Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Hamilton both have really strong writing programs. W&L is very strong in econ; it's also probably the most right-wing of all the "prestigious" colleges in the country.
Lol.....W&L isn't prestigious.....it's fratty and southern and has an unremarkable academic reputation. Hamilton really surprised us with its lovely campus, serious but outgoing students, and what I perceived to be a good balance between academics and social life. Growing up in DC I had never even heard of Hamilton but was very familiar with the rest of the NESCAC schools....which is odd. Maybe they draw more from NY/NE but I was very impressed.
Sorry to disagree but facts are stubborn things. Per 2020 USNWR, W&L and Hamilton are top SLACs both ranked #9and Kenyon is very respectable at 28. The large endowment allows W&L to invest more in faculty and student financial aid. The Johnson Scholarship alone is a full ride for 10% of each class.
9. W&L ($1.68b endowment)
9. Hamilton ($969m endowment)
28. Kenyon ($422m endowment)
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges
Don’t apologize. The negative W&L posters on this thread are just stumbling around the real issue they have and won’t openly admit: W&L’s history and association with Robert E. Lee.
W&L is a fine school. It’s not for everyone. No school is.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Hamilton both have really strong writing programs. W&L is very strong in econ; it's also probably the most right-wing of all the "prestigious" colleges in the country.
Lol.....W&L isn't prestigious.....it's fratty and southern and has an unremarkable academic reputation. Hamilton really surprised us with its lovely campus, serious but outgoing students, and what I perceived to be a good balance between academics and social life. Growing up in DC I had never even heard of Hamilton but was very familiar with the rest of the NESCAC schools....which is odd. Maybe they draw more from NY/NE but I was very impressed.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Compare and contrast, please. We got started on the college search process early. These are the top 3 choices for my rising senior.
Good luck to your DC on his/her decisions. Most people would consider June before senior year late to the game!
Anonymous wrote:Compare and contrast, please. We got started on the college search process early. These are the top 3 choices for my rising senior.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We toured Washington & Lee. In our child's assessment the 85% Greek membership and drinking culture was not acceptable. Very little diversity. It is difficult to get into, although after touring, I'm not quite sure why.
I'm not sure, either. What's the draw and how did they become so selective?
I really don't know. We put it on the tour list because it's the no. 1 SLAC in the south. We were doing UVA , Va Tech and VMI during the sweep. Nothing about it was appealing. Maybe because it was a hot and muggy day and few dorms at W & L have AC (turnoff for DC who had just spent a miserable summer in similar dorms at an Ivy). The tour officer was off-putting, going into great detail as to how difficult it was to get in ED1 and ED2 (this was two years ago, so maybe has changed). The buildings looked run-down. Lee's Memorial Chapel was pretty but I could see how minority students might find it uncomfortable there with Traveler's bones in the basement. DS wanted aerospace engineering so it was clear this was not going to be a good fit early on. The drinking culture starts thurs night and runs thru sunday night. I didn't like the fact that so much of the campus was Greek and it was expensive Greek. it was explained to me by someone who actually works there that this creates a "have" and "have nots" caste system on campus because even the minority /scholarship students can't afford to participate in the Greek life because it costs so much to join up. Even if they are full freight scholarship students, they can't afford the Greek fees. Also, the rents off-campus in the immediate down are ridiculously high because the owners know they can charge whatever they want and many are in unsafe condition. So students move even farther off campus Then we were told about the girl who had died flying through a car window when 11 kids were trying to get back to campus, drunk, after an off-campus party. that did it for us. Maybe legacies whose parents were really into Greek life want to go there. I don't see the magic at all.
+1 - advise you pass on this school.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We toured Washington & Lee. In our child's assessment the 85% Greek membership and drinking culture was not acceptable. Very little diversity. It is difficult to get into, although after touring, I'm not quite sure why.
I'm not sure, either. What's the draw and how did they become so selective?
I really don't know. We put it on the tour list because it's the no. 1 SLAC in the south. We were doing UVA , Va Tech and VMI during the sweep. Nothing about it was appealing. Maybe because it was a hot and muggy day and few dorms at W & L have AC (turnoff for DC who had just spent a miserable summer in similar dorms at an Ivy). The tour officer was off-putting, going into great detail as to how difficult it was to get in ED1 and ED2 (this was two years ago, so maybe has changed). The buildings looked run-down. Lee's Memorial Chapel was pretty but I could see how minority students might find it uncomfortable there with Traveler's bones in the basement. DS wanted aerospace engineering so it was clear this was not going to be a good fit early on. The drinking culture starts thurs night and runs thru sunday night. I didn't like the fact that so much of the campus was Greek and it was expensive Greek. it was explained to me by someone who actually works there that this creates a "have" and "have nots" caste system on campus because even the minority /scholarship students can't afford to participate in the Greek life because it costs so much to join up. Even if they are full freight scholarship students, they can't afford the Greek fees. Also, the rents off-campus in the immediate down are ridiculously high because the owners know they can charge whatever they want and many are in unsafe condition. So students move even farther off campus Then we were told about the girl who had died flying through a car window when 11 kids were trying to get back to campus, drunk, after an off-campus party. that did it for us. Maybe legacies whose parents were really into Greek life want to go there. I don't see the magic at all.