I must speak up regarding the perception of Skidmore: @Empireapple, I have relatives who live in and around Saratoga Springs and they respect Skidmore quite a bit for its cultural and academic offerings. I’m not sure who these “locals” are to whom you refer, but I can assure you that many in the Capital District don’t feel Skidmore is a “rich kids’ school.” And if they did a little digging, they would learn that a significant chunk of students receive financial aid.
I think that rap on Skidmore is an old one. There are people in Washington who think that way about Whitman, when in fact Whitman is, by a long shot, the hardest school to get into in the entire PNW other than Reed.
There are people who think Gonzaga is the Georgetown of the PNW.
What are you gonna do?
Sometimes locals can get past the “old” view of a school before things became more competitive in the college landscape. Case in point is Northeastern in the Boston area which has made a lot of investment in its programs and campus and has risen in the rankings. It’s much more appreciated at the national level than it is by some locals who can’t change their mindset.
@doschicos , I don’t live in Boston but spend much time there for work. Boston is a tough town when it comes to establishing educational prestige. I can see that.