Have you been on Lake Norman? If so, not sure how you come up with dominated. If you want to be concerned about the environment, worry about Marshall Steam Station (which is slated to be decommissioned) upriver.
4 Likes
In fairness, I’m the one that mentioned being concerned about the environment. There’s a nuclear power plant on a body of water that is shared by the university. Nuclear power plants use water to cool whatever they need to cool. And they also discharge water to somewhere. I’ve googled and found a few articles that would be concerning to me as a parent.
Davidson is not on the lake, to be clear. It owns property on the lakefront they they use for recreational purposes. It’s about a 10 minute drive from campus.
4 Likes
Pretty sure that any discharge from the McGuire Nuclear Station could not somehow flow upstream to Davidson’s area, if that is what you are insinuating?
The proximity to a nuclear power would be concerning to me in many ways as a parent. I’m in CA, so I don’t know upwind, downwind, upstream, downstream. Doesn’t matter, I’d be concerned.
Then if you have a general problem with nuclear power, Davidson is close to a nuclear station.
Honestly, I believe a much bigger environmental concern for the area is the coal powered plant and the resulting coal ash that sits on the banks of the Catawba River…
2 Likes
The college is not on the lake. It has a lake campus that is north of campus. The power station is 2 towns south of Davidson and on the other side of the highway.
1 Like
7.5 miles as the crow flies…
Well, then I’m SUPER happy for everyone there in the area and also because water and air can’t travel two towns south and across a highway. That’s a relief. 
We should move on. I don’t want to get off on a tangent. I’m a big fan of TeamHomerDog.
3 Likes
I still think Richmond wins in the end. They had just about everything on HomerDaughter’s checklist.
I did not mean to start a discussion about nuclear power! I only meant to refer to the weather in NC, and the idea of a lake escape.
All the schools in this thread are wonderful places. My D19 has a non-Catholic friend who loves BC, and has found a great group of friends there. Richmond was my D21’s second choice, and we had such a positive visit there. I just had a gut feeling that homerdog’s D is similar to the kids I know who went to Davidson, that’s all.
2 Likes
Lehigh is an outstanding school with students who are similar to Colgate (I know Colgate has a lower acceptance rate). I know many kids who applied to both. IMO this will come down to fit. I am not sure if this student will want a smaller student body or one that is a bit bigger, such as Lehigh. She doesn’t seem too thrilled about BC or Vandy. I also don’t