<p>My S visited Skidmore and seems to really like it; he described it as "Vassar-lite" . He liked the fact that it wasn't uber preppy and that it seemed to have an eclectic student body.<br>
It's the first school we've visited, besides Vassar, that brought a smile to his face and that he felt he could see himself fitting in.</p>
<p>S is more of a t-shirt wearing, guitar/cello playing, layed back kind of guy and he felt more at home on this campus than Trinity, for example.</p>
<p>My fear is that my impression of Skidmore has always been that it is not especially academically rigorous.<br>
S is a B+ student with SAT 2150 and is thinking of majoring in Bio and also creative writing. The adcom we spoke with said Bio and the sciences are becoming popular majors but my concern is that being a bio major at Skidmore might not be a strong program.
Otherwise, the school seems to be a good match for my S.</p>
<p>I have a nephew there ( from the Cleveland area) and he is quite happy. My D and I visited there about 7 years ago. My long distance impression (from the PNW) is that Skidmore has come into it's own it becoming well known. And Sarotoga is a wonderful little college town!</p>
<p>I recommend getting him on more campuses to give him a chance to compare. Many schools have greatly improved their programs recently. With the increase in competitiveness and the increase in tuition, many LAC schools are offering excellent programs. Even though ranking bothers me, I think it does help in a macro sense to see who is on the list, where on the list and who is around the school of interest on the list. USNWR has Skidmore at #47 in the country.</p>
<p>I find The Princeton Review to be the most helpful. Check out their web site ...the new rankings will be coming out in a few weeks.</p>
<p>I am sure my DD will have the same reaction to both colleges ... she is interested in languages and cultural anthropology so I am also wondering about many.</p>
<p>My son is a student at Vassar. He did not apply to Skidmore but did apply and was accepted to Oberlin and Wesleyan. Your son might really like Oberlin; consider looking into it. You may also want to look into Haverford, which many Vassar students apply to.</p>
<p>Skidmore is a great school and the fact that he lit up being there is something to pay attention to I think. Even if he cannot articulate definite "reasons" he is sensing something about the all important "fit." Also, the small LACs in more remote settings (eg: Hamilton, Whitman, Kenyon) often offer a caliber of education equal to (and sometimes better) than more accessible, better "ranked" schools. They just do not get the same number of applicants (convenience affects these kinds of things) and that affects key things in ranking like "selectivity". Faculty in these schools can be outstanding teachers who actually like living in these more distant places--so I would definitely not rule this place out based on USNWR or the like. A friend's son will be first year at Skidmore next year and chose it over several more convenient and well-known places because of what he liked about the school. Theater program is great too. It is a creative place. If you are concerned about the sciences, look into where their science grads are doing on to grad school</p>
<p>Thank you both for replying.
Oregon101, My S did like that Saratoga Springs was a nice sized town with a Starbucks and a guitar shop:-)
He does not want a school "in the back of beyond".</p>
<p>MQD, thanks for all the info. We have to go back when school is in session so S can see what the student body is really like. I'm glad to see that Skidmore is # 47 on USNWR just because my impression was that it wasn' very academically rigorous but we'll also have to check on the courses given by the bio dept.</p>
<p>Twinmom, my S is also looking at Oberlin, we'll visit laater this summer.</p>
<p>Mmaah, love that screenname btw, I'm glad to hear of kids who've chosen Skidmore over more well known places.
