Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 21:15     Subject: Re:The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Okay, maybe we missed something, but in what universe is Amherst in a great college town? Seriously, we couldn't find much town at all there. There were Amherst, U Mass Amherst, and then nothing nearby. That was my DD's chief concern. We asked where kids went off campus for fun and they mentioned buses to Boston, which is a bit of a hike. If we missed a great college town I'm happy to be proven wrong. Did we just look in the wrong place?


I think you did look in the wrong place. Amherst is in a great town along with other nearby towns such as Northampton and Hadley. Lots of good restaurants (probably because UMass with its large student population there). Great shopping nearby such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, LL Bean, etc. If you like the outdoors there is a lot do as well. Mt. Holyoke mountains has nice hiking trails. The Berkshires are not far away


This is good to know. Is there anything within walking distance of campus?
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 20:12     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:Here's my take on WASP:

Williams: Terrible, no good school that rejected my kid. May locusts devour their crops and their spouses become infertile.

Amherst: Kid didn't apply and so I don't know much about it except that it's definitely better than Williams.

Swarthmore: It's am amazing college that accepted my kid. All Swatties are good looking geniuses and who will probably win Nobel Prizes in the future.

Pomona: It's a mediocre school that waitlisted my kid. It has the potential to be great (waitlist pending), but it has some serious issues (like taking my kid off the waitlist).


Perfect post.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:55     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:Here's my take on WASP:

Williams: Terrible, no good school that rejected my kid. May locusts devour their crops and their spouses become infertile.

Amherst: Kid didn't apply and so I don't know much about it except that it's definitely better than Williams.

Swarthmore: It's am amazing college that accepted my kid. All Swatties are good looking geniuses and who will probably win Nobel Prizes in the future.

Pomona: It's a mediocre school that waitlisted my kid. It has the potential to be great (waitlist pending), but it has some serious issues (like taking my kid off the waitlist).


Lol, so true… The school that accepts your kid is the best and the one that rejects them is the worst!
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:39     Subject: Re:The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:Is JMU better?


Not sure if you mean James Madison University or James Madison University/Michigan/University of Utah. Either way, those are all huge schools so you can't really compare them to small colleges.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:35     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:If it might be relevant for your student:

Williams and Amherst: stopped requiring that students have the COVID vaccine a year ago.

Swarthmore and Pomona: still require students to have the COVID vaccine, at the moment, here in March 2024. Swat also requires a booster.


OMG, just stop. This was NOT asked. YOU are the only one with a problem with a Covid vax requirement.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:30     Subject: The Guide to WASP
My DC will graduate from Amherst this year. DC leans a bit to the left but not overly so, probably more middle of the road. I have to say that the new president has made it a point to make sure ALL sides are heard and has encouraged open dialogue and inviting conservative speakers. How refreshing!
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:27     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:
It’s AWS


The original AWS lineup deserves respect! But these days people might confuse it with Amazon Web Services.

Adding the P solves that problem. (But it kind of creates another problem because "WASP" also can be misinterpreted.)
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:19     Subject: Re:The Guide to WASP
Is JMU better?
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:16     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:Here's my take on WASP:

Williams: Terrible, no good school that rejected my kid. May locusts devour their crops and their spouses become infertile.

Amherst: Kid didn't apply and so I don't know much about it except that it's definitely better than Williams.

Swarthmore: It's am amazing college that accepted my kid. All Swatties are good looking geniuses and who will probably win Nobel Prizes in the future.

Pomona: It's a mediocre school that waitlisted my kid. It has the potential to be great (waitlist pending), but it has some serious issues (like taking my kid off the waitlist).


A lot of true in your post.

Big congrats on Swarthmore!
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:12     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:OP here. My post was not meant to be that serious. I was just looking to start a fun conversation about these schools.


I like your post
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:12     Subject: Re:The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:Okay, maybe we missed something, but in what universe is Amherst in a great college town? Seriously, we couldn't find much town at all there. There were Amherst, U Mass Amherst, and then nothing nearby. That was my DD's chief concern. We asked where kids went off campus for fun and they mentioned buses to Boston, which is a bit of a hike. If we missed a great college town I'm happy to be proven wrong. Did we just look in the wrong place?


I think you did look in the wrong place. Amherst is in a great town along with other nearby towns such as Northampton and Hadley. Lots of good restaurants (probably because UMass with its large student population there). Great shopping nearby such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, LL Bean, etc. If you like the outdoors there is a lot do as well. Mt. Holyoke mountains has nice hiking trails. The Berkshires are not far away
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:11     Subject: The Guide to WASP
OP here. My post was not meant to be that serious. I was just looking to start a fun conversation about these schools.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:04     Subject: The Guide to WASP
OP, great points!
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:54     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am officially dumber for having read this.
+1
+1 more


+ another
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:47     Subject: The Guide to WASP
Anonymous wrote:Here's my take on WASP:

Williams: Terrible, no good school that rejected my kid. May locusts devour their crops and their spouses become infertile.

Amherst: Kid didn't apply and so I don't know much about it except that it's definitely better than Williams.

Swarthmore: It's am amazing college that accepted my kid. All Swatties are good looking geniuses and who will probably win Nobel Prizes in the future.

Pomona: It's a mediocre school that waitlisted my kid. It has the potential to be great (waitlist pending), but it has some serious issues (like taking my kid off the waitlist).



Well said. Every parent believes that the best school is the one that accepts their kid.