Anonymous
Post 02/16/2024 14:16     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:My daughter is interested in SLACs. I grew up in New York and always envisioned the NESCAC schools when I thought about liberal arts colleges. We now live in the midwest, and I'm wondering if there's any need to do a New England tour, or if the midwestern SLACs have everything she'll need- she's interested so far in St. Olaf, Grinnell, Dickinson, Denison. Merit aid will also have to be part of the equation - we don't need a ton, but a place like Grinnell that offers automatic merit aid if you go ED would make it a lot easier for us. Certainly we would prefer driving distance over flying distance.


For a student who plans to major in the humanities or the social sciences, maybe Wash. U. and some other private schools could be seen as liberal arts college equivalents.

The professors probably face some publish-or-perish pressure, but the number of humanities and social sciences students and the ratio of those students to faculty might not be that different than at a SLAC.

I’m talking about Wash. U. because that’s what I know, but I suspect that Case Western and Rochester, and plenty of other research universities, might also be schools where kids who dare to be English majors end up in a SLAC-like bubble inside a research university.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 20:55     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I will also note that Grinnell’s ED acceptance rate went down this year, probably in part due to the automatic merit aid.


What is it now?


34% for ED. The number of ED applications rose substantially.


Here’s an article about it. Grinnell guarantees a minimum of $20k in merit aid to any student admitted ED. That’s a big deal.

https://thesandb.com/45768/article/grinnell-college-estimates-57-of-incoming-class-will-be-early-decision-admits/#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%20four%20years,)%20rate%20has%20averaged%2014%25.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 20:46     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I will also note that Grinnell’s ED acceptance rate went down this year, probably in part due to the automatic merit aid.


What is it now?


34% for ED. The number of ED applications rose substantially.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 18:20     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dennison is probably the best Midwestern SLAC that isn't overly woke, if that matters to you. It would to me.


I personally prefer my kids go to woke schools because I want them to learn about our country’s complex and at times ugly history. I want them to be in an environment that fosters true inclusion and where the students are genuinely interested in making society more just and fair. Woke is a good thing; it means you are awake and have your eyes open. I get it, it’s easier to live in denial and pretend your white Indiana ancestors were in the KKK or that slavery was a benevolent form of employment, or that traditional women’s roles were just great, never mind my mother legally could not apply for a credit card on her own when I was a kid. I get that some kids aren’t able to handle being uncomfortable, ever. Mine can handle it.


If you think woke schools are inclusive, try standing up in class and saying Ron DeSantis did the best job of any governor during Covid. You'll see pretty quickly how tolerant your classmates and professor are.


Ma'am, this is a Wendy's...


Such an original joke.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 18:08     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Wooster as a safety?
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 17:59     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dennison is probably the best Midwestern SLAC that isn't overly woke, if that matters to you. It would to me.


I personally prefer my kids go to woke schools because I want them to learn about our country’s complex and at times ugly history. I want them to be in an environment that fosters true inclusion and where the students are genuinely interested in making society more just and fair. Woke is a good thing; it means you are awake and have your eyes open. I get it, it’s easier to live in denial and pretend your white Indiana ancestors were in the KKK or that slavery was a benevolent form of employment, or that traditional women’s roles were just great, never mind my mother legally could not apply for a credit card on her own when I was a kid. I get that some kids aren’t able to handle being uncomfortable, ever. Mine can handle it.


If you think woke schools are inclusive, try standing up in class and saying Ron DeSantis did the best job of any governor during Covid. You'll see pretty quickly how tolerant your classmates and professor are.


Ma'am, this is a Wendy's...
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 17:47     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:Grinnell is in that I-80 meth corridor where all sorts of undocumented trafficking is rampant. See: murders in nearby towns of Mollie Tibbetts, Xavier Harrelson, and others unpublished.. see Iowa Bureau site. Grinnell is getting so bad.


I searched and found no recent murders of Grinnell students. One football player was sadly killed in an accident a few years ago walking along the highway and being hit by a vehicle.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 17:09     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here -yes, I think we will look at Macalaster and UMN when we are up there. (She would be interested in the ag/food science school which I understand is on a smaller campus). She is not too keen Carleton. Our neighbors have 2 kids there and they say it is a total pressure cooker. Plus, I figure if she can get into Carleton, she could get into Grinnell, which has more programs she likes and is closest to home (a plus for her). PA is furthest afield for us, but she really liked the offerings at Dickinson.


FWIW, my Carleton student has not found Carleton to be a pressure cooker. Students are collaborative and friendly. It's on the trimester system, so terms do move quickly. Maybe your neighbors' kids don't like that aspect?



Very liberal. VERY. And into DEI and indoctrination. NOt wort $86K a year and my wife went there and 100% agrees.


