What's the academic profile of students who would do well at Geneseo or any of these schools and that of a high flyer at one of the schools?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous is SMCM? It says it’s an honors college but has a v high acceptance rate. Would a top HS student be bored here? My kid loves the campus but worries it would be like MCPS “everyone in honors english”

I don’t know what your kid would find boring, but if they what organic chemistry or advanced physics of the most writing-intensive English class you can imagine, you can take those at SMCM! And the other people taking them will be super smart kids just like your daughter.

There are indeed students at SMCM who are not super smart, straight A students. My kid is one. He actually is very bright, but he’s not a fabulous student. He is a funny, kind, generous man, though, so your daughter might like having him as a classmate even if he is a business major.

Excellent points! And I don’t want you to think my kid is a total snob, it’s really not that, they just want to be around people who WANT to be at school, who want to learn, who participate in class and pull their weight in class projects.

PS Your son sounds awesome you have so much to be proud of!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous is SMCM? It says it’s an honors college but has a v high acceptance rate. Would a top HS student be bored here? My kid loves the campus but worries it would be like MCPS “everyone in honors english”

I don’t know what your kid would find boring, but if they what organic chemistry or advanced physics of the most writing-intensive English class you can imagine, you can take those at SMCM! And the other people taking them will be super smart kids just like your daughter.

There are indeed students at SMCM who are not super smart, straight A students. My kid is one. He actually is very bright, but he’s not a fabulous student. He is a funny, kind, generous man, though, so your daughter might like having him as a classmate even if he is a business major.

How does your son like the business major? It's a pretty new program, isn't it? I've heard nothing but great things about St. Mary's. I've read about the close relationship between English professors and students there. It sounds intensive and supportive.

He likes it! He is a freshman, though, so he may find he wants to do something else - which is part of why he wanted a liberal arts college. He wants to explore and learn a bit before he decides what his career will be. He has found his professors really caring and supportive, even the one that he started off saying was abrupt and confusing. He’s taking another class with her next semester because he ended up building a relationship and likes her class. He likes the focus on business administration and management rather than finance - he is not gonna be a finance bro. So it seems a really nice fit for him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

St. Mary’s is definitely not an honors college anymore( if it ever was).

From their website: “As The National Public Honors College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland offers an undergraduate liberal arts education and small-college experience like those found at exceptional private colleges.”

https://www.smcm.edu/about/

This is marketing.

Another SMCM alum (but 30 years ago!) - it really is a special place. I loved my time there and made lifelong friends. It is isolated and rural, so if your DC will have issues with that, then you might think twice. But I went there from a pretty urban environment and really loved the bubble. That said, it's not for everyone, and I had a few friends transfer because it was too small for them.

It's certainly solid academically - as with most schools, it depends upon what you make of it. There are lots of smart, driven kids there. I feel like my time there was a good, holistic college experience. I had to work hard, but could also have a good social life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous is SMCM? It says it’s an honors college but has a v high acceptance rate. Would a top HS student be bored here? My kid loves the campus but worries it would be like MCPS “everyone in honors english”

I don’t know what your kid would find boring, but if they what organic chemistry or advanced physics of the most writing-intensive English class you can imagine, you can take those at SMCM! And the other people taking them will be super smart kids just like your daughter.

There are indeed students at SMCM who are not super smart, straight A students. My kid is one. He actually is very bright, but he’s not a fabulous student. He is a funny, kind, generous man, though, so your daughter might like having him as a classmate even if he is a business major.

How does your son like the business major? It's a pretty new program, isn't it? I've heard nothing but great things about St. Mary's. I've read about the close relationship between English professors and students there. It sounds intensive and supportive.

I'm a SMCM alum from 20+ years ago and had a professor at my wedding. A professor even sends me holiday cards still each year. I know that I could always reach out to multiple professors I had, even today, and that they'd help me. It's a special place!

Geneseo’s decent.

‘Nuf said.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous is SMCM? It says it’s an honors college but has a v high acceptance rate. Would a top HS student be bored here? My kid loves the campus but worries it would be like MCPS “everyone in honors english”

I don’t know what your kid would find boring, but if they what organic chemistry or advanced physics of the most writing-intensive English class you can imagine, you can take those at SMCM! And the other people taking them will be super smart kids just like your daughter.

There are indeed students at SMCM who are not super smart, straight A students. My kid is one. He actually is very bright, but he’s not a fabulous student. He is a funny, kind, generous man, though, so your daughter might like having him as a classmate even if he is a business major.

How does your son like the business major? It's a pretty new program, isn't it? I've heard nothing but great things about St. Mary's. I've read about the close relationship between English professors and students there. It sounds intensive and supportive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geneseo and St Mary’s are considered the state’s Honors Colleges. Not sure about Mary Washington.

I’ve heard Geneseo is similar to William & Mary.

St. Mary’s is definitely not an honors college anymore( if it ever was).

It was and is.

Geneseo is a small college town with DIII sports. The town is small and has a cute old section surrounded by the usual big boxes. Western, NY weather. Either about a 5.5 hour drive from the DC area, or a flight to ROC with a 40 minute drive south of the airport.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do SUNY Geneseo and New Paltz compare? I think the SUNY system has some hidden gems and it’s not a bad option for OOS students, still a reasonable cost for a solid education.

Geneseo and New Paltz are ranked about the same on USNWR. Both are regional, not national. New Paltz is bigger and in a better location. But Binghamton, Stony Brook, and Buffalo are the top SUNYs. Geneseo and New Paltz are decent regional schools but can't compare to those three.

I grew up in NYS and have several friends who went to Geneseo. My sense is that Geneseo attracts the same caliber of student who could get into UB, Binghamton or Stony Brook. They just like Geneseo better. Kind of like picking William & Mary over UVA.

Anonymous wrote:How do SUNY Geneseo and New Paltz compare? I think the SUNY system has some hidden gems and it’s not a bad option for OOS students, still a reasonable cost for a solid education.

Rankings wise they might look about the same, but they appeal to different types of students. New Paltz attracts a lot of commuters and nontraditional students. Geneseo is more attractive to someone looking for an SLAC-like experience at a lower cost.

Anonymous wrote:

St. Mary’s is definitely not an honors college anymore( if it ever was).

From their website: “As The National Public Honors College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland offers an undergraduate liberal arts education and small-college experience like those found at exceptional private colleges.”

https://www.smcm.edu/about/

Anonymous wrote:Geneseo and St Mary’s are considered the state’s Honors Colleges. Not sure about Mary Washington.

I’ve heard Geneseo is similar to William & Mary.

St. Mary’s is definitely not an honors college anymore( if it ever was).

Anonymous wrote:How do SUNY Geneseo and New Paltz compare? I think the SUNY system has some hidden gems and it’s not a bad option for OOS students, still a reasonable cost for a solid education.

Geneseo and New Paltz are ranked about the same on USNWR. Both are regional, not national. New Paltz is bigger and in a better location. But Binghamton, Stony Brook, and Buffalo are the top SUNYs. Geneseo and New Paltz are decent regional schools but can't compare to those three.