We looked at Furman and Sewanee over the summer.
Both beautiful campuses, as expected.
The isolation of Sewanee was both attractive and worrisome to my daughter.
Furman and nearby Greenville are green–exploding with flowers and lovely with trees.
Coming from drought ravaged CA, this impressed us all.
Daughter spent the summer in a program at Vanderbilt, where her sister goes, and loved it, but admissions are getting VERY difficult.
We are considering Tulane and Richmond because of the financial and merit opportunities.
Any thoughts?
Just finished a tour of Drury University in MO. It moved way up to the top. Loved the campus, city, and the fact that is nearly right across the street from “downtown” and the much larger Mo State campus. The idea of attending a small school right near a big state school is really attractive to my D.
The visit was scheduled custom to my D and the interests she selected in the tour request and that was really well done. The had her meet with a professor of biology who explained their pre-med scholars program which “allows students to focus solely on their undergraduate education and alleviates the pressure of taking the MCAT. The programs are non-binding, students can exit whenever they want to, but guaranteed acceptance is forfeited.” Essentially as long as the students have a min ACT score and maintain a min gpa freshman and sophomore year they have guaranteed acceptance to a variety of Med schools (mostly in MO…but at least two on the list are very good schools)
We also met with he honors college dean. I was very impressed with the programs as well. My d isn’t sure it’s for her, but she is willing to consider it now (before the meeting it was a big no in her mind)
I am relieved to have added another true safety school to our list.
My Son has dual degrees from both Tulane and Vandy. You should try both or either one of them since both schools really give generously to kids. Thank God there are schools like those two so that not so rich parents like me can send our kids to universities.
@Midwestmomofboys You are correct that, for the most part, Richmond is a lot like other rural towns. I will admit that when the first thing we saw arriving on the outskirts to the east of town was the ginormous cross on the hill, it gave us pause. I’ve been very open-minded about the locations of the schools we visit, but, we really felt our “otherness” as we drove into town (we are Jewish). I will say, though, that the tour guide at Earlham emphasized that the only intolerance Earlham students have is for intolerance itself.
My D16 loved Tulane when we visited. Great merit award, although not as great as Pitt (where she chose in the end). We didn’t look at University of Richmond with her, but it is on S18’s list.
Nice to hear Vanderbilt is generous. The problem though is that it’s almost impossible to get accepted
Homerdog: Everyone I know going to Vandy is paying full price.
My comment: I don’t know what to say if they are paying full price going to Vandy. To each, each own and if they can afford it (rich parents) then go for it. If not then take up with the school and find out why.
But, I (or my son) got it and lots of comments in other forums also say Vandy and Tulane give lots of money to the kids. Check out those forums like Vandy and Tulane forums. I believe what they are saying is compared to other schools, those two schools give more; maybe they are wrong?
I know for a fact, school funds to be given to kids are based on lots of things like scores (SAT/ACT, GPA), EC, Essay etc and they base also on your kids to be fit with the schools or not. Anyhow, so sorry if you or others have to pay full price. Why not go to home state schools as some of them also give generously.
More importantly, to get money to pay for school, you and your kid have to find it. There are lots of internal scholarships, internships, REU and internal research money and also don’t forget the external scholarships. Just a matter of finding them by doing internet research. May the force be with you.
My daughter is a high school senior, athlete, looking at small liberal arts schools – top 3 were Wesleyan, Oberlin, and Macalester. Visited Oberlin and Wesleyan first time and did a tour and interview, LOVED then went back months later for a recruit (overnight) visit. Ended up crossing Oberlin off her list – while I was doing my own touring and coffee drinking and was ready to buy my sweatshirt and enroll. Oberlin did an early read of her application and even an early indication of merit scholarship (which was significant). But the vibe was all off for her – didn’t find the students very friendly, the A&S students talked badly about the conservatory students and no one went out of their way to really make conversation. Opposite experiences at Macalester and Wesleyan – loved them both, warm and welcoming atmospheres.
@Tulanefan101 and @scotlandcalling I just looked at Vanderbilt’s website and common data set again.
147 kids last year got an average of $18,000 in merit aid. That’s out of 1600 freshman. That’s 9% of the class getting merit aid. All other aid given was need-based. So, if a family’s EFC is over the total cost of a year at Vanderbilt, that family has less than a 10% chance of getting some merit money from Vanderbilt. These scholarships are listed on their financial aid page and look uber competitive.
Vanderbilt is generous when it comes to need-based packages. According to their CDS, they awarded 839/1060 families 100% of the difference between total cost and the family’s EFC.
@AmyVirginia - Oberlin moved off my daughter’s list for the exact same reasons you state (also a senior / athlete)! I am glad you posted as it confirms her experience.
D18 and I saw a few more colleges this past weekend since we were able to take advantage of her long (PIR) weekend. She has previously seen Whitman, Lewis & Clark, Puget Sound, Willamette, UW, and DU just to give you an idea of the kinds of schools on her radar.
Schools officially off the list…
Chapman as a low match/safe option: this is a nice school for sure and a great option for a likely admit but it didn’t grab her attention. She wasn’t drawn to the campus and didn’t really like the location. Chapman felt a lot like Denver University in size and vibe; she prefers the Denver location so if she had to choose one or the other DU would be more in line with what interests her.
