<p>Nice campus? Liberal or more conservative student body?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi Lelalellen my son is a freshmen at Muhlenberg and he loves it! We're from the Boston area and he was concerned that the students would be more conservative than he liked - however it's not the case. Some of the books seem to give the impression that it's somewhat conservative without much diversity but it's not the case. The students have many different interests and he says that everyone mixes together. He's really happy there. The campus is very nice. The community is unbelievably close and the administration and faculty is very devoted and supported. If you live in New Jersey you're obviously not too far away. You might consider going for an interview and tour. They have a fantastic theatre department and a beautiful new athletic facility.</p>
<p>I went to go see this school the other day... wow is it pretty and I love the support services that the campus offers such as free (well you pay a huge amt so they damn well better be of no extra charge) tutors and that they have this writting center that you could go with a blank page or a final copy and they can help you w/ it. Also the classrooms are SO small. They have like a 12:1 student to teacher ratio. Most classes are like really small.. like 20 students in each class.. the tour guide said that most of her classes have like 14 students. We looked into a class in which there was like 12 students. Very close... great way to learn, if your a small group type of learner. </p>
<p>The campus was SO pretty, everything looked so new and beautiful. The athletic building is so new and so nice. The dorms are average, some are 1, 2, or 3 (but they are ment to fill that space, so 3 people aren't cramed into a double.) The barthrooms are single sex (which is good for the ladies.. how weird is that.. having a guy in your bathroom?). </p>
<p>Diverisity... yeah there is none, and being the president of the multicultural club at my high school, that didn'tr please me too well. But they are diverse in terms of religion. Like even though the school is under the Luthern Church, there are like 30% jews. </p>
<p>Food.. yummie! its SO good. They have two cafs, one is like a fast food place the other is one that you can sit down and eat all the food you want. The one in which you sit down and eat w/e you want doesn't cost that much to be honest. Like for breakfast its like $4 and for lunch its like $4 and for dinner its like $5. And when I was there for lunch they had so much good stuff to eat. </p>
<p>But the social life... seems like non- existant. Like they have one stupid concert a year.. whats up with that? But Lafyette is located 20 miles away and Lehigh is like 5 mins away from the berg... so if there is 3 colleges in a 20 mile radius.. there has to be SOMETHING going on... right?</p>
<p>doublelayer009, if you liked your visit to Muhlenberg, you should consider doing an overnight. There is a social life- the kids have a great time. And there are concerts in the greater Allentown area to go to. The students are really friendly and the faculty is supportive and excellent. It may not be totally diverse racially, but it is in many other ways- economically and religiously and just interest-wise. There are a lot of different personalities on campus and they mix well together.</p>
<p>humm... yeah I may consider doing that. Most likely after I get all my accecptance letters, I'll pick like my top 2 or 3 colleges to spend the night and/ or weekend at. I think that if I was going ED i may look to spending the weekend at a sooner point... but yeah actually there ED program is pretty late.. maybe its ED II, but anyway its still late and i find out my SAT scores on fri (ugg...) and I find out my EA school on jan 1st (ED II for the berg is Jan 15) so If i'm not happy with my EA outcome or my SAT score I may... hummm...</p>
<p>so yeah Andi you have been great about answering some of my questions... Is there anything else I should really know about this school, or is there any insight that you would like to share w/ me about why your son decided to go there? (becides the 60:40 female to male ratio?) </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>well, I don't know what subjects you're interested in, but I can tell you some reasons why he chose it. He is interested in biology and environmental science and he's also really into music. He wanted a small school and it wasn't that easy to find a small school that had a reasonably good music program. Muhlenberg and Allegheny College both fit the bill, but Allegheny was too remote for him. Oh, and he is also into rock climbing and backpacking and Muhlenberg isn't too far from the Appalachian Trail. Then when he visited Muhlenberg he was amazed at how friendly the kids were and how small the classes are. When he got in ED, his letter hadn't arrived before Christmas break, so the admissions counselor called us up to tell us so that we'd know before the vacation. They were so considerate and now that he's there, they're still like that. When he signed up for his dorm he put down that he likes music and he got put on a hall with loads of musicians and they jam together all the time. Another thing he said was that he has become friends with different types of kids- football players and "Republicans" kids who at our high school anyway, stayed in their own groups. Also, he uses the sports facility a lot. It's fantastic. It's just a short walk from the dorms, so an easy walk over there. I'm not trying to sell this school to you, everyone has his/her own preferences, but I'm just saying that for him it is the perfect school and he's very very happy there. And never bored for a minute! (Also got a great job in the science department.) Oh, and just since you mentioned the religion/diversity thing, the school is 25% Jewish, 25% Catholic, 25% Prot. and 25% undesignated.<br>
