<p>We visited Clark recently and didn't really get a good sense of the student body--there were very few students around, and most of the ones we saw were female, so it was hard for my son to get a feeling about whether he would fit in. Then he read Princeton Review's write up which had a quote from a student saying Clark is "kind of a haven for the awkward and slightly awkward." So we're not sure what to think. I know you can't believe a lot of what is written about any of the colleges and of course it's hard to generalize about 2,000 plus people......but wondered what kinds of impressions other people have of Clark's student body?
We had been under the impression that the students would be a pretty diverse group, but just didn't get to see that. </p>
<p>He liked almost everything else he saw about the school (so did we). We were there for a 10:00 tour, ate in the cafeteria and then left. We didn't know if most students were still asleep? (it was a Sat morning tour.)</p>
<p>I have not visited, but it seems quite liberal, and with a range of ‘bodies’.
There’s 3000 students, there’ll be outgoing people, party people, quiet people, whatever.</p>
<p>There are two kinds of Clark kids. One group had higher aspirations (Tufts, Brandeis, etc) and either didn’t get in or didn’t get enough aid. They chose Clark as plan B and realized it’s a good solid school.
Group B liked Clark from the start.</p>
<p>About 5 yrs ago I hired a young lady with a science degree from Clark and she was very well prepared, and highly competent. Give me another Clarkie anyday.</p>
<p>My D will be a Clarkie this fall. We visited together a year and a half ago, and then she visited on her own last fall. She spent a day with a friend who’s a year older who’s on the women’s volleyball team, and this girl introduced her to lots of kids. My D really liked all the students she met, including a couple of internationals-- said they seemed really friendly and fun.</p>
<p>She is not socially awkward-- I would say my D is a relatively popular girl, has good friends, has a sense of style, and is outgoing and a leader at school. She felt very much at home with the kids she met at Clark and could picture herself there.</p>
<p>Everyone was sleeping if the tour was saturday morning. </p>
<p>There most definitely are a lot of awkward kids at clark. One of my most memorable experiences at clark will always be sitting in the academic commons with my roommate and watching a group of kids just walk through wearing these ridiculous costumes and my roommate saying that must be “the keep clark weird committee”. We just couldn’t stop laughing. I wouldn’t let the amount the awkward people be a deterrent, they are easy enough to avoid. </p>
<p>Clark is a special place and the social environment can be very difficult to explain to an outsider, but there are certain things that you come to uniquely identify with Clark that you won’t find anywhere else, such a clark party. </p>
<p>As for seeing mostly girls, its probably because the split is 60/40. Although that didn’t play a role in my college selection process, it was something I kept in mind.</p>
<p>Clarkies tend not to be a fashion forward, flashy crowd. Neither are they the Future Dorks of America. They are solid kids. Some may be late bloomers, yet to achieve a strong sense of self. At Clark they “do not categorize.”</p>
<p>One of the big surprises of my life has been to parent a self-confident kid who identifies as an athlete; he is also a good student. For some reason DH and I, two old late bloomer types, cannot fathom, S is rarely socially awkward, nor is his roommate.* Nor are the other Clarkies I have known. I work in the mental health field and can definitely identify socially awkward folks. </p>
<p>S’s original top choice was a more prestigious LAC. The merit award offered was small, by comparison to Clark’s. </p>
<p>S attends Clark and loves it. He liked it from the beginning and he knew he would need good merit aid. He chose Clark over 3 LACs and a state flagship. Clarkies I have known strike me as people who know how to have fun but don’t need to impress others. </p>
<p>OP–it sure is hard to get a sense of the student body on a Saturday morning!</p>
<ul>
<li>Talk about awkward!: that is an awkward sentence, but hopefully makes some sense.</li>
</ul>
<p>As a Clark parent, I find this comment disturbing and hurtful. We do not judge people on the basis of their race or ethnicity, economic situation, religious affiliation or sexual orientation; neither should we judge people on their choice of attire, hair style, piercings or other visible expression of self, and especially one’s own perceived view of social “awkwardness.” Isn’t that what diversity is all about? Every Clark student is an intelligent young adult and deserves the respect of his/her peers.</p>
<p>Clark’s motto begins… “Challenge convention…” It’s refreshing to see students who are comfortable in their own skin regardless of outward appearance. These are the ones who will “…change our world.”</p>
<p>I don’t see Clark as weird at all. In fact, I find it refreshing. The kids are very bright, very much engaged, and laugh at themselves about all the things they are ‘active’ about [or not]. It seems like a very supportive atmosphere for the most part. I cannot get over how friendly people are at Clark in general. Whether you’re a parent wanting to ask about safety, a hopeful student trying to get a look and personal tour of a dorm you didn’t get to see, or just buying your first Clark sweatshirt in the bookstore. Clark prides itself on its accepting and friendly atmosphere. Sometimes that doesn’t work for all people. </p>
<p>We’ve visited so many colleges all over the academic spectrum with our two older boys. There were some schools I wouldn’t even consider for my now freshman Clark son. And they were great schools. I just knew that it was too much like high school, something that our family couldn’t wait to get away from. There are cookie cutter colleges out there. Clark is not one of them. One of the things that impressed me the most was the high caliber of academics for such a small place. Very worldly, and take a look at where some of the professors hail from; it’s an impressive bunch. We looked at how many international students there were, and the Study Abroad programs, which were very important to us. Class size, too.</p>
<p>Good luck, OP! As for Saturday mornings, that’s hysterical. We found that at every college. One tour we took was on November 1st at a school. The students had their Halloween campus party and night walk the night before…sometime afternoon you began seeing the kids sleepy-eyed creeping out of their dorms. Others though were hitting the gym. (so they all weren’t huge partiers)</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the helpful insights. When we listened to the student panel discussion, each of its members discussed how they felt they could see themselves at Clark when they walked around campus while visiting (before enrolling). That part was difficult for us since, despite liking the campus, we saw so few kids. </p>
<p>Another question–I know Clark’s motto has to do with wanting to change the world. Is that the way most Clark students would identify themselves? I’m not sure my son has reached the level of maturity where he would say this is true (or not true) about himself. Another area to wonder about whether he’d fit in at Clark.</p>
<p>My impression FWIW:
Planning to change the world is not a requirement for acceptance to Clark. Being open to the concept, willing to meet others and accept new ideas is encouraged. There are many opportunities for community involvement. Kids mature during their college years. Clark profs seem to understand this.</p>