Occidental as a match: beautiful campus, really nice school. Just nor for her. Seemed to be a great option for students who like the location. She didn’t. I don’t know why it is considered one of the few LACs in an “urban” location, it is quite suburban. Students can get to LA but it sounded like they need their own transportation since public transportation isn’t easy to access. Navigating the LA traffic was a nightmare for us Montanans! Oxy looks like it is a wonderful school but it’s not for her. Also she mentioned how she didn’t like that it was on a hill. I was amused since “hills” were mentioned quite a bit in upstream posts (Lehigh, Lafayette etc.) and “hills” have never come up as a factor in either D15’s or D18’s searches so far. So there you have it- D18 did not like the hilly aspect of Oxy. Who knew, it didn’t bother me, but it’s her college search!
Schools still on the list…
Scripps as a high match/reach: Wow is all I can say. Spectacular campus for sure. Loved the focus on women’s education. Loved the 5C consortium. Wonderful, lovely school. D18 did like it but wasn’t as enamored as her mom. It’ll stay on the list but I doubt it will move anywhere near the top.
Pitzer as a high match/reach: D probably liked this one (overall) more than Scripps. She liked the social justice vibe and the attention paid to recycling and environmental consciousness. During the tour the dean of faculty passed by and stopped to answer questions etc. So student centered, such a close knit and open community. Pitzer has a vibe that resonates with D, she liked the campus and felt comfortable. Personally I thought it was quite grubby looking but we had just toured Scripps so it is a bit unfair to compare the two since campus aesthetics are driven by very different factors/motivations. Pitzer is trying to walk the talk of sustainability and I do applaud them for that even if the look is a bit grungy. Daughter didn’t find it grungy at all, in fact maybe even preferred the campus to Scripps. To each her own, it’s her search!
Schools that moved up…
University of Redlands as a safety: D was really impressed with the campus and liked that there were strong programs in her areas of academic interest. Redlands offers automatic enrollment in a master’s program that she might be interested in as well. Redlands is a safe admit for her and isn’t among her first choice schools but it has been her favorite “likely” option so far.
Colorado College as a reach: One of D’s top choices so far. Cannot emphasize how much the block plan appeals to this kid. As a CC grad myself I have to agree the block plan is ideal for her. Beyond the block plan she liked the vibe and is happy that her academic interests are strong majors at CC. Has the outdoorsy culture she is looking for, has great weather, loves the whole package.
^^Although the acronym is DU, the school is actually University of Denver, not Denver University. Just a small pet peeve of mine as I received a MS degree from DU and hear the erroneous ‘Denver University’ fairly often. I don’t mean to pick on you; it is a common mistake. I agree with your D; Denver is a great location.
@lr4550 Our son is considering Colorado College as well. As a graduate and someone who is considering the school for her daughter, what makes the block plan ideal for some kids? It’s just so different and we’re trying to get a feel for benefits/downfalls. We will visit next year to see for ourselves as well, but I’m curious for your take!
I’m interested in the discussion about Colorado College as well as my D is planning on applying this fall. She is struggling to write the “create a course” prompt; which makes me wonder if she doesn’t really understand the benefits of the block plan. However I am having a hard time helping her so maybe I don’t either. Outside of the ability to meet at odd times or places I am not sure how the course structure would be unique from standard classes…just squished into 3 weeks.
I also am concerned that the curriculum might be too liberal arts heavy for my logic minded math kid. I hate to even admit it, but this was the only school she is considering that I wondered “do undergraduates really get jobs”…and I am generally a fan of liberal arts colleges and their design.
However I totally see the appeal of the block plan as a student…and wish I knew about it when I was deciding on a college.
The block system is useful because students concentrate on one topic at a time. This allows the class greater focus but also flexibility. If the class is astronomy, for example, they can stay up all night watching stars and not worry that someone has an exam the next day, for example. If the class is geology, they can go to Hawaii and study lava flowing, and come back to school in two weeks, never worrying about the other commitments of the students. She may want to design a class around math and what the block plan could afford her to do. Applied math or statistics might be an easier choice because she could look at a real-world problem or use the concentrated time to perhaps do a survey and analyze it, or some other data. That sort of thing. If she’s a math major from a nice LAC like Colorado, then she will get a job. No problem.
Take the essays for CC VERY seriously. It’s a big part of the application. Block plan, as @Dustyfeathers describes, is about the flexibility and total immersion. Get creative with those “design a course block” essays. What off campus resources can be used in learning course material, for example? Any lessons that would go beyond what could be squeezed into a normal college course? Looking at CC’s course catalog might spark some ideas on what is possible.
I wouldn’t worry about the college being “too liberal arts”. It is actually very strong in sciences and quite a few of the students major in such majors. I also would not be concerned about post-grad prospects.
Not to mention that, contra popular belief, the natural sciences and mathematics fall under the liberal arts, so there’s that, too.
Yeah, somehow “liberal arts” (which includes math and science) has become conflated with “humanities” which does not. I guess maybe engineering doesn’t fall under liberal arts? Maybe?
Engineering is also called “applied science”. Until a few years ago Harvard College had a Division of Applied Science". They finally admitted they offered engineering by creating a School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Furman is small but rich in resources. It is academically rigorous with small classes and has a focus on engaged learning that is second to none in the small LAC realm.http://news.furman.edu/2016/10/05/university-launches-the-furman-advantage/ It will not be as diverse as a larger state university but there is plenty to do. Greenville is a great and fun town. I am an alum and have a Freshman daughter there.