Brag about your "lesser known" school!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Great thread!
I just took my daughter to see Clark, which gets good reviews from the "Colleges that Change Lives" series.</p>

<p>Another upside of looking beyond the name brand colleges is that you may get a more personal experience during admissions. My d was told she'd talk with the interviewer for about 20 minutes, and ended up talking with him for 40 minutes or so. And he's followed up since. </p>

<p>Lots of good things about the school, except the deep snow fall! (And maybe Worcester.</p>

<p>She also saw Trinity on the same trip, which is not as "prestigious" as some but which she really liked.</p>

42

<p>I wouldn't worry about what other people think. I am from San Diego and go to Amherst, and a majority of southern californians have never heard of it, or have heard of it only in vague terms.</p>

43

<p>I second mizzoumom's support of Hendrix. Though I ended up choosing Davidson instead (which actually gives me just as many blank stares as Hendrix here in Seattle), I was really impressed with everything I saw when I visited and researched Hendrix. The professors are incredibly invested in what they are doing, and they have wonderful facilities.</p>

44

<p>A plug here for York College of Pennsylvania. It is a comprehensive college, just 30 minutes north of the Maryland line in Pennsylvania.</p>

<p>Even though it is a private college, tuition, room and board is about $22,000, making it competitive with many state schools.</p>

<p>If is one of the few private colleges that seems to value holding costs down for everyone.</p>

<p>It is an attractive, compact campus (except for some upper-class housing and the athletic center), and I have had wonderful dealings with anyone I have called up there. </p>

<p>My son loves it there.</p>

45

<p>Great thread! I second Hendrix ... D didn't end up there, but she keeps telling everyone about it in hopes it will be the perfect place for someone she knows.</p>

<p>Another hidden gem is Centre, in Danville, KY. Again, not where D ended up, but a terrific place.</p>

<p>D chose Furman, which is pretty well known in the south, but totally unknown in the midwest. It's the perfect place for my shy child who is ready to come out of her shell. </p>

<p>There are so many, many wonderful schools!!</p>

46

<p>I'll put in plug for Kalamazoo College as a hidden gem with its K-plan--study abroad, internships, and senior projects (something like 90% of the students participate in these.) It's one of the schools in Colleges That Change Lives. Even though it is small, it's also pretty diverse.</p>

47

<p>unalove,
Thanks for the "shout-out" for Simmons College in Boston. It is my alma mater, and although there are still people who roll their eyes at me when I say I attended an all women's college and question the value of an all women's college, the place is still around and doing well. It has turned out some of the leaders of business, industry and science. Being located in Boston still affords the students an "active" social life, to put it mildly.</p>

48

<p>My twin brother will be attending VA Tech, my sister goes to Lake Forest and my other sister goes to Sweet Briar. All three are super choices. Lake Forest is rumored for its 100% admission to med school. Sweet Briar has outstanding alumnae clubs. I sometimes wish I were as sure of my college choice as they are of theirs.</p>

49

<p>My youngest is anticipating Whitworth in Spokane, WA- not the more famous Whitman, also in eastern WA. Good things about them, thus far:</p>

<p>A} FAFSA only, so for ya'll w/high home equity, that can make a difference</p>

<p>B} Merit $ offered at extremely low SAT levels (for CC!!) $11k annually at 1900...Booyah! No need required, just merit, all on a combo of GPA & SAT AND if you've anything unusual in your situation which needs interpretation, they want to interpret it in he way to most benefit you financially.</p>

<p>C} In phone calls I have been lucky enough to talk with the dean of admissions several times and also with the registration dept. They are kind, helpful and patient and want to help, and have spent time on my questions to ensure that I am getting accurate answers for planning (community college course transfers, etc)</p>

<p>I have a D at Berkeley and there are some wonderful helpful people there, too, but generally not the first person to answer the phone and not every person....at Whitworth it has been every single person with whom I have spoken.</p>

50

<p>"My daughter just graduated from Principia College in Elsah, IL"</p>

<p>...which is maybe the most darling village in America, a cluster of 19th-century gingerbread houses on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi. We drove slowly down the main street on a summer afternoon, and a little old lady sitting on her front porch, wearing a hat and tatting lace waved and said howdy. Talk about going back in time.</p>

<p>If you aren't a Christian Scientist, you can't consider Principia, but if you're in the St. Louis area or taking a road trip on I-55, you have to stop in this little nook. Too precious.</p>

<p>/hijack</p>

51

<p>
[quote]
I'll put in plug for Kalamazoo College as a hidden gem with its K-plan--study abroad, internships, and senior projects (something like 90% of the students participate in these.) It's one of the schools in Colleges That Change Lives. Even though it is small, it's also pretty diverse.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I was coming in to brag for my best friend, who chose K over Northwestern, but you beat me too it!</p>