What is your EA school?</p>
<p>My EA school is SUNY Binghamton, which is very different then Muhlenberg, yet I like both a lot. </p>
<p>I guess I'll just have to see... I mean I am into political science a bit, thats why I'm also applying to GW & American, but yet again I'm not really sure If thats what I want to do with my life. Thats why I like Muhlenberg a lot because it is a liberal arts school and you don't really need to know exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life when you go there. </p>
<p>Overall I'll just have to wait and see.... </p>
<p>Thanks again for all your advice and insight.</p>
<p>Those are all good schools. Good luck! Next spring if you are still on CC, I'd love to hear where you end up going. I check back here now and then, so if you have any more questions, feel free to post.</p>
<p>Andi, maybe you can help with this question. My daughter (a junior) has Muhlenberg on her list but has heard/read that Muhlenberg can be a bit preppy. For a midwesterner, that is often translated as "Eastern elitist", which is a definite turn-off. Like any broad generalization, there are bound to be exceptions, but her concern is about that the generalization had to be born out of something. Any thoughts? By the way, my daughter is looking at Muhlenberg for music and possibly communications or political science. She goes to a highly diverse performing arts high school (public) and is looking for an environment where the arts are a visible, even integral, part of college life.</p>
<p>Hi Mezzomom,</p>
<p>We're also midwesterners (Iowa City) looking carefully at 'berg - my son is looking for a strong BA program in Theatre/Music, with a possible double major with Poli Sci (so no BFA). The Theatre program has become so much stronger than when I was there (yes, Class of '80). I'm not sure he would be looking at it that closely if I weren't an alum - but I'm actually glad he is. It's not his first choice (that would be Northwestern), but it's a very good school that allows for significant interaction between students & faculty, and is a place where you can get out what you do (or do not) put in to it. </p>
<p>We'll know next week about Northwestern, and if needed, start getting serious - other candidates right now are Fordham/Ithaca/Lehigh.</p>
<p>I realized I didn't answer the Preppy question - even in the late 70's when preppy was in, it was always a mix - it wasn't overbearing. Yes, there are a bunch of New York pre-med "throats", many with too-nice cars for college students, but it never seemed to be a problem to me - all groups generally got along pretty well. </p>
<p>Good Luck! And one quick question - what has attracted your attention to Muhlenberg? (Just curious, I guess!)</p>
<p>Hi Mezzomom I may have already written this in an earlier post so I hope I'm not repeating myself, but my son wanted bio/environmental science and music and a small caring environment. Music at a small school isn't that easy to find. We went on a trip to look at Allegheny College and Muhlenberg and as we were traveling he said he thought he wasn't going to like Muhlenberg because he had read that it was conservative or preppy and that he thought he'd prefer Allegheny. Well as soon as we got in the car to leave the M campus, he had decided that that was where he wanted to go. He and I just had such a positive feeling. It's a very friendly group of kids.</p>
<p>There are some very serious acting students there, some of whom go on to Broadway careers. He said that he knows some of the boys in the theatre program who are very good dancers. (This impressed him as he hadn't known any boys who danced before - and believe me they aren't preppy!) S plays cello in a chamber orchestra and in a jazz group and also in a small band that he formed with some other kids. He also takes private cello lessons. The performing arts center is beautiful and very central to the campus life. He also has a wonderful job in the biology department. He commented to me that he was impressed that the kids there mixed together more than they did in high school- that the football players were friendly with the musicians etc.
He was having a tough time with one of his courses and went to the academic support office where they fixed him up with a tutor. The school describes itself as a caring supportive environment and they have definitely lived up to their word and more. I don't know specifically about the two departments that your daughter is interested in but I'd say that the programs overall are strong. Our student guide was a communications major and she seemed very happy with the school.
