<p>All our questions have been answered, deposit made today. Daughter is excited, so am I. Anybody else commit yet?</p>
<p>Congratulations Icebat!! and to your daughter! My daughter is ready to commit, but we are waiting on a couple of “items” to clarify. I will post when we put the deposit in!!</p>
<p>Icebat, our D has committed! Paid the deposit yesterday…so excited!</p>
<p>Yea !!!</p>
<p>Hi! Would you two tell me how your daughters are getting on now that the first semester is coming to a close. Please describe to me in a few words the average girl who enrolls at Allegheny. My daughter and I are trying to figure out if Allegheny would suit her or she Allegheny. Thank you!</p>
<p>I can describe my daughter but I don’t think there is an “average” student. It seems that even though the school is small, they seem to encompass all types of kids. My girl was a top student at her high school and benefited from this when it cam to the trustee scholarship at Allegheny. She applied to Swarthmore (did not get accepted), but all along said she preferred Allegheny because she felt it had a similar feel without the “nerd factor”… She wanted intellectual stimulation but wanted a mix of students. She did say that if she got into Swarthmore, that she would go because of the prestige. Also admitted she would rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond, and she knew that Swarthmore was a BIG pond. </p>
<p>Now that she is at Allegheny, she is finding ALL types of kids, some she likes and some she doesn’t. She has grown up in a community with minimal ethnic diversity, mostly white people of the Christian persuasion (this includes us as well). She quickly became good friends with a guy from China and an African American young woman from NY. She said that her freshman seminar managed to have several (can’t remember how many but know I was impressed) international and far from home students. I had read an article that small LAC’s seem to fair better in this area than large institutions where groups of kids seem to group with kids that are similar to them, ie international, ethnic and religious backgrounds…In the smaller setting, people seem to mingle more. So, this seems to reflect her experience. </p>
<p>There are kids that are not academically where she is, in both directions. Socially, she has not started drinking and has managed to find some friends that have not, although she says some of her friends do engage in weekend partying. I do not know if this will continue for her, of course I hope it does because she confirms what we parents already know, that the kids drink till drunk, throw up, get hung over…can’t do their work the next day. I assume it is not to the extent of other party schools but it is certainly available for those that want it. </p>
<p>There are kids in sports, arts, sciences, humanities. There is a lot of opportunity to get experience of various forms in Meadville. It seems that the college is integrated into the community and that it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Our daughter is interested in pursuing teacher certification and got campus employment in the Martin Luther King mentoring program at the local middle school. The school is so welcoming and generally helpful. When she was applying and we had a question, they would get back to us quickly and personally. We did not have that experience with other schools. </p>
<p>Our daughter seems to have made the transition without difficulty. In fact, it has been so easy that I keep waiting for something to creep up. So far, nothing!</p>
<p>So, as you can see, we are all happy with the decision. Feel free to ask me if you have anything specific. Your daughter will find all types of kids there, check out the varied list of clubs and organizations they have to give you an idea of some of the interests. Good Luck!!</p>
<p>My daughter attended a private school in Pittsburgh. She was accepted to Pitt’s Nursing School (which enrolls only about 120) and my alma mater, Georgia Tech (Biology). She considered & visited Loyola (MD), U.Mary Washington and U.Richmond but did not apply to any of them. After Allegheny made a presentation at her HS she applied there under the Leadership Application & was awarded a Trustee Scholarship. Her decision to attend Allegheny was based on the campus environment which she found to be warm and just the right size for her. She likes the town & walks there from campus often. She isn’t a drinker and doesn’t drive but has no problem using the free local transit system to get to the Giant Eagle supermarket or Wal*Mart for shopping.</p>
<p>Although D is somewhat of an introvert, she has made friends in the dorm, mainly through cooking & baking cookies in the common area which has limited kitchen facilities. D was able to place in the advanced calculus class and has found students below & above her ability, the latter have helped her study & prepare for tests. Slowly she is coming out of her shell and her hard work is bringing acceptable academic results which is boosting her confidence. D is beginning to get a bit more involved in campus activities & may consider joining a sorority next semester.</p>
<p>The only negative worth noting so far has been the registration process. D “lost” the lottery & was about the last to register for Spring semester - she had a poor choice of classes that remained and is miffed about the process. From what I understand she will rotate to the front of the line in future registrations though I personally don’t understand how or why they handle registration this way (I am used to first-come, first-served).</p>
<p>Overall I feel that D made the right decision based on “best fit” for her which is what it’s all about. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Best of luck to you & your D.</p>
<p>YJ76</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your generous responses to my request!!! Your descriptions confirm my impression. Sorry to hear about the frustrating experience of limited enrollment choices. I guess we have to take the good with the bad. I wish you and your children continued success.</p>
<p>@longislandny I wouldn’t worry too much about the registration process as the school has some “rotation” plan so as to allocate access to courses equally among students. Perhaps for my D it was better to have her register last while a frosh than later in her college life. If you & your DD visit campus & find AC as a possibility, I would urge her to apply under the Leadership Application which automatically puts her in the running for the Trustee Scholarship. For us this made the cost to attend AC less than attending Pitt Nursing (a state school). Good Luck !!!</p>
<p>Yes, YJ76, there is a rotation. Our daughter was able to register as a sophomore for next semester due to her AP classes. She was in the first rotation but said that means she will be last next time. I am not sure but I think there is a rotation for seniors, then juniors and so on. She is moving toward graduation in 3 years and getting necessary classes is critical in order to achieve this.<br>
Glad to hear your daughter is settling in as well.</p>