Yes…interestingly enough. Can’t remember if I mentioned this to you. I received and email from our High School College Counselor recommending that we do not consider IUP as there has been too much partying recently. I was surprised by that for several reason.
@bester1 I find it interesting that a guidance counselor would send something like that out and would have a number of questions about the information…what is he actually comparing it to? what exactly is “too much partying”? what is “the right amount of partying”? LOLOL Is there a difference between partying at IUP as compared to an ivy league school??? Not quite sure where he would be going with that…if he does have that opinion it seems that putting in writing in an email was not the most appropriate way to relay what is only basically- his opinion. My opinion is that if a student wants to go to a party, there is one to be had at just about any college on any given night. It is the students choice whether to seek one out and attend.
^my guess is that it means “emergency room hospitalizations and hard drugs” but you can’t say that in an email.
We’re not talking beer, vodka, jello shots, and weed. Heroin and comas are a real issue on some campuses.
Actually, she mentioned that it was information from a freshman at IUP that had graduated from our high school last year. It was a very odd email as I agree that it is possible to find parties on any campus at just about any time. I originally thought she just did not want to funnel students from our high school to less prestigious schools. I always feel like they want to say that they send kids to perceived top tier colleges but as MYOS1634 states…maybe it is a concern with those hard drugs. We were uncomfortable with the email and did not respond. I did not even tell my daughter about it.
S attends a school in the area but not part of the PA system. Kids know to go to IUP. He doesn’t as he finds other ways to fill his weekend time. But it’s known.
I would have thought it strange as well since “partying” can mean different things to different people. I was not at all thinking of hard drugs/heroin…to me the term “partying” means more about drinking and not necessary drug use. Still pretty interesting that they chose to email that information out since it’s meaning would be interpreted differently by different people.
I think it was worded in a way that makes it legal, or difficult to sue about. It’s enough to make people uncomfortable, perhaps they’ll look into it and draw their own conclusions. You could think it’s to steer students away from less-prestigious schools, but then the email would have included Clarion, Mansfield…
Note I’m not saying it either, just to look into it. 
@bester1 are you concerned about the WVU party culture? It has been mentioned on CC boards before. Of course, it is hard to quantify these things.
@portercat…absolutely!!! I am worried about the party culture at all schools! My daughter is very nice, shy and athletic. Having said that…every parent knows that all it takes is one mistake to lead a lifetime of challenge. I will not be naive…some of it is a natural process or temptation but it frightens me on every level.
Having said ^…can someone please lead me to a school without partying, one that my daughter can get into, one that I can afford and one that will allow my daughter to flourish in her professional life so I can move on??? 
…btw, it needs to have a swim team and not more than 5 hours away…lol
Well, you can condition paying first year on campus costs to living in the wellness dorm/substance free floor. Bonus: because the students aren’t likely to trash the place in drunken fits, those tend to be nicer than freshman dorms.
(Sophomores tend to know how to party a bit better and don’t do the stupid things freshmen tend to do.)
We received a letter today from Canisius College stating that effective immediately they have a program that will match the tuition of any out of state flagship. I think it is great for many states but we are residents of PA which allow for a discount but I would prefer to be a resident of WV at the moment.
@bester1 I assume this means that they would match the tuition of Penn State? Too bad that they don’t match the tuition of a state directional (PASSHE). At least it doesn’t sound that way…?
Quick update, college notifications/letters/emails have been slow for a few weeks. Maybe this is a function of the flow of operations in administration offices within the season.
@portercat yes, they will match the tuition of Penn State($17,900). If you are a resident of WV, they would match the in state tuition of WVU ($7000/year).
I am starting to think that the opportunity to get COA down to $20-25K for a non-PASSHE option was in studying more for her ACT. I tried and tried to encourage this, but time passed, and she was too focused on her actual school grades (testing seemed too abstract). She did study some, but not enough.
She has worked really hard in school and has a very good GPA, but I really think that we have missed the boat for better merit awards. As my D2 goes into her second semester of HS sophomore year, I am going to push harder for ACT/SAT prep for her.
Reality, ugh.
^ there are more kids with good GPA’s than kids with good test scores. So, test scores are more prized, especially at midlevel universities (Elizabethtown, St Bonaventure, Shepherd, even WVU…)
Yes, my D got into Elizabethtown a month ago. Even after what “seems” like a decent merit offer, the COA is 32K.
Well…the best scenario would be good grades and a good ACT score. Daughter earned. Final composite of 26 the final time out. Up from the 1st time of a 20.Having said that, she is getting g into schools but without what appears to be any amazing merit offers.
It is good to see posters coming back to this thread! Most of the college threads here are of little use to us. This is one I check daily.
My youngest is a junior and I am trying to find affordable options for her. She has a decent GPA and looking at the SAT in Jan to see what, if any, help that will be.
I have also been prompting DD to study for it. She is resistant. I told her she needs to do everything possible to help herself or she won’t be going to college after high school.
So I wish everyone posting the best of luck and please continue to post your experiences.
@laralei I assume you are in PA? Yes, merit is definitely tied to scores; one of the harder decisions is where to allocate time. Is it better to focus on school work or test prep? If test prep, one question is how should you approach it - self study and books only (cheap), classes (more $), or tutors (even more $$)?