<p>A month ago, my D, a senior in a competitive prep school, attended a few classes at Dickinson, which she has to date been considering her first choice. As background, she's a a strong student (over a 4.0 average) with solid SAT/ACT scores and strong extra-curriculars. Probably heading into political science or international studies program. She has applied to a few Ivies (where she's probably a cusp kid), some smaller schools such as American and Bucknell (where she's likely to be admitted), and a few of the larger state schools, which are fall-backs. Dickinson moved toward the top of the list because of the school's perceived interest (coupled with what she hopes is real scholarship potential) and because she feels as though she would be a "big fish in a little pond." When she attended a class, though, she was surprised by what she described as a real apathy on the part of the students. Said the professor was engaging and well versed on the subject, but the kids were disinclined to participate. Prof couldn't draw them out, though she made every effort. My daughter jumped in with some answers (she takes a similar course in her high school) and the professor was thrilled, but it left my D wondering if this is typical. Did we just hit on a bad day? Are the kids there engaged? Are they well prepared?</p>
I know this post is a little old, but my D (who graduated Phi Beta Kappa a couple of years ago) did not find this to be the case. She was a double major, with Poli Sci as one of her majors. Maybe just a bad day? If she is accepted, she should go back for accepted student days and see how that feels.
@intparent Was your daughter able to quickly find a job? I am considering International Business at Dickinson; I got in EA with a 40 grand scholarship.
Does Dickinson give a $40K merit scholarship (per year)? Or was some of your aid need-based?
Yes, she got a job right after graduation, through an older Dickinson student she knew and was in touch with. She is still with the company 3 years later and keeps getting promoted, and likes it a lot. Her boyfriend (econ major) got a job with one of the big consulting companies. Both of them hustled for internships in the summers to build their resumes, and really took advantage of what Dickinson had to offer. It worked out well for them.
My daughter never found students apathetic in her classes at Dickinson, in fact quite the opposite. When she went for accepted students day at Johns Hopkins, she was amazed at the apathy in the classes she visited there. She said half the students were texting the whole time and, like the OP’s daughter, she ended up answering a few of the professors questions.