@FryingPanShoals, thank you sharing about your D at UTC. It’s what I need to hear since there is a very real chance my D23 will end up there for financial reasons (and I’ve always been very open with her about that). We visited campus last winter and D was “meh” about it…she loved the city of Chattanooga, but was not hugely impressed with the campus (she thought the buildings looks old and dirty, but we had just been to UK so I’m sure that affected her opinion). We’re going back at the end of the month to specifically tour the Honors college, so I hope I can at least get her to the point that she’ll see the good at Chatt, even if it will never be in her top few school choices.
I agree and I’ve spoken to her about it many times Or, at least I’ve tried to. I typically get the eye roll followed by “I know, mom”. lol. We’re in Wilco, too, btw.
Overall, it sounds like some schools should probably come off her list (Vassar, Skidmore, Swathmore, Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke). She likely doesn’t have the rigor to get in, and if they’re going to continue to be a a stressful academic environment, she’s not going to be happy there anyway.
I’ll take a look at Clark, Lawrence and some of the others listed. I wish there was a school within a few hours of us (Nashville area) that fit the criteria we’re looking for…I’d love for her to have a close-to-home option, besides UTC. Centre College in KY seems too rural. I’ve read a lot about Rhodes but, honestly, I’m concerned about crime in Memphis. And Belmont is a no-go because of the religious aspect, and it’s also a little too close to home. Most of the other southern LACs don’t seem like a good cultural fit. I feel like I’ve done an exhaustive search already, but chime in if I’ve overlooked something.
I empathize. I think that’s one of the issues living in much of the south, as well as in many of the plains and western states. In the northeast and midwest there are gobs of good options within a short distance. But south of the Mason-Dixon line or west of Minnesota? Pickings get really slim if you don’t want a big state school or a community college, much less want to start getting into the vibe and personality of a school.
@JKM232 The town that Earlham is in (Richmond, IN) felt a lot like Beloit, WI to me. It’s a mid-sized, midwestern town. It’s OK. My daughter didn’t have much to say about the town, other than she liked the sandwich place we ate at in the downtown area. The college is smaller than Beloit, but the facilities were surprisingly nice for such a small place. She spent most of her visit in the ceramics studio and in the greenhouse hanging out with her host and their friends (Art and Bio majors).
On your list, we visited several with my S21 and/or D23. We know Agnes Scott, and my S21 applied to Beloit (but didn’t visit), so I think I’m understanding the kind of place your D is looking for.
Based on our visits to Wooster, Dickinson, and Wheaton (MA) with S21, I think all would fit in terms of student vibe.
They all had nice campuses (I personally liked Wooster’s the most).
S21 had lower test scores that your D (and he submitted them), average-ish? (not high) rigor, reasonably good ECs. I also presume that some of his scholarship amounts were driven by institutional priorities (geographic diversity, male applicant to small LAC)
As @cormac05 described, there is a town/main street area nearby Wooster. My son demonstrated a ton of interest and got $36K merit. He did not apply separately for their top scholarship which I think can get you a few thousand more.
Dickinson - the town of Carlisle is right next to campus and has coffee shops and restaurants that students frequent. Beyond that, it’s pretty rural (but close to the highway). This was personally my least favorite campus of the 3 - the quad itself is really nice. There is a road splitting the campus that gets a lot of loud trucks (we’ve been to the campus 3 times now and had the same experience each time). My son got $25K merit.
Wheaton (MA) - the campus was nicer than we’d expected based on virtual visits. It does not have much of a town strip nearby, and I’m thinking that is likely a dealbreaker for your D. There is a place students walk to (about a 10-20 minute walk depending on which side of campus they are coming from) that has great bagels, bagel sandwiches, coffee drinks, etc. They can also walk to a few other places, but it’s not a cute Main Street kind of strip. It’s definitely nothing like Downtown Decatur (Agnes Scott). However, when they want to get off campus, it’s not hard to do. Public transportation is helpful. Students can go to other stores and restaurants in neighboring towns, go easily to Providence, RI (my kid has been twice so far this semester), concerts at Xfinity Center (outdoor amphitheatre which is a major concert venue in MA and probably 10 minutes from campus, if that). Boston and beaches are possible, too. Wheaton gave my son $37K merit.
Based on our visits to Mount Holyoke and Vassar with D23, I think both would fit in terms of student vibe.
Vassar - lovely, but as others have mentioned, only need based aid.
Mount Holyoke is rural, but right across the street from campus there was a coffee shop, a bookstore, some restaurants (we ate at a great Japanese place). It was basically a nice outdoor strip mall kind of development that offered a number of options. To get off campus would probably involve taking the bus that takes students to the other 5 college campuses? She could get to Northampton (Smith) that way for more things to do. But I’d agree that getting good merit at MHC is probably tough without a lot of rigor and ECs.
I like the Clark recommendation. We visited with S21. They gave $20K merit but were one of his more expensive options. Beloit gave him $36K merit, and Willamette gave him $23K merit. I also like the Kalamazoo recommendation - vibe seems to fit, and there seems to be stuff to walk to and do off campus. They gave S21 $34K in merit. If you look at the 3.0-3.4 thread for the high school class of 2021, you’ll find parents of 2 students who chose Kalamazoo and may be able to give you an update on what it’s been like.
We also tried to find colleges with this vibe in the Southeast (you mentioned being in the Nashville area) but ultimately didn’t find anything my kids felt was a strong enough match for them…neither one had/has a college closer than a 10 hour drive from Atlanta on their lists.
Sorry for the slow response, I was out of town and not looking at CC. Re our visit to Agnes Scott, we did like it. Beautiful campus and it felt very supportive and very diverse.
Has she looked at Hollins in Roanoke VA? It is a women’s college also, but transitioning to be a non-CIS male college. My D22 has a friend who goes there and she has lots of friends who ID as non-binary, etc.
My D22 goes to Warren Wilson just outside of Asheville. Did you look there when you were at UNC-A? So far it’s been a good fit for my D22 and is just 15 minutes into Asheville with all the boutiques you could want. If she doesn’t drive there is always a friend with a car. My D22 drives lots of her friends into town. Very LGBTQ+ friendly. No Greek life at all. There is some partying, but it’s a very accepting school and they do have a Wellness dorm that is substance free if she wants to ensure she’s not around anything. They have some good scholarships as well.
Your kid should definitely get in Agnes Scott with that GPA and scores. My D22 got in there and got merit with lesser scores.
I went to Beloit years ago, and it’s a fantastic environment- lots of opportunities for study abroad, research with professors and a very inclusive, welcoming community. I currently live in KY- University of KY is huge and will have a different vibe for sure- more emphasis on sports/Greek life with a large (and more conservative) student body. For other schools similar to Beloit, check out Macalester, Earlham, Lawrence, Ripon or Kenyon. Good luck!