@wisteria100 Even if the school didn’t help arrange buses to the nearest major urban city (Boston), at least on logical dates like breaks and start and end of terms, it’s really crazy that they don’t at least do so to their nearest airport in Portland only 30 minutes away. Again, if you take the nearest unaffiliated bus to campus to Portland, you don’t have a public transportation option to transfer to the airport. Kids also have trouble getting Uber’s or cabs in Brunswick – easy enough to get them back from the airport but often none roaming Brunswick waiting for a job. Anyway, this was general on topic when I started but probably drifting off now…
twinsmama, I think we had the same tour guide at Skidmore. She was a gem and we really enjoyed her. We didn’t the the triples there were all that cramped but one of my twins was originally in a much smaller room with two others so that could have skewed our view!
@doschicos Notice the date on the Bowdoin transportation page? 2010. They haven’t updated it since. We found that to be the case on many of the pages on the Bowdoin site – they were abandoned years ago. They keep the Admission stuff up to date but not many other areas. He’s used the Concord bus numerous times service to get to Portland and Boston. As noted previously, it doesn’t offer service to the Portland Airport and there’s no public transportation between the bus terminal and the airport. The unreliability of the bus would have caused him to miss a flight but for the fact that they ended up postponing the flight anyway.
BTW, they still sort of have a “yellow bike” program though nothing like what it was in that post. It stared as bike sharing but they never got it to work so they eventually just evolved it into a bike rental program for the year. Costs more now, but still super reasonable. The downside is they insist on taking the bikes back when the weather turns cold and not returning them until Spring so for half the school year he didn’t have access to the bike.
Sounds like the student body needs to rally together and request some options from the administration.
^ yup students can make this happen, it’s a matter of budgeting for it out of student funds, often.
My kid’s college offers free buses to Boston and NYC at breaks, and to the closest airport (Hartford) also.
Doesn’t even need to be free, really. If enough kids want it, a reasonable fee should cover the costs.
Is it common for schools to offer free service? One of my kids’ LACs offers nothing but there is public transportation or kids just use uber or a friend. The other LAC arranges busses but there is a fee and many students with cars offer a cheaper option with a very active ride share facebook page.
Since I’m paying $70K/year, a few free shuttles to the nearest airport at the logical times (breaks, start and end of semesters) seems reasonable. But I would take paid as well. Anything is better than nothing. Apparently they student government used to arrange such shuttles but hasn’t in a few years. The school allegedly hasn’t period.
At D’s school it is the student government who provides the free shuttles. Presumably money that is taken from something else - pizza, clubs, whatever.
@wisteria100 my son is extremely happy at Haverford. He is familiar and comfortable with a small academic environment as his high school only had about 280 students. He is introverted and studious and may not need as much social life as some students. He finds the students to be very friendly, kind and bright, and has made a network of friends. He spends some time at Bryn Mawr (he took one class there so far) and he has made friends there as well. This definitely expands the size of the college. He does say that he recognizes most students, though he doesn’t know them all and there isn’t much anonymity. (He is a sophomore.) Whether it is too small is really dependent on the individual. What works for one student may be claustrophobic to another. I advise an overnight visit if uncertain. Fit is key at the LACs, and they tend to be very self-selecting. This is one reason the rankings for LACs are quite silly. My son, for one, couldn’t really see himself at an Bowdoin or Williams (too athletic, too remote), and while he liked the academics of Claremont Mckenna he felt is was too pre-professional. Size was not a driving factor in my son’s search as much as strong academics, kind students and a community feel (not athletic), and preferably more urban than rural. FWIW I asked him what he did last night. He said a large group of friends that were on his dorm floor last year came to his dorm and played Jenga. LOL. That is not what the typical college sophomore does on a Saturday night but it was perfect for DS. This is not to say that there are parties and opportunities for other kinds of fun, but his friend group seems equally happy to have a game night as a party.
^This is not to say that there are not parties and opportunities for other kinds of fun, but his friend group seems equally happy to have a game night as a party.
We took S19 to see 4 schools this weekend. He really liked them all, but I was totally turned off by the way the schools handled the tours.
Many schools had a 4-day weekend for the Jewish holidays. It felt like everyone from NY/NJ who was not celebrating made their way up to Boston for college visits - they were all packed. Yet, it seemed like none of the schools added extra tour guides to handle the crowds. Everyone registers so they know exactly how many people to expect. Having only 6 guides for, literally, 400-500 people was horrible. You can’t hear the guides, it’s difficult to ask questions, etc. I think the schools need to limit the number of people they allow at their sessions, or add more sessions or tour guides on peak days.
