College of Wooster or New College?

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of Wooster
1

<p>Some of you have posted both about Wooster and New College, so you may have info that can help.</p>

<p>D has been accepted to both Wooster and New College. With instate tuition (D's father lives in FL), tuition after scholarship, plus room and board would be $12,000 a year. We've already gotten the FA package back from Wooster, and we would pay $27,000 a year (they put a $5500 loan for each year also, so we could defer payment and pay ~$22,000 during the year), but it's still $27,000 either way.</p>

<p>We're aware of New College's far left student body. D is on the liberal side, not quite as far left as some students at New College, but she thinks she would be ok - she's met some more moderate kids (she is more concerned about the weather since she is not used to heat - she also does not appreciate Florida architecture or palm trees). She is also not very socially adept (very shy), and it seems the kids at New College are accepting of almost everyone. She likes the idea of an open curriculum, and we've also seen that New College does send students to prestigious grad schools. That is attractive to her.</p>

<p>While touring Wooster, I asked a question on where grads go to grad school. The answer was a list of state schools in Ohio. Not that that is bad, but we wanted more info. Does anyone have more info on the types of grad schools that Wooster grads attend? </p>

<p>Both schools require a thesis to graduate. That's a positive.</p>

<p>But I don't know how much faith to put in peer assessment rankings on US News, where Wooster's is 3.3 and New College is 2.9. I sense that not everyone respects New College's open curriculum and lack of grades in lieu of written assessments.</p>

<p>New College also has the incentive of being able to walk out of the dorm, cross the street and into Sarasota airport. No shuttle to an airport to get home seems like a nice advantage to me. If she wants to come home for a weekend, it would be a lot easier. But she may not have time for this anyway.</p>

<p>So the bottom line - Wooster looks like it is going to be over twice as expensive for us. Is Wooster twice as good? We could afford New College with no problem. Wooster would involve explaining to her dad, if he is able to help pay, why the school is twice as much as New College. And the first question he is likely to ask is "is Wooster twice as good?" </p>

<p>If D were allowed to make the choice, it would be for the wrong reason - she could go snowboarding at Snow Trails, 45 minutes away, if she attended Wooster. Ha ha! Sorry, I am not buying a $15,000 season pass, which is what it seems like to me. But I would consider the extra $15,000 for the right reasons.</p>

<p>Any insight you have would be great.</p>

2

<p>I don’t know if is “worth” twice as much or how you would measure that. Only you know what your finances are and will have to evaluate your options based on finances and “fit”. Good luck! This is a “good” problem to have!!!</p>

3

<p>Wooster students – at least the friends I made there, tend to take a semester off before going to grad school. They, at least many of my friends, joined the Peace Corps, applied for Teach for America, or were named Fulbright scholars and are teaching English abroad. My two friends who did go straight to Grad School are both overseas, one in Brussels and one in Scotland to study conflict resolution and teaching respectively. So I don’t know how accurate that tour guide answer was: I only know two friends who are planning to go to graduate school in Ohio, and both of them were born and raised there, and just have no intellectual curiosity to leave.</p>

<p>Wooster is very good with shy personalities – I was so nervous for orientation I physically made myself sick because the prospect of meeting so many new people scared me. Wooster gives the safe environment for people to get out of their shell. From a prospective employer standpoint – unless they have a personal connection or are located in the region, they probably won’t recognize either. Not that, that’s good or bad.</p>

<p>Wooster isn’t twice as good unless she walks on campus and goes – oh, this is home. But if she has no strong feelings either way besides skiing/snowboarding, then it seems wise to err on the side of finances and if she finds that she made the wrong decision, she can transfer.</p>

4

<p>Interesting questions. Obviously I am more familiar with Wooster, but I have visited New College a couple of times, and most recently with D as a prospective. Here are some of my general impressions:</p>

<p>As you mention, New College is sort of a self selecting student body - not for everyone, but apparently a very nice safe haven for those drawn into the culture there. And yes, I do think it is an exceptionally accepting environment. To me, that is one of their strengths. My impression, however, is that it is much more than just 'left leaning," but socially, out on the very fringes. That sounds more negative than I intend, but it is difficult for me to characterize it in other terms without feeling as though I’m understating it. “Weird” is too strong. “Quirky” is not strong enough. “On the fringes” seems about right. </p>