I agree that fit is so important. We learned that lesson with my D who picked aa school baased on ranking rather thaan fit and ended up transfering after a stressful freshman year.</p>
<p>Skidmore, and Vassar, like many of the former women's colleges, are a bit more artsy than jockish, like Trinity (though Conn College and Wheaton increasingly jockish - - so no surprise that S views Skidmore and Vassar as similar to each other and different than Trin. Also, Trin is fairly conservative while Vassar/Skidmore are more liberal. Skidmore is not a rigorous (or highly rated) as Vassar - - but so what, one is more of a reach/match and the other more of a solid match. </p>
<p>I think Oberlin is even ore artsy than Vassar/Skidmore. If you're going to Ohio anyway, I recommend Kenyon: liberal, diverse, great academics, less artsy but a bit more jockish than Oberlin.</p>
<p>Skidmore had an extremely low acceptance rate this year. Over 7,000 applicants. So make sure your son falls in live with another school with a similar feel. Try Wheaton, Oberlin, Goucher and Muhlenberg.</p>
<p>Sarha,
My son, who sounds a lot like your son, liked Skidmore a lot when we visited. He liked the music scene, liked the setting and Saratoga Springs (yes, the guitar store was a plus, as was the used LP store), and felt comfortable with the students there. We were surprised because Skidmore didn't have the intellectual intensity that he said was a major factor in his college search, but his other reasons for liking Skidmore made sense when we thought about it. He did apply there, but ended up getting in ED at another school. By the way, my son did not like Vassar OR Wesleyan, but he did like Reed, Carleton, Oberlin, Grinnell, and Macalester. </p>
<p>Go figure. I think a lot of the college search is really in the eyes of the beholder, and sometimes kids can't really explain why College A which seems perfect for them on paper doesn't make their list, while College B, which seems not so perfect for them on paper, does. </p>
<p>One thing you may want to check into if your son does apply to Skidmore is the honors program there. It provides some interesting opportunities that may alleviate some of your concerns about Skidmore.</p>
<p>^ There are two Wheatons. The Wheaton in Illinois is a conservative Christian college. The Wheaton in Massachusetts is a small LAC, formerly a women's college, and far more liberal than its namesake.</p>
<p>I applied to Skidmore for the class of 2011, got in, but chose not to attend. I was admitted to the honors forum, which was something that I didn't pay much attention to at the time...it may be worth looking into for your son. I had a 3.3 GPA (extremely rigourous course load - 11 APs from a top 100 public) when I applied with a 2110 SAT. </p>
<p>Just as a caveat in terms of comparison, I was captain of my HS equestrian team with a million riding awards/competitions, so that may have has a boost on my application (Saratoga being the captial of the horse world, outside of Kentucky).</p>
<p>I know some pretty smart kids who ended up at Skidmore, ones who didn't get into their reach schools. Two were valedictorians. They like Skidmore just fine. </p>
<p>I remember 30-plus years ago Skidmore was like a finishing school for upper class girls. It's very different today -- much more rigorous academically.</p>
<p>While Skidmore's acceptance rate is dropping, I still think it is eager for boys, to achieve as close to a 50-50 ratio as possible (the girls I know there complain that there aren't enough guys). </p>
<p>I thought it was a really nice campus, and I liked Saratoga Springs a lot.</p>
<p>"I remember 30-plus years ago Skidmore was like a finishing school for upper class girls. It's very different today -- much more rigorous academically. . . . While Skidmore's acceptance rate is dropping, I still think it is eager for boys, to achieve as close to a 50-50 ratio as possible (the girls I know there complain that there aren't enough guys). "</p>
<p>The same could be said Wheaton (MA) and Conn College, though I think students at Conn and Wheaton are a bit more into athletics than at Skidmore - - but the strong athletic programs are probably a draw for the boys.</p>
<p>Wow, so much great info! Thanks to everyone.
Thanks Carolyn for mentioning the honors program, I will ask my S to look into it.
I know Skidmore has become much more competitive lately but we'll have to look more closely at their science programs.</p>
<p>Meanwhile we will look at Muehlenberg and Clark and try to find other schools that bring a smile to S's face :-)</p>
<p>
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And Sarotoga is a wonderful little college town!
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</p>
<p>Yes it is. But ... if you're planning a summer visit, keep in mind that from today through Labor Day, it's horseracing season in Saratoga. The sidewalks are overrun with visitors, the cost of lodging triples, and you won't get anything close to a realistic sense of what Saratoga Springs is like during the school year.</p>