Yes, yes, you've written about your wife before. If she feels that strongly about it, maybe she should be the one sharing her experiences from however long ago it was. FWIW, I have a student there now who thinks it's great. (No merit aid, as a pp said, but very generous with financial.) It is roughly as liberal as its peer SLACs. If that type of school is not for you, feel free to look for conservative schools of similar quality and send your kid there.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 16:59     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:A friend whose DC is at Mac was just raving to me last night about it! They love the school. Also have a brother who still calls Kenyon “magical”-and both have merit. I went to a NESCAC school but don’t see how they are worth full pay if you can get merit at a great SLAC elsewhere.


I’m really happy to read this. My DC is going to Mac (with strong merit aid) and we are really excited about the school. Both DH and I went to NESCACs and have another DC currently at a NESCAC. We are thrilled that younger DC is heading to Mac with all the opportunities that being in a major city will offer that our SLACs didn’t (not complaining - just a different set of opportunities).
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 16:13     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Grinnell is in that I-80 meth corridor where all sorts of undocumented trafficking is rampant. See: murders in nearby towns of Mollie Tibbetts, Xavier Harrelson, and others unpublished.. see Iowa Bureau site. Grinnell is getting so bad.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 15:30     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dennison is probably the best Midwestern SLAC that isn't overly woke, if that matters to you. It would to me.


I personally prefer my kids go to woke schools because I want them to learn about our country’s complex and at times ugly history. I want them to be in an environment that fosters true inclusion and where the students are genuinely interested in making society more just and fair. Woke is a good thing; it means you are awake and have your eyes open. I get it, it’s easier to live in denial and pretend your white Indiana ancestors were in the KKK or that slavery was a benevolent form of employment, or that traditional women’s roles were just great, never mind my mother legally could not apply for a credit card on her own when I was a kid. I get that some kids aren’t able to handle being uncomfortable, ever. Mine can handle it.


If you think woke schools are inclusive, try standing up in class and saying Ron DeSantis did the best job of any governor during Covid. You'll see pretty quickly how tolerant your classmates and professor are.


Why would someone stand up in class and say that? Such a weird hypothetical.


They could be having a class discussion on public health policy. It's no weirder of a hypothetical than someone in class arguing, for instance, that brutalism is an underrated style of architecture. It just depends on the context and what preceded the comment.


Not the PP and fair point, but that doesn't mean folks get to make statements and expect they will not be contested, especially about RDS.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 15:29     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Weather seems comparable and some travel is easier, my DH goes to Oberlin and it is about a 6 hour drive from DC - comparable or closer than most of the NESLACs and got a fair amount of merit aid and didn't do ED. Flights are pretty frequent and cheap from Cleveland to DCA as long as they are booked more than 2 weeks out
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 15:28     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dennison is probably the best Midwestern SLAC that isn't overly woke, if that matters to you. It would to me.


I personally prefer my kids go to woke schools because I want them to learn about our country’s complex and at times ugly history. I want them to be in an environment that fosters true inclusion and where the students are genuinely interested in making society more just and fair. Woke is a good thing; it means you are awake and have your eyes open. I get it, it’s easier to live in denial and pretend your white Indiana ancestors were in the KKK or that slavery was a benevolent form of employment, or that traditional women’s roles were just great, never mind my mother legally could not apply for a credit card on her own when I was a kid. I get that some kids aren’t able to handle being uncomfortable, ever. Mine can handle it.


If you think woke schools are inclusive, try standing up in class and saying Ron DeSantis did the best job of any governor during Covid. You'll see pretty quickly how tolerant your classmates and professor are.


Why would someone stand up in class and say that? Such a weird hypothetical.


And folks may not agree with that claim. It's hard to know how many died due to FL because he refused for numbers to be collected/released.

Moreover, students may not think that their parents should have to sign permission slips to hear from African-American speakers - not a specific speaker, but an "African-American" speaker.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 15:23     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A friend whose DC is at Mac was just raving to me last night about it! They love the school. Also have a brother who still calls Kenyon “magical”-and both have merit. I went to a NESCAC school but don’t see how they are worth full pay if you can get merit at a great SLAC elsewhere.


As the parent of a kid who chose a highly regarded NE LAC over Mac + top merit, I would agree except for two things: location/distance and weather. The ability to drive/train to and from school and being in a more temperate climate were meaningful. Obviously this varies by kid. But for this kid these lifestyle factors outweighed the possibility of some money leftover in the 529.

If the NE LAC hadn’t been an option, kid would have been very happy going to Mac.


What NE LAC is temperate?
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2024 15:22     Subject: Midwestern SLACS
Anonymous wrote:Grinnell is desolate and the surrounding meth towns are quite dangerous. Students have been murdered at gas stations and rest stops traveling to and from Grinnell.


Do you have a cite for that? A student unfortunately died by suicide along the interstate headed towards Des Moines a few years ago, but I am unaware of what you are claiming.