It's funny about the 'preppy' connotation. My son was apprehensive about that aspect too, but I think he thought of preppy as being very straight- laced and conservative. At the time we went to the interview he had dredloks (sorry don't know how to spell it)- much to my horror. I thought this would get him rejected for sure. However, he had a very nice interview.
He applied early decision and the day before Christmas vacation the admissions officer called up to say that she had sent him a letter but wanted to make sure that he knew that he was in , in case he was going away for the holiday. I thought that was really nice.
If you can manage a visit there during the school year I highly recommend it. It will give you a good feeling for the atmosphere. If you go to the web site you might be able to plan a trip while there is a play going on.
Please write if you have any other questions. Sorry if this is rambling- it's Friday night and it's been a long week.</p>
<p>Thanks to you both for your replies.</p>
<p>Ahmorgan: Muhlenberg first came onto our radar because of CC. I read the musical theatre thread religiously, and I believe that is where I first heard Muhlenberg mentioned. My daughter doesn't wish to pursue a career in musical theatre, but it is something she is very involved in. She is hoping to continue her involvement with theatre in some way, wherever she goes to school, so a school with strong performing arts is important to her.</p>
<p>Muhlenberg is very high on her list at the moment, although I have some concerns about the BA in Vocal Music program. They don't list aural training separately in the course descriptions, but it may be included in the theory classes. That's one of the questions that she will have to find an answer to as we continue the college search.</p>
<p>Hopefully, we'll be able to make a visit in the spring. Right now we're dealing with some health issues (and a whole lot of absences from school), so until we get a firm diagnosis and a clean slate with the new semester, visits are on hold. But a visit will be a must, since she wants to try and take a voice lesson at every school to which she applies. She's only indicated her interest to Muhlenberg this week via their website, so we're very much in the early stages. You've both been very helpful though, and I'll be relaying the information about the "prep" question. Thanks so much...</p>
<p>mezzomom, keep us posted and feel free to ask more questions as your investigations progress. I hope the illness is nothing serious and that she feels better soon!</p>
<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>So andi, i'm just checking in w/ you.. letting you know where I stand.. so i have some good news and some bad news...</p>
<p>good news:</p>
<p>My SAT score went up 90 pts!!! This puts me at a 1240 SAT score (600 v 640 m) </p>
<p>bad news:</p>
<p>I didn't get into SUNY Binghamton... well i was deferred.. which i guess is better then a rejection.. but still can be depressing... </p>
<p>but i'm moving on... I still have a lot of other great schools (including Muhlenberg) that i still need to apply to. This I will be doing tomorrow.</p>
<p>Hope you all had a great holiday!!!</p>
<p>How is this place for an international Student?? I am seriously interested in applying please advice me.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman and doing very well at this lovely school. He is focusing in on majors in political science and music and has found alot to get excited about it both fields, both academically and through the various clubs, etc. He has even gotten involved in events off campus, through the upperclassmen he has made friends with. While it seems there are many kids from NJ and Pa, we have also met students from Ca, Mass, and out west. The whole community is very warm and supportive; the academic support services are outstanding. The beautiful theater is the home of what reputation has it is one of the country's top small departments, the communications building is very impressive. And wait till you see the brand new gym! The entire school's reputation is growing like hotcakes and, from our experience, while we all know no place is perfect, Muhlenberg is honestly earning is "hot school" status. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Please Anybody?? How is Muhlenberg College for an international student?? I am in desperate need of someone's advice, not ignorance(atleast not now)!!</p>
<p>hi tonic,
I can't directly answer your question as I truly don't know. You wouldn't find too many international students at Muhlenberg but that may not matter to you. The students there are very friendly and the administration is caring and supportive so I don't think you would feel isolated. What is it that attracted you to Muhlenberg?</p>
<p>The place and it has been recognized as an aid awarding college for Intl students. The college mentions that it even awards aid upto full cost of attendance. The Campus is damn beautiful as well.</p>
<p>I'd say go for it tonic. It's a wonderful school. good luck.</p>