Had a chance to visit Bentley recently with my son. I’ve visited Northeastern, BU, Babson, UMass in the past.
Thoughts; well kept, modernized buildings. Nicely done. Not too big of a campus. Kids basically take all of their classes in a group of buildings surrounding a quad, so easy to go from class to class. All classes taught by professors. Class sizes not too big. Decent amount of majors to choose from a “business school”. They are upgrading dorms and a science center right now and they are breaking grounds on a new arena. Sports facilities were pretty nice, well maintained. They have shuttle buses to take kids from upper to lower campus, and another that runs to Harvard square and downtown Waltham, good feature. Bentley was less about entrepreneurship and co-ops and more about preparing students for jobs thru hands on learning and internships. Many group projects with local companies. Did not seem as demanding or cut throat vs Babson which really was all about thinking like an entrepreneur. More collaborative. Seemed more like BUs approach vs Northeastern and their co-op mentality. They have some programs in place to get your masters in 5 years. They had a nice plan in place for the kids to hook up with an academic advisor early to start thinking about what they want to accomplish in their time there. They encourage multiple internships so you get a good feel for what you like and don’t want. I liked that. Seemed like plenty of opportunities too. Campus seemed very safe, compared to NU and BU which are right in the city. I ended up liking this school more than I thought I would. I don’t think it has the name brand outside of New England compared to Northeastern or BU, but that does not make it a less worthy school. I think the school is on an upward trend. For the right kid it seems like a good place.
I guess I’ve learned that with any of the Boston area schools that offer business the kids have a great opportunity to learn and work with a lot of great businesses that they have relationships with. They all offer something a little unique and I’m not sure I could definitely pick one as being the clear " best" school for a student looking to pursue business. I think they could succeed at all of them, but the approach to success may be just a bit different at each school.
@doschicos I suppose a school’s “personality” could be misconstrued if only using a few adjectives, but no one can deny that Reed is pretty “crunchy” (as we call it in Midwest) and Miami of Ohio is “preppy”. Sure, you can find ranges of those kinds of kids on a campus but an overall feeling is important and it sounds like that’s what kids pick up on and either love or hate. Our outdoorsy, bright son might think Reed looks good on paper but I know for sure he would not fit there. I’ve been following their Instagram and the kids look way hipper that him. Like Portland coffee shop cool!
@homerdog in the PNW, “crunchy” and “hipster” are not necessarily the same thing. There are nuances and differences lol. I’d call Evergreen “crunchy” and Reed decidedly “hipster”. Not that the two don’t cross over quite a bit in values and ideals and interests but there is a difference. Partially SES based but not completely. Reed definitely has it’s own unique personality.
“in the PNW, “crunchy” and “hipster” are not necessarily the same thing”
Definitely the same on the East Coast as well! Part of why a few adjectives can be deceptive at times.
@nitro11 Threads ebb and flow and come back around to the topic at hand. It’s all part of the discussion of what people like/don’t like about certain schools, how to view certain schools and not necessarily off topic. Enjoy the CC way.
I guess this is technically off the topic of school visits, but it is interesting for me, as a midwestern mom, to see the subtle changes in style that a year in a just-slightly-less midwestern campus has brought to my own kid’s way of dressing and presenting herself. For example, even though her campus is not technically “East Coast”, I can see the influence of friends who tend to be more NYC-based on my daugther—a look that is slightly more sophisticated and less sporty than what I see with kids who have stayed closer to home, for example.
Differences in campus style and culture are all real—the nuances may not be obvious, but they are definitely discernible. And you’ll see them reflected back to you as the years go by. (Another reason why visits are important, IMO.)
@EllieMom That observation is very interesting to me. In another thread I commented “I actually am a little worried about all the East coast schools on Ds list. I just think that there may be a culture difference that could come off as rude/abrupt to a low/middle class suburban girl from MO.” It is a real concern of mine. I would love to discuss it more. Maybe this is another vote for a thread that revolves around school “cultures”
As long as the discussion doesn’t get into back and forth discussion about a particular school. This has happened in the past and a moderator has intervened.
Along the lines of different regions, I do think its important to weigh in culture and the impact on the student. An intellectual vibe has the potential to develop a very different student than one with a less intellectual vibe, as an example though. Sometimes college students, however, are just trying on different personas. They may stick, they may not. To me, college is about self exploration both academically and in other ways. That said, you raised your children for 18 years and the core values you’ve taught them are not easily cast aside. In general, I think exposure to a variety of people and their viewpoints, styles, outlooks can only be a good thing in navigating life and learning to get along with people from different walks of life. We can take what we like and leave what we don’t from those we meet.
One “concern” about having your child attend a school in another region is never getting them back home in your region again. Due to networking, friendships, etc. many students do stay in the region of their college after graduation.
Grand Valley went way up. Wonderful newer facilities yet low tuition. Good-sized school. They have 2 campuses about 20 minutes apart. The main campus and the downtown campus, so kids who are majoring in engineering or medical can spend the first 2 years at main and the second 2 downtown.
Aquinas went down. Really old buildings and not much to do.
Just want to add that crunchy and hipsterish are very, very different in NYC, for example. Crunchies tend not to care about fashion. They are about comfort. Hipsters here are obsessed with wearing just the right things, having just the right look.
Crunchies are about comfort and source, where was it made, fair trade etc. Hipsters here care about that too but are more likely to support it by buying gently used or from boutiques known to support sources focused on equality.
Now we are going beyond culture though. I do think the culture info is helpful as that is so often a large part of why a school moves up or down and as I know the culture my kid is looking for I definitely pay attention to comments that show that.
Visited a variety of schools this summer. There were more changes than I expected! Won’t go into great detail about reasons, but here are my son’s decisions.
Moved off the list:
Washington and Lee: too small, too Greek, not diverse
Lafayette: too small, too Greek, too many D1 athletes (22% of the student body!)
James Madison: no real reason, just didn’t feel a connection. Town is boring
Moved up:
U of Richmond - students, faculty were welcoming and friendly, campus was beautiful
George Washington - nice to see how there is a campus feel, even though it’s in the heart of the city.
Lehigh - beautiful campus and location, town seems vibrant and fun
Still working on the list but it’s amazing how much a visit can influence your opinion. Son will probably end up at a big state school in my opinion but we’re done with visits until April.
^, regarding Greek life at Lafayette, it’s about 35% from everything I’ve read, so definitely not more and probably less than some of the other schools mentioned, like Richmond and Lehigh, FYI.
@Leafyseadragon Although it is only one part of your decision as to where to apply, Lehigh is a good bit more Greek than Lafayette. Per USNWR:
Lafayette: 17% of men in fraternities; 35% of women in sororities
Lehigh 40% of men in fraternities; 45% of women in sororities.
The people at Lafayette said it was 40% Greek, but you can’t rush until you’re a sophomore. So the real % of sophomores, juniors and seniors that are Greek is larger than 40%. I am only quoting what they said on the tour.
He may join a frat, I don’t know. Because Lafayette was about half the size of Lehigh, he felt there would be a larger pool of unaffiliated students at Lehigh. I think the bigger issue for my son at Lafayette was the % of recruited, D1 athletes.
Those numbers for Greeks are VERY high. Most schools are at less than 20% and that’s still a big Greek focus. At my daughter’s school, the number is only 5-7%, but the Houses surround a parkway and are actually closer to the library/classroom/gym etc. than the dorms. They are a big physical presence.
