<p>while, yes, some students do go home (obviously not my child as we live 700+ miles away), there's a large majority that don't because they're involved in on-campus activities that require their presence over the weekend, such as the theater kids (which is the second largest major on campus last I was told).</p>
<p>Teriwtt- As a theater major, would your d say that she has most of her friends remaining for the weekend ?? I know some schools feel like a ghost town. The theater dept tends to pull much much more from a national pool. My d, a west coast kid, doesn't want to feel like most everyone, except her, are gone for the weekends. I think if the dorm clears out 1/2 of its students over the weekend she would get this feeling. Thanks</p>
<p>Yes, as a theater major I think almost all of her friends are around every weekend. She has never, ever once complained about everyone going home for the weekend. Her roommate from freshman year went home every weekend, but she lived 15 minutes away, and I think it had more to do with her mother wanting her to come home and an ongoing weekend job. Her roommate this year is about 45 minutes from home, and goes home every other weekend, but she's had some medical issues. There are always so many productions in rehearsal that, even if one is not cast, they're almost always involved in some sort of technical aspect of a show at any given time. This is just my observation, but I think the theater kids are the most geographically diverse group of all, coming from locations that are not conducive to weekends going home.</p>
<p>However, I also know that the campus does try to provide 'entertainment' on weekends, too. There's always something going on, on weekends that kids can get involved in.</p>
<p>I'm curious. How did you folks from the midwest and west coast hear about Muhlenberg, and what influenced you/your child to enroll?</p>
<p>I used to live in Naperville, IL and never heard of most of the schools in PA. It would not have occurred to me to suggest my child look into one of them. Also, I lived for many years in Minnesota. Same thing. Before moving out here (due to a job change in this crappy economy) I'd never heard of Muhlenberg College. I'm puzzled how some of you folks who are not from the area learned about the school.</p>
<p>Swarthmore or Bryn Mawr, or U Penn or Penn State, I could understand, but why Muhlenberg if you're not from the tri-state area out here? How'd you even hear about the school?</p>
<p>D's experience has been about what you'd expect: it's not a suitcase school, but lots of her friends go home some weekends. Even more important, and surprising to D who knew the social scene at an LAC that had a more national/international student body, was that many students have a divided social life, partly centered on their home town/HS friends, and another at college. Several of her friends are still with HS boyfriends, for example, and shuttle between home and the BF's campus on weekends.</p>
<p>The school does a good job of providing on-campus activities, but there have been weekends where most of her friends have gone home and the on-campus stuff didn't grab her. Thankfully, she doesn't enjoy the party scene. Apparently for the students who like going to parties at the frats or sports houses, weekend entertainment is no problem. I should add that D lives in Brown, all women, and the closest thing M. has to a "quiet dorm" for first-year students.</p>
<p>Hope there's more good news in today's mail for applicants!</p>
<p>plainsman - most of the non-east coasters heard about it in their search for a strong theater program. I'd never heard of it until I read about it in the musical theater forum of CC. Perhaps you are not aware of the reputation of its theater department?</p>
<p>Plainsman - We too heard about Muhlenberg in our search for theater programs. Muhlenberg is very very highly regarded in the theater arena. After the program caught our attention we learned more at a college fair at UCLA where Muhlenberg had a booth. After speaking with the two graduates manning the booth, Muhlenberg was written in ink on her short list.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Wow! Muhlenberg is that big on Theatre? I had no idea. I guess that explains it. Thank you both.</p>
<p>enjoytheadventur - </p>
<p>my daughter was a student rep at the Chicago version of that fair last fall; it happened to coincide with her fall break. She enjoyed talking to prospies.</p>
<p>We're very rural midwesterners. My son wants a small LAC. Though Vassar or Carleton are first choices for his Film or Cinema major, Muhlenberg showed up as a decent equivalent for a safety; especially when we heard that the numbers of college apps for this year is a record high nationwide.
Well, he's in at Muhlenberg and a few more of his "second tier" choices. I would love to know what type of merit/finaid package M might offer. Does anyone know when we'll hear?
With this economy and the depressing decline in his college savings, even to him those second choices that offer good aid are starting to become way more interesting.</p>
<p>My D just got her acceptance to Dickinson College. They posted the RD admissions decisions on their website at 5:05 pm today. Unfortunately, their main Accepted students preview day is....drumroll....Saturday April 18! Yikes! The same day as Muhlenberg!. Fortunately, Dickinson also provides three other days in April for accepted RD students. They advertise them as a kind of "have it your way" day. My daughter just registered for the very first one on Wednesday, April 8.</p>
<p>So, second looks at both Muhlenberg and Dickinson are on the calendar. Perhaps I'll run into some of you folks on both campuses.</p>
<p>Congrats Plainsman on all the good news. </p>
<p>Regarding your statement
"Wow! Muhlenberg is that big on Theatre? I had no idea. I guess that explains it. Thank you both. "</p>
<p>Princeton Review of 368 colleges lists Muhlenberg # 6 on College Theatre List.</p>
<p>Plainsman, you might find it interesting to visit this thread from Musical Theater Major- moderated by a SoozieVt, whose two daughters went through an exhaustive MT search, so CC promoted her to MT counselor.....</p>
<p>College Discussion > College Admissions and Search > College Majors > Musical Theater Major > Musical Theater Schools > Muhlenberg College MT</p>
<p>Trying to insert link --
-<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/muhlenberg-college-mt/78403-muhlenberg.html">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/muhlenberg-college-mt/78403-muhlenberg.html</a></p>
<p>yes, Muhenberg has its own thread in the musical theater forum.</p>
<p>Don't mean to hijack this thread, but my D applied to both Muhlenberg and Dickinson. At 5 minutes after 5 p.m. today, Dickinson posted their admission decision for ALL RD applicants on their website, accessible via the password applicants were sent weeks and months ago. Here's the kicker, and where I think Muhlenberg missed the boat: Dickinson included a link at the bottom of their web page for each applicant to click on to view/print his/her financial aid award decision. Just like that. One fell swoop, tightly and efficiently organized, an LAC with the same number of students as Muhlenberg, posted ALL RD decisions at the same time onlline AND every financial aid award. Done. Finished. No one has to wait for staggered snail mail. People in Tennessee or Timbuktu learn their admission and financial aid status on the same day, and at the same time. I am EXTREMELY impressed by their efficiency and organization. </p>
<p>Colorful folders and information on housing will come via snail mail to everybody next week. What most people want to know RIGHT NOW was answered simply and efficiently via the Internet. I wish Muhlenberg and every other college was this amazingly efficient.</p>