Well known for their arts department. Not an easy admit - you have to have good stats. It is part of a consortium with a few other local LACs.

OP here.. good point. She's 18 and nervous herself about making the right decision.

Interesting. I am originally from PA and the two people I know that went to Muhlenberg were both males from private schools who played football. Neither would be described at quirky.
One went on to law school and the other finished an MBA a year few years ago.


I recognize this is an n of just 2 and I honestly don’t know if either required an IEP, but they are both highly successful and again, definitely not quirky. Admittedly, the have been out for 4-6 years.

Anonymous wrote:My kid was also accepted to Muhlenberg. I have heard it is good for kids with anxiety, which I interpret to mean it is small and supportive. It doesn’t mean every kid who goes there is quirky or has anxiety, but it makes sense that kids who value that would choose a small school. FWIW my son will probably go elsewhere as he has higher ranked and better fitting options. He does have an IEP in HS and takes meds—he also has higher SAT scores than your kid, which I say only because I find your tone a little belittling, even though I get your concerns. A school where theater is the biggest major is going to have a lot of quirky kids but to my mind that’s the theater thing, not SN.

Hi. OP here. I am sorry if you found my tone belittling. That wasn't my intent at all.. Congrats to your kid.

Anonymous wrote:I've heard nothing but good feedback on Muhlenberg. I would agree the very few kids I've known who went are fairly quirky (lovely and smart, too)--but I don't know if they represent the norm at all. But they love their school and it seems like a place where people thrive.

Is she interested in W&M's spring admit program for waitlisted students? That might be a great option for her--go abroad for the fall with their partner program and then start at W&M in the spring. There are so many popular acapella groups at W&M, so that would be an easy social "in" for her if she were worried about missing fall (in addition to the supports for the spring admit cohort the school provides as well as friendships from study abroad).

Adding: I am recommending this because of the mid-size of W&M and the "very together" type of student seems aligned with what you mentioned about her. She might also love Pitt if she wants a more lively urban environment.

I think she’s reading way too much into the IEP question. One person asks this and she thinks the whole school is full of weirdos?

I think it is a lovely SLAC. Well known for their arts department. Not an easy admit - you have to have good stats. It is part of a consortium with a few other local LACs.

I've heard nothing but good feedback on Muhlenberg. I would agree the very few kids I've known who went are fairly quirky (lovely and smart, too)--but I don't know if they represent the norm at all. But they love their school and it seems like a place where people thrive.

Is she interested in W&M's spring admit program for waitlisted students? That might be a great option for her--go abroad for the fall with their partner program and then start at W&M in the spring. There are so many popular acapella groups at W&M, so that would be an easy social "in" for her if she were worried about missing fall (in addition to the supports for the spring admit cohort the school provides as well as friendships from study abroad).

I am the OP. We did apply to Emory and William and Mary, as I said. When we first visited Muhlenberg, DD said "too small" so she targeted some bigger schools with decent music programs and perhaps didn't apply to enough SLAC. Now, she has to live with the results.

My kid was also accepted to Muhlenberg. I have heard it is good for kids with anxiety, which I interpret to mean it is small and supportive. It doesn’t mean every kid who goes there is quirky or has anxiety, but it makes sense that kids who value that would choose a small school. FWIW my son will probably go elsewhere as he has higher ranked and better fitting options. He does have an IEP in HS and takes meds—he also has higher SAT scores than your kid, which I say only because I find your tone a little belittling, even though I get your concerns. A school where theater is the biggest major is going to have a lot of quirky kids but to my mind that’s the theater thing, not SN.

Sounds like she has great options. Muhlenberg is a liberal arts school as you know, and the way you describe your daughter, she would be very happy there. Really the only question I had (and not to be a knock on Muhlenberg) is why you didn't apply (or did she) to other liberal arts schools. The big schools you mention are all terrific, but it just won't provide the same personalized, intimate experience that a SLAC can provide.

And yes, we are going to an admitted student visit in the next two weeks.

Muhlenberg is very different from the big state schools she is also considering. It's a very small (total of 2,000 ish students!). It's like a night and day difference. I honestly can't imagine someone being interested in both types of schools, they are so different.

** Sorry, omitted a word above. DD looking for options where music and liberal arts can be combined. Not necessarily at a conservatory...

DD accepted to Muhlenberg College and other schools including Indiana (Honors), Maryland, Florida, Pitt. She was actually waitlisted at William and Mary. Applied there because she enjoys liberal arts AND voice/musical theater and we were looking for options where the two could be

Background - She was recently waitlisted at Michigan STMD and rejected at Northwestern after auditioning in person at both places - beautiful voice! She didn't apply to music school at Indiana because she thought it might be too big of a music school. And who knows if she would have gotten in. This entire year has been tough on her.

AT any rate, everyone tells me what a 'great' and 'caring' school Muhlenberg is. And it seems that way. She did a zoom last week and the first question someone asked was how their kid's IEP would be handled.

DD has been in school with many kids with IEP plans, meds, problems. Yes, it is sad in this day and age that kids have this, but she doesn't. She came away from the zoom feeling like Muhlenberg might be a place where quirky kids go who cannot handle bigger places and need a lot of support. She does know several kids who go who are kinda quirky and odd. DD wants to be with different folks.. She loves the arts but doesn't want to be in a school with solely funky arts people.

She takes pride in herself and it made her feel she was accepted to a second rate place. I don't mean to insult Muhlenberg or those who have kids there. I guess I am a little worried too.

Should she target higher ranked places like Maryland, Indiana Honors, Pitt etc in lieu of a smaller school like Muhlenberg?

Does anyone know about Muhlenberg? Can she find academic challenge and peers there? Good outcomes?

SAT is 1400 GPA is 4.7 w/3.98 UW. Beautiful voice. Loves English, History. Just a great kid.

The whole process this year is so difficult.

Thank you!