@mjrube94 Which schools did you visit and do you have specific takeways?
@homerdog “Do tell about Davidson! Why did you like it the best?”
Overall our experience at Davidson in August 2016 (we arrived in the early evening after flying to Charlotte, stayed overnight in Davidson, did the morning tour and drove to Wake for the afternoon tour) was positive. This is what DD and I both liked about the place:
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We thought the academics at Davidson seemed top notch and the kids seemed intellectual but also happy. It is always hard to gauge a school’s academics from one 1/2 day visit, but the academic vibe seemed comparable to NE LACs such as Williams and Midd. (but slightly easier to get admitted to);
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We liked the town of Davidson and the way that one could easily stroll off campus and into town. Again comparing it to the top LACs, it seemed less isolated and obviously a better climate! My DD prefers an in-town location to the more suburban campuses of UR and Wake.
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Socially it seemed to offer a good student experience. The “eating clubs” (not sure I got the term right) looks to be a good compromise between a heavy Greek presence and no Greek life at all.
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The location of 30 min. from Charlotte was a major plus. Not just in terms of the airport proximity but for internships, getting off campus for museums, cultural events, etc.
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We liked the administrative staff. My DD met them in London a while back and kept in touch. After she was accepted, the Classics Department reached out to her to answer any questions that she had.
I don’t mean to criticise Wake or UR, both of which DD liked, but not as much as Davidson. (we also know several parents who have or had kids at Davidson and all have loved the school). Regarding Wake, it seemed to us to be more like a University than an LAC (which is not a bad thing, only a distinction). My DD did not like the Wake campus as much or the part of NC in which it is located. Regarding UR, I don’t think it is currently in the same league academically as Wake or Davidson, although it is definitely an up and coming school. Also, UR has a significant undergrad business school which felt made it seem slightly more preprofessional than the other schools.
Our D2 is a freshman at Haverford, and 4 weeks in things literally couldn’t be better. They have a 5-day “customs” program at the start of the year for the freshman, and it seems to really form early bonds among the students. Loves her professors, loves the campus, has been to Philly a few times on the train already including a volunteer day and a party at Penn (not really sure about the details I’m getting second hand, but it was at a frat that another Penn kid asked “how did you get in there”…), been to Bryn Mawr to eat, walked to dinner and a few late night food runs in Ardmore…and hasn’t thought about coming home until fall break.
When riding the train back to school after being at Penn with one of the Penn students, he was surprised to learn about the open environment on campus. Alcohol isn’t “allowed” per se, but the school turns a semi-blind eye and lets the students manage themselves via the honor code. Our D1 is at Swarthmore, who is similar in their alcohol policy. I believe there is less of an issue around alcohol when the school monitors from a distance, as there is no pre-gaming and the students aren’t afraid to get help if needed. The Penn student made a comment after discussing the policy for a while…“I should have applied here”.
It is small at its core, but between the consortiums and the area, there is a lot to do. So far, Haverford actually feels “bigger” at 1,275 students than Swarthmore at nearly 50% larger.
And Quaker Bouncers!
https://www.haverford.edu/college-communications/news/quaker-bouncers-pacificist-remedies-wild-crazy-parties
http://www.thedp.com/article/2006/01/partying_like_it_should_be
It’s program that’s been a model for and replicated at other schools, for example Dartmouth’s GreenTeam.
One of the best things about Haverford, IMO, is the amount of student self-governance, possible in part due to the college’s honor code and plenary system. The level of student control in overseeing many non-academic parts of the college is unique I think. I’d put Grinnell up there, too.
Visited Notre Dame during December. Big mistake. Immediately crossed off the list as it felt like Siberia. South Bend was also a big negative. My D said it probably resembled Berlin after the war.
Well, that’s a bit extreme. I’ve been to South Bend, and I’ve been to a war-torn city, and believe me, they are nothing alike.
@exlibris97 @ShrimpBurrito But WOW–convincing! Wish my S could be so opinionated–feels like everything is “ok”.
Indiana resident (transplant from east coast) – Berlin after the war? Maybe they saw construction because of all the growth on campus and in town? While SB is hardly a great college town a la Ann Arbor, Madison etc., it has plenty to offer, including a young Mayor who has spurred revitalization and economic growth. That sounds a bit harsh.
@Midwestmomofboys I guess it depends on how you view growth. Cleveland has growth. SB came across as very sad. Maybe it looks better in the summer.