Oh you mean WooooStaah?
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Kalamazoo also has a Senior Individualized Project (SIP), which for Science majors often looks like a traditional thesis in combination with research on or off campus, so it shouldnât be considered a point of difference. Students can complete their SIP in a variety of different quarters including across summer, so that sounds like its different than Wooster.
Yes, Amtrak goes direct to Chicago from Kalamazoo and is (IME) an easy and pleasant ride. Would this opportunity to connect make both you and S feel better?
A few differences that might matter to your S:
- quarters move faster than semesters and students take 3 courses vs 4-5.
- more Kalamazoo students study abroad vs Wooster, so more students have experienced being an international student themselves.
-look over their freshman orientation programs; both schools have info online. FYE at Kalamazoo looks more extensive and structured. Is that appealing or not? - what are the policies for each school re: international students staying on campus over breaks or arriving early/departing late?
Both schools offer similar opportunities to students. If you wonât have the chance to visit, I would follow the money and not look back.
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Your post got me thinking about my experience with Independent Study (I.S.) and how it impacts the culture at Wooster.
I pilfered the remainder below from a PM I previously sent to someone on this topic. @Andygp, this is for your consideration as well. Apologies in advance on length.
Things have no doubt changed since my time there, but based on our experiences in multiple event visits during my Dâs application cycle and from the kids we have known over the years that have attended, much has also stayed the same.
Regarding student culture, yes, supportive, collaborative and friendly are accurate. And itâs not just the student culture, itâs also the relationship between the students and faculty. The faculty support and collaboration is fostered by the mentorship that the Independent Study (I.S.) program requires. Iâm not sure how much you know about I.S. (the capstone projects) but it is both the foundation and apex of the Wooster experience. Its what you are building toward the entire time you are there and thus underlies much of the instruction and preparation leading up to it. Junior I.S. is a one semester project which is significant in and of itself but that also prepares you for the skills required for Senior I.S., a yearlong project. Students are assigned a faculty advisor for each of these and they work very closely with them, meeting weekly at a minimum, going through topic selection, background research, data collection and analysis, thesis writing, editing, preparing for defense, presentations, etc. You end up building a close relationship with your faculty advisor and many of my meetings were more than just discussions about my project. We talked about about life, family, career paths, etc. I had dinners at professorsâ homes. Once I was 21, I drank beer with a couple of professors in my department. I kept in touch with my Senior I.S. advisor for years after graduation. Due to how well he knew me as a person, my level of preparation and abilities he was able to write invaluable recommendations for grad schools with a level of insight and personal knowledge that made them stand out. So that sort of relationship building and its importance in what they are trying to accomplish bleeds over into the everyday campus culture. Itâs called Independent Study, but in reality it is anything but independent. The selection of the problem/topic is up to the student, but from there everything is guided and supported. Woosterâs motto is âIndependent minds, working togetherâ and I think that fits what it is like to be at Wooster perfectly.
I also think there is a sort of self-selection at play, where kids drawn to this sort of intellectual exploration and discovery attend and reinforce what already exists. And then once they attend and join the shared experience in the journey, with I.S. always looming on the horizon, it bonds everyone together. Iâm not sure what part of the country you live in, but I liken it to when we get a snowstorm up north. People who wouldnât normally be compelled to talk to one another commiserate on their common battle against the elements and help each other out in ways they normally wouldnâtâŠoffering to shovel, lend a snow blower or push a stuck car. It brings people together when you have a shared experience that may be a little bit daunting.
I completed both Junior and Senior I.S. Neither was easy, but both were fun. I mean, I got to select the topics based on exploring something I was interested in. Thatâs the keyâŠbeing smart with your topic selection so that you are already driven to get at some answers to a question that intrigues you. Itâs less like work when you have personal interest investment and excitement. And from a preparation standpointâŠthe value cannot be overstated. The skills and processes you learn by themselves are so very helpful, but for me, the confidence that it built was the most valuable aspect. After emerging from that experience nothing intimidated me. I knew I had the skills, preparation and experience to tackle anything I set my mind to. I learned to be flexible and adaptive, how to deal with ambiguity, how to dig below the surface, how to be my own leader and not just follow direction, and how to react when unexpected obstacles pushed me off course. Building those soft skills not related to the academic aspects of the work were just as, if not more, important than the outcome of the project. But academically, I used the line of research I had begun to help me get into grad school and extended it during my time there. Then professionally, I provided my thesis as an example of my work and writing skills for more than one position where analytics were a part of the job. Reactions were always overwhelmingly positiveâŠit provided a âwowâ factor.
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@LizHolt thanks for the note. All excellent points. I think all the points you mentioned are probably pros of K over W. The last point about summer dorm availability, we will check out. K has strong internship program connection with many Universities and companies. We will have to check how many international students are eligible for.
Study abroad certainly seems interesting although not a make or break deal for us. But it is an interesting view point that the administration and students may be more aware of international student issues because of that.
@pishicaca wow! It is a privilege to get to hear about the IS experience first hand. It indeed sounds much different than an optional thesis which gets offered at almost all other LACs and I am sure the focus shows up in the quality.
Would you know if any lab research is done by freshman or sophomore students at W? Also is there a possibility of accelerating the program through summer courses?
Of course we will ask all these questions to the AO as well.
IS of W indeed is a very strong pro and can offset many other pros of K.
IMO, Kalamazoo would be a more interesting and diverse town than Wooster. It gets recognition as one of the best small college towns in America.
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Yes. Kalamazoo seems nice place plus vicinity to Chicago.
Other aspects to consider are restaurants and grocery stores. Kalamazoo has a good range of different cuisines, including Indian.
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Yes that is one of the major factors. He doesnât care so much about Indian food but global cuisine definitely 
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Hi,
I am the prodigal son.
Thank you for all the advice you have given me it has given me great insight on what I need to do next to make my choice.
I would like to list some things that I find particularly great about K.
- Complete freedom to choose my own subjects and how and when I want to study them.
- Student activities at the college ( I have not seen these kinds and number of activities anywhere else), they have movie nights every week!! -K-college events
- I also think it would be easier for me to adjust due to the larger size town, I have heard great things about the kzoo mall for exampleâŠ
- The major I want has some great summer programs available abroad and off campus. Although I do have to confirm which ones are available to international students. All most all of the programs offered are from top research schools. Biochemistry Summer Research Opportunities
I would love to know your thoughts on this, and if there is some thing similar at Wooster in terms of student life.
Thank you for all your help.
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Those all sound like wonderful aspects to Kalamazoo!
Regarding your question about student life at wooster, if you are on instagram, I would look at the WACWooster and TheUGWooster accounts to get a feel for the types of on-campus activities that go on every week. WACWooster is a student group that plans all kinds of events for the campus, and the Underground is an on-campus student bar with many different activities (you can drink there if you are over 21, but all students can go there).
Also, you can peruse the activities calendar on Woosterâs website. Go back to prior months to see the breadth of different options going on.
Good luck to you, you have wonderful choices available to you!
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Thanks much. @Aneesh_Pant do check this out.
Another good thing to do is check the school newspapers (which are often online) to try and get a better sense of what issues are being discussed on campus, what activities are going on etc.
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Thank you so much for the information you have provided. I do follow WACWooster and it has some great events. The link you provided also has a lot of interesting events. Iâll take a better look at them soon. Thank you againâ:grin:
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