We visited Swat over spring break and thought the campus and students we met were nice. They didn’t seem anymore or less stressed than the other top schools to me. What I did find funny was the tour guide kept pointing out all of the free stuff the kids get. Free laundry, free printing, free events. I kept looking for the money tree that paid for all this free stuff and then I passed a mirror and saw my reflection.My son crossed this school off the list after he sat in on a class and there was no discussion or interaction from the students. Maybe he picked a bad class to sit in on but it did leave a negative impression. My guess is that the classes are largely engaging and he got unlucky.
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Quote o’ the day.
I started the thread with the intent people would name the schools while being polite. Hey, my daughter didn’t like Yale because she “didn’t want to be the least intelligent kid on campus” bjkmom Sarah Lawrence?
We had a few tour guides at private $60K+ colleges that talked about all the “free” stuff. I was really tempted to suggest they take a basic economics course.
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I agree with mentioning the schools! This thread is useless without them! 
OK, I’ll add in the names.
The school with the long winding roads was Cabrini in PA.
The school right in the middle of a neighborhood was Centenary in NJ.
I loved both schools on paper and on the websites. One of my friends LOVED the 4 years she spent at Cabrini.
But neither of my kids will be attending either of those schools.
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Penn State and UMD are ‘bigger names’ than Fairfield because they are big sports and big party schools. Not necessarily known for ‘big’ academics. I get that prestige matters to kids, but it is all relative. I think a lot of kids may assume that the smarter kid would pick Fairfield over the other two.
Down-Occidental-Moved down. My daughter was interested in this for its small size and West Coast location (in terms of it being a relatively short flight home for breaks). The campus was beautiful and is adjacent to a downtown with shops and restaurants. It was summer so downtown was lacking students and was not especially charming. We had a great tour guide Alex. Unfortunately the 106 degree weather and lack of mention of the arts during tour were the nail in the coffin. I thought the school had a lot to offer though. We had to skip info session to cool off.
Up-Scripps-Surprisingly my D loved this school despite the heat (it was a tad cooler than previous day tour). She is now a big fan of all women colleges. We did a morning tour of campus (gorgeous) and information session. She interviewed following morning. She loved that you have the supportive comfort of a small women’s college with access to the other Claremont colleges. You can even major at any of them and be a student at Scripps. The music program seemed very solid and we were given the card of an admissions volunteer who had recently moved on who was also a cellist at Scripps. Nice touch! The Admissions counselor had remembered us from a college event in our home city. My daughter was very interested in CORE classes that are required. Topics were very interesting. Also it is very apparent that social justice is a strong theme on campus…lots of thumbs up from my warrior. The town of Claremont is adorable and has everything you might need just a mile or so walk or quick uber ride from campus. There is a train to LA nearby as well. The added bonus of air conditioned dorms was welcome! This school has a lot to offer and after hearing that each dorm has a courtyard and fountain I was ready to go back to school myself.
Each of the 5C’s has a lot to offer and also the consortium as a whole. I really think it is the Disneyland of LACS–couldn’t get a more beautiful setting or a finer education anywhere else if you tried.
“Penn State and UMD are ‘bigger names’ than Fairfield because they are big sports and big party schools. Not necessarily known for ‘big’ academics. I get that prestige matters to kids, but it is all relative. I think a lot of kids may assume that the smarter kid would pick Fairfield over the other two.”’
WSJ might disagree. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060
@barrons ugh. I would like to read the link but WSJ doesn’t allow people to read its articles unless you subscribe. I assume UMD or Penn State are on the list?
@FinalFor / @CADREAMIN - The Swarthmore money tree is hidden in the Top 10 endowment / student in the US. The reason the students are so excited… they used to have to pay for all that stuff until a year ago.
BTW…the student activity fee (ie free stuff) just went up to $190 for the 2017/2018 year. It’s free when paid in advance. When you pay it via the monthly “cash call”…it’s expensive for the students.
In all seriousness, one of the best things about Swarthmore’s relative wealth is the funding for summer internships. One example, they have a program that pays students to do internships for alums (anywhere, doing almost anything). You have to apply and get approval, but the school funds a LOT of internships. The cash is delivered up front (so the kids don’t have to fund living expenses out of pocket).
I took my daughter to visit Skidmore and Middlebury not long ago. I was reluctant to go to the latter, because of its distance and inaccessibility and possible political/intellectual intolerance and wondering why a kid who loves city schools was even interested, but it won me over as a possibility because I could see how it would be great for my daughter, who truly loves learning French, would like to learn Arabic and/or other languages, and is looking for the best possible study-abroad options. Also, she does appreciate greenery and open space and thought Vermont (as much as we saw of it) was lovely. I didn’t see much of the campus; it started pouring during our tour (which was a large group where those at the back couldn’t hear the guide anyway) and, because my daughter hadn’t grabbed an umbrella in the admissions office, I gave her mine and hied it back to the admissions office as a drowned rat (where I found out how bald I have become in my post-menopausal state when I looked in the mirror at my totally soaked head!). My daughter returned with only her bottom half soaked (and with lovely teenage hair).
I know my son wouldn’t like Middlebury because of its isolation and the spread out campus. But, to my surprise, he might like Skidmore, which has a compact campus and a bustling, well-heeled town within walking distance. And for all its artsy reputation, they also touted their high pre-med admit rate (I don’t doubt they weed out, but my boy wouldn’t get weeded ). Our tour guide was most impressive (and not just in her backward walking skill) - a serious and super-intelligent international student - and my daughter was able to interview with the admissions officer who covers our state and knows our area. A small negative: freshmen mostly live in very cramped triples. A positive to offset it: they get a discount on housing because of that. Apparently, sophomores mostly get singles, and upperclassmen mostly get apartments (on campus). Another small negative, no old Gothic buildings. It looks like much of campus was built in the 60s. But it’s still a very nice campus, and one building was extraordinary: a recital hall where the back of the stage was all windows looking out on trees. Anyway, the school definitely went up in my daughter’s estimation and my own.
@twinsmama As someone who likes traditional looking campuses with older architecture, I actually found Skidmore’s campus to be very pleasing. Lots of trees and greenery, and it had a nice feel to it. The student union building was lively and cheerful, which is always something I look for.
PSU is #1 on the list and UMd is top 10.
@twinsmama and @citymama9, I also like the campus at Skidmore. Its woodsy and green, has a yurt for yoga, walking trails, a nice “natural” look, great theatre building…not pretentious instead comfortable. But, if you read many posts here, Skidmore gets the nod for one of the ugliest campuses. I never got it.
Yurt alert! Yurt alert!
Funny, it was my post about a school that we drove into and drove right back out because of the yurts…that school would be Hampshire. Real yurts, like canvas yurts. Skidmore has an upscale yurt, haha.
@NEPatsGirl you have a good eye!
@NEPatsGirl Agree exactly. It looked comfortable.