<p>The student population there is less than half the size of Wooster, and upon observation, seeing it up close versus internet photos, I felt the physical facilities were not in very good condition. And apart from its waterfront location I did not think the campus was very attractive at all. It’s sufficient, but I guess I had different expectations. What I really like though is the surrounding area. Sarasota is a great community to which Wooster does not even begin to compare. </p>

<p>Academically, the students there are very strong and the school cultivates a self driven attitude about learning which I think is not only positive, but much like Wooster, is one of the reasons their grads go on to do quite well in graduate and professional schools. I believe most students there work hard, not because they have to in order to pass, but because they really have the opportunity to devote themselves to whatever it is they are most interested in doing - much like Wooster. I also have no doubt that the professors are very encouraging involved with the students. So to that end, I think New College can clearly provide a great educational experience limited only by the initiative and effort put forth by its students. </p>

<p>Lastly, I would not venture to even suggest what the “right” choice would be given the financial factors involved. The college experience is so individually subjective that I have know idea what “twice as good” looks like from one student to the next. My guess is that the school that really drives your particular student’s greatest potential versus one that is merely sufficient, might be considered twice as good, maybe even moreso. But which school that is depends on knowing the sensibilities of the student just as much as the culture and product of the institution. Thus, while I sincerely believe my own kids would not blossom as well at New College as many of the students who choose to go there, I’m reasonably sure the reverse is also true. So yes, for me, Wooster would be twice as good. For others, New College might be the same. I think your family has to decide what the real driver is in your decision-making. Finances may say one thing, but compatibility and opportunity may be saying something else. Which is most critical? Maybe there’s a middle ground somewhere else, I don’t know. </p>

<p>I fully empathize; we are facing the same questions, just with different schools.</p>

5

<p>I don’t know much about New College, but noticed you said it provides a written evaluation in lieu of grades. That’s the same system as Evergreen state college in WA state. I was recently talking to a graduate of Evergreen state college who was applying to law schools (more than 10 years ago, but the concern is probably still relevant). He complained bitterly about the written evaluation system because, according to him, the law schools didn’t take the time to read through the evaluation and convert them to grades, so he was severely disadvantaged. Whilst it takes a grad school only a few minutes to put candidates with letter grades into different piles, it would take them close to an hour to go through written evaluations to place the students. Just a little something to think about. Ask New College what they think of that and if they have any plans to provide a letter grade in addition to a written evaluation.</p>

<p>I understand what New College and Evergreen are trying to do. They want grad schools to take a holistic approach to their students. Unfortunately, very few schools really take the time to do that. Selective schools get so many applicants that they can let a couple of students to fall through the cracks without really affecting their class. Sad but true.</p>

<p>We are encountering the same issue with our S. His high school takes a similar attitude and expects colleges to do some work to understand its (HS’s) graduates, but that only works at schools that know this HS. It doesn’t work well with larger state schools where gpa and test scores make up the bulk of the admissions criteria. Even at schools that claim to follow a holistic approach, they use the grades and test scores to determine whose applications are read first.</p>

6

<p>I agree with what has already been said. I live in Sarasota with a daughter at Wooster. New College was not what she was looking for. The good news is that students are here during the cooler months and everything is air-conditioned. My daughter isn’t crazy about heat, but she’s back here for summer and in Ohio in January. Just the opposite of the Florida snowbirds. Wooster was worth the cost difference for us.</p>

7

<p>Interesting comparison. My son’s a freshman at Wooster an loves it. HS Jr. Daughter has about 10 schools on her “short” list, and these include New College and Evergreen State (and she’d be an out-of-stater for both places). From what I gather (and reading the posts here), Wooster will be a more “traditional” college experience (with a more structured curriculum), but the students at New College will be more independent in directing their own expectations and workload. I don’t consider one option to be better than the other – just different. If your daughter doesn’t have a strong preference, go to New College. It’s substantially cheaper and she can <em>always</em> change her mind later.</p>