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<p>I'm not a parent, but a proud older sister of a rising senior looking at colleges! I suppose my school could be considered "unknown" to most people. I go to Brandeis, but even most people in the Boston area don't know of it, despite it's ranking higher than several other well known school. Absolutely no one in Georgia knows of it!</p>

<p>My brother had only good things to say about Clark. We're concerned about him getting in because he's a bit of a slacker if he doesn't deem a subject worth his effort (which is most of his high school classes :P) but he adored it. He called me on the way to pick me up after the tour (our spring breaks coincided so my mom and brother spent their off time of tours with me at my school) and just gushed.</p>

<p>Also, a great but underrated school is Oglethorpe in Atlanta. It's ranked in the 3rd tier which is ridiculous- many of our IB kids go there over UGA or GA State despite both being ranked higher.</p>

53

<p>Augustana is amazing for pre-med.</p>

54

<p>Awwwwwww.....love this thread! Both daughters attend Saint Mary's College, in South Bend, IN and they (and we) just love this school! We get funny looks because 1) it's a women's college and 2) it's small - about 1500. Neither went searching for a women's college. Both girls did want strong academics and a Catholic institution. Enter Saint Mary's, which encompasses a best of both worlds situation since it is located across the street from Notre Dame. </p>

<p>Large school activities available, yet small classes and professors all four years, which leads to close relationships with many faculty members. An abundance of leadership opportunities. Merit scholarships. New student center, new academic building going up. Gorgeous, quiet campus. Most importantly, a good fit for our girls and a place that they call home. And I'm really happy about that!</p>

55

<p>Somemom,
I did my grad program at Whitworth about 10 years ago and absolutely loved it. I'm back in the area this week and had the chance to visit with two of my former students who went there for undergrad. Both are bright, talented individuals who probably would have had many other choices, but Whitworth was ideal for them. They both are now very successful in their fields--one is an archivist and the other works/travels in her NGO position--and are wonderful, articulate, involved-in-the-world young women.</p>

<p>My own daughter is headed to Dickinson in PA, so I'll have to check in later on that one. She wanted a small LAC, languages, and study abroad, and it seemed like a very good fit for her.</p>

56

<p>I second smcmom on St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN. My daughter and I toured it in Spring and I just loved it. I'm not sure she feels the same way....she really wants to go East. But it is a great school, great study abroad and I was really impressed with President Carol Mooney.</p>

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<p>Hanna: </p>

<p>I second this! Elsah is BEAUTIFUL. I live in St. Louis and every year we trek on up to Alton to go see the bald eagles. Each trip, we stop by the little town to go have a sandwich and a slice of pie at Just Desserts... Elsah is nestled close to the cliffs that rise over the Mississippi and shrouded by golden-brushed, leafy shade. In the fall, the trees scatter their leaves slowly onto the little quiet streets and the mossy roofs of the town. It's mysterious and lovely.</p>

<p>We toured Principia's campus and it is unbelievably picturesque. They only let one or two vistor cars in at a time and you have to place a placard on it, but it's well worth it for the view of the river at the far end of the campus. </p>

<p>So yeah, if one were a Christian Scientist, I'd imagine this school to be a little slice of heaven.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
This is a great thread and I agree, i'm sure some people are intimidated about their lesser know college choices. My Ds are rising Juniors but we are going to visit Cal State Monterey Bay next week. For one of my girls I think it will be a perfect fit in spite of the fact that her stats can take her to many more prestigeous schools.</p>

<p>Why we like CSUMB</p>

<p>size....it's got fewer than 4000 students</p>

<p>price...private LAC size at a Cal State Price</p>

<p>Bio Program...the largest marine lab going...aka the Pacific, awesome professors who are matched as mentors with Bio Students</p>

<p>experiential learning</p>

<p>ranked as a college w/ a conscience by Princeton Review</p>

<p>An active Newman Club where she will be supported in her Catholic faith</p>

<p>It's on the Monterey Bay</p>

<p>I'll be posting the visit on CC if they have done what I asked and added it as a reviewable school. According to their HS counselor who is also their soccer coach, they will both fall in love.

[/quote]

I had mediocre statistics in high school 3.2 GPA 1180 (on the old test), so I decided to look at Monterey Bay thinking that it would be nice to go to school near the beach. I had heard that the school wasn’t great academically, but I decided to apply anyway. After being admitted, I took a tour of the campus.</p>

<p>Monterey Bay is the ugliest college I have ever seen. The school is built on an old military barracks. There was absolutely nothing going on on campus. They had a tiny cafeteria that would be suitable for a school with about 100 people. On the plus side, the dorms are enormous and I believe each room has their own bathroom. Now the most disappointing thing about the school was the location. The school is not actually in Monterey. It’s not even in a town. You have to drive at least 10 minutes to get a grocery store, restaurant, etc. I believe Monterey is actually 20 minutes away! If you don’t have a car, you are in big trouble.</p>

<p>It’s entirely possible that the school has improved since I took my visit (2005), but I doubt they’ve made drastic changes. I almost chose to go to this school, but thankfully I visited before s</p>

<p>I’d like to endorse two schools – UC Santa Cruz and University of Oregon</p>

<p>UC Santa Cruz- some people think of Santa Cruz as one of the weaker UC’s. I have been to Santa Cruz a number of times. One of my cousins got into UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Davis. She was all set to go to Davis until she visited UCSC. Santa Cruz has some really outstanding older professors who choose to go there because it’s a great place to retire. Another example of a top student who goes there is one of my friends. He’s extremely intelligent. He got into UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, UCD, but decided to go to Santa Cruz. His top choice was Duke but he thinks that his SAT’s were the reason for his reject (I believe he scored just under a 1400). Santa Cruz is very strong in the sciences (especially in Physics and Astronomy), Linguistics, and in the humanities. The campus is beautiful with lots of great of views. Santa Cruz is a solid school academically with a good social scene (very few commuters).</p>

<p>University of Oregon is where I’ll be going next year. They have nationally ranked programs in the sciences, business, architecture, and psychology. Oregon also has one of the best honors programs (among programs within state universities) in the country. The campus is gorgeous and has over 500 different kinds of trees. Walking around campus, you can really feel the sense of school spirit. Oregon Ducks sporting events are well attended and everyone in the town gets behind the teams. In a lot of ways, Oregon is similar to Santa Cruz, except for the weather and the way the college system is divided at UCSC. The students at Oregon are very active and there are numerous outdoor activities that one can get involved in. Oregon is a member of the AAU (aau.edu) which consists of 60 of the top public and private schools that are top research institutions for undergraduate and graduate students. There are lots of things to do on campus and in the town. The majority of the students stay around campus on the weekends.</p>

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<p>Student, not parent...but...</p>

<p>Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA.</p>

<p>If you're looking to major in Engineering, my school is truly a hidden gem. Beyond having the nation's first approved Bachelor of Science degree in Nanosystems Engineering and being ranked 3rd in micro and nano education in Smalltimes magazine last year, we have a newly finished Biomedical Engineering building, really enthusiastic instructors, and great hands on experience from the get-go if you go the Honors Engineering route.</p>

<p>Our Business school is also receiving a great deal of funding and attention, lately. We have a new Dean, Dr. James Lumpkin, who took Oklahoma State University from not even being listed on US News's graduate program rankings to being in the top ten percent and has a laundry list of other major accomplishments throughout his career. He's also planning for us to get a new Business building (even though the one we have now is one of the nicer buildings on campus). I also find it pretty cool that in the very first Business course students are required to build business plans from the ground up and present them for the class at the end of the course. </p>

<p>And just to combine the two specific areas I've mentioned, there is a strong focus on entrepreneurialship at Tech and have an annual business plan competition organized by the Association of Business Engineering and Science Entrepreneurs. This year a total of $23,500 in cash and other stuff was awarded to participants...so yeah, pretty cool and some great ideas/plans.</p>

<p>Also, if you're a top student...Tech's basically free. For those who are National Merit Finalists, score a 32+ on the ACT, or score a 1430+ on the SAT (and have the GPA to match...can't remember the exact number on that one), you'll be awarded the Presidential Scholarship (full ride). NMFs also get some stuff on top of that scholarship, but I'm not sure exactly what.</p>

<p>On a completely non-academic note, though, many plans for improving student life on campus are in the works. A ton of improvements/additions to our intramural center are being made and some other drastic changes are being made to other areas on campus. Also, a lot of more apartment-style "dorms" are set to be built so they can close some of the older dorms and move students into them. The first step in that was University Park (woohoo for being a new resident of UP!) - which consists of two person apartments and four person townhouses.</p>

<p>We also have some of the most caring faculty and staff you could hope to come across. They really care about the students at Tech and will go to great lengths to make sure your experience there is a positive one.</p>

<p>I dunno, but I love my school and am very proud to be a student there regardless of the negative attitudes towards "no-name" schools (and their students) from a few folks on this site.</p>

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<p>Katho -- one post away from being a senior member! Lol, congrats.</p>