<p>This last winter was VERY unusual.</p>
<p>Most years DC has rather moderate snowfall.</p>
<p>I think it is a thing of the future! W/climate change and all!
Oberlin is alot warmer than where we are anyways, in VT.</p>
<p>The real problem with snow in DC is that they aren’t equipped to deal with it. When you get further north they generally have enough snowplows to get rid of the stuff. I’m not sure American belongs on your list, but it was one of my son’s favorite schools. (He was/is interested in international relations so it made a lot of sense.) He liked Vassar and hated Bard BTW - they have a lot in common, but he did not like the campus in the woods approach of Bard. (I didn’t like that there was ice all over Bard’s sidewalks, 45 minutes to the south Vassar’s sidewalks were shoveled clean.)</p>
<p>College of Charleston</p>
<p>I haven’t visited – but on paper, I see KEPP IT on the list. I think with your son’s stats he will receive welcome news & $.</p>
<p>Check out the Charleston thread – some accepted last year posted the amounts received.</p>
<p>Is College of Charleston challenging enough?
Is Pitzer too laid back?
Is it difficult to make friends @ NYU?
How are the academics @ Occidental?
Are there any “main-stream” kids @ Oberlin?
Which college will offer the most opportunities?</p>
<p>Making friends at NYU is the same as making friends at any other school. D found people very friendly. There is no defined “campus”, but a lot of activities and people also get to know each other in the dorms.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Look at both graduation rates and job placement upon graduation. Look for
the college that provides real-world experience to the greatest number of undergraduates. You’ll want evidence of strong internship and community service programs, partnerships with corporations and organizations, and so on. Strong colleges will almost always provide easily accessible data regarding not only graduation rates, but the rates at which graduates find employment. Weaker colleges tend to make this information invisible. </p>
<p>Another important factor is the strength of the alumni network. USC, for example, has one of the strongest alumni networks in the nation, which can be very helpful to a young graduate. Because I’m a Californian, I’m much more familiar with USC than NYU, but given the information you’ve provided here, your son would probably have an equal shot at both schools. </p>
<p>Finally, you have to consider the post-graduate opportunities in light of the college’s location and where your son will ultimately want to live. Perhaps a degree from the College of Charleston would be helpful in the South; out in California, no one has heard of the school.</p>
<p>Wow- these are the % of students who graduate within “normal time” - from college-insight.org. What’s happening @ Pitzer? </p>
<p>Vassar 92%
Pitzer 69%
Bard 75%
Occidental 86%
NYU 85%
Colorado Coll 87%</p>
<p>That data is a year old. The latest data is 80%. Part of it is due to the size of the class. There are <250 students per class and 10 not making it in 6 years makes ~5% difference.</p>
<p>I’m glad because my son is still very interested in visiting Pitzer. Thank you Erin’s dad!
He’s still trying to shorten his list to find the best academics… I think Vassar is probably #1 choice at this point & NYU is a close 2nd. However, his chances for admission are much greater @ NYU, therefore, he’s not sure he should waste his ED choice on Vassar…</p>
<p>you wrote your son is a good writer - maybe you should reconsider new college in florida, they are an excellent school for writers. especially check out the number of students they have that received fullbright scholarships. impressive!</p>
<p>He thought New College didn’t have enough structure for him</p>
<p>Does anyone know about the party scene @ Colorado College? I’ve read that it is so pervasive you can smell pot throughout most of the dorms. Is it more prevalent than other schools?</p>
<p>With NYU, it’s easy to make friends in the dorms but what happens at night is many people go their own ways due to all that is available to them in the city. You don’t have the community of a campus school. I think you also need to make a big effort to get involved in activities affiliated with the school to meet people. If you love NYC, then you will do well here. I loved it, but I transferred from a rural campus school which I hated…so got to figure out what my best fit was. Finding the best fit is the key…that is why it is so important to visit and spend lots of time getting the feel of a school, the type of student body that goes there and what the area offers.</p>
<p>I think you will smell pot in many of the dorms of the colleges your son has on his list.</p>
<p>Are there schools with a non-druggy, but also non-keg party/ football scene - type atmosphere? I don’t want to spend 50K a year for my s or d to inhale 2nd hand cig or pot smoke. However, my s doesn’t want to be in a “preppy” atmosphere either.</p>
<p>Well, American doesn’t have football and you have to go off campus to find any alcohol (officially). Can’t speak for the pot issue. And D reports that it is much more preppy than she is used to, but we’re from Texas so she doesn’t have much to compare it too. But liberal arts majors are a definite minority.</p>
<p>I have also heard that the drug scene at Colorado College is pretty pervasive.</p>