Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight, but as a follower of this board, this school does seem to get a higher than average amount of posts vs other similar LACs.

That said, I do appreciate people talking about schools that aren’t T20. As the parent of a child nowhere near that level, this board can be a bit much and not always helpful. The public in state that my child has in her final 2 is regularly trashed and it is rare to get actual first hand experience/knowledge. The other school she is considering might have only come up when I mentioned it.

Either more posters must have experiences to share than “other similar LACs” or student experiences at Juniata might be better than the school’s perceived peers.

Negative posts do not seem to come from posters who actually had a student there.

I would put more weight on boosters with first hand knowledge than critics with unsubstantiated opinions.

My DD just decided to go there. ES major, for reasons PP explained.

Agree, the town seems blah but the location was better than some other places she looked at -- Allegheny (too far, super remote), SMCM (close but nothing walkable to campus). We've stayed at Comfort Inn on our couple visits but others have recommended Raystown Resort or some B&Bs. We'll see, Comfort Inn has been fine. There are a couple cute restaurants in town where we've had good meals and one really good BBQ spot in a strip mall.

I think I heard about it here first. It probably comes up a lot because the kids who go there are happy with it, it's not that far from DC (3 hr drive is within most people's reasonable drive), hits that spot of meeting in-state budget with merit aid, good option for good but not stellar students, and is strong for STEM especially ES which seems to be increasingly popular major in general. I think UVM is also benefiting from that -- know several kids this year and last going there for ES and I feel like I never heard of that school until the last few years. Also the Juniata-hater seems to prompt more discussion as people jump in to defend the school, if (s)he'd shut up it probably wouldn't get so much air time!

I know a friend’s DD who went there as a chemistry major and loved it and got a job in a lab right out of college. Her parents are academics at a big state school and they were very happy with the education she got- so I took that as a big compliment. Good luck! Or - buen suerte! 😀

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight, but as a follower of this board, this school does seem to get a higher than average amount of posts vs other similar LACs.

That said, I do appreciate people talking about schools that aren’t T20. As the parent of a child nowhere near that level, this board can be a bit much and not always helpful. The public in state that my child has in her final 2 is regularly trashed and it is rare to get actual first hand experience/knowledge. The other school she is considering might have only come up when I mentioned it.

Completely agree with this sentiment. I have a solid 3.0 junior and I know it will all work out, but I really appreciate people here talking about lower-ranked colleges that give merit aid.

We looked seriously at it. The price was right, it seemed to offer a ton of individual attention, the professors we spoke to were impressive, and there are lots of opportunities for fieldwork in environmental science near campus and in the state parks nearby.

Campus itself is hohum and the location was ultimately the worst part. It’s so remote. And not just remote but in a very crappy area of Pennsylvania. At the time we were visiting the surrounding area was awash in Mastriano and signs (Mastriano was the governor candidate, crazier than Trump). Arbys is the main place to eat. The motel we stayed at was not just basic but had recently flooded. Those aren’t dealbreakers but I did not look forward to the drive/visiting and was relieved when my son chose a different school.

I have no dog in this fight, but as a follower of this board, this school does seem to get a higher than average amount of posts vs other similar LACs.

That said, I do appreciate people talking about schools that aren’t T20. As the parent of a child nowhere near that level, this board can be a bit much and not always helpful. The public in state that my child has in her final 2 is regularly trashed and it is rare to get actual first hand experience/knowledge. The other school she is considering might have only come up when I mentioned it.

Anonymous wrote:There are several posters who are just obsessed with this no name college, and it doesn’t make any sense. So your kid goes there, great. That doesn’t make it Harvard.

DP with no dog in this fight and no connection to Juniata whatsoever.

Respectfully, I’d encourage you to consider that you might be the one who is obsessed.

Anonymous wrote:Tell us everything there is to know!

¡Juanita es muy bien!

Ya'll have been so helpful sharing your experiences!

My neighbor's daughter attended, just graduated last year. I believe she studied something related to English and creative writing and media studies, though the POE curriculum allows students to create their own niche major combinations essentially. She was really happy there, still has her college boyfriend who seems to be outdoorsy, she was a sweet and bubbly girl in high school with my kids and emerged from college with quiet poise but still her friendly demeanor and enthusiasm. She ran on the cross country team for a couple years before opting for club sports but also dabbled in Chinese language when it was offered and environmental studies. All in all, the neighbors seem happy with their choice - I know that merit aid was a deciding factor - and she seems happy with what she got out of it. Currently living at home working an Americorps job while applying to grad programs.

Anonymous wrote:There are several posters who are just obsessed with this no name college, and it doesn’t make any sense. So your kid goes there, great. That doesn’t make it Harvard.

Not everyone is looking for harvard. Why don't you stick to the harvRd thread.

My kid thrived there. It is a supportive community. I really like their values. Every student gets two advisors. The professors are genuinely interested in the students. For example, at the end of my DD's History of Food class, the class cooked the subject of their final papers at their professor’s house, meeting his whole family. They have great traditions, some of which date back to the 1800’s (like Mountain Day).

I think a sweet (vs slick) kid would do well there.

The town does not have much, but it is safe. The surrounding area is good for nature lovers. State College is 45 minutes away, if your kid misses more options.

Several times my kid even came home via Amtrak. It is VERY indirect (they first have to head East to Philly), but if the kid has reading to do any you don’t feel like driving through Thanksgiving traffic, it can come in handy.

Check it out, and see if your kid likes the vibe.

Anonymous wrote:There are several posters who are just obsessed with this no name college, and it doesn’t make any sense. So your kid goes there, great. That doesn’t make it Harvard.

Ah, he showed up. So we're only allowed to like and to talk about our kid's school if it's Harvard, even in response to a direct question. That's what you think? Would make for a not-very-useful forum!

Anonymous wrote:I've noticed that small, rural LACs with no Greek life tend to be very woke. Is that the case with Juniata?

They seem to have as many DEI programs as other schools we looked at. It doesn't seem to be a place where kids are out protesting. Given the number of rural/1st gen kids I think the student body seems to lean perhaps a bit conservative or at least not strongly left? Which might seem conservative compared to other LACs. Significant number of students in the ES program are avid fishers/hunters. One of their big events is a public speaking contest on a defined topic and some prior years the topic has identity focused but this year it was “What issue or condition needs to be addressed for individuals and communities to reach their full potential for health and well-being?”

My sense is that it is inclusive of all kinds of people without making a fuss about it.

Who I’m sure will jump all over my typos because the ability to use a tiny phone keyboard with no errors makes their argument better than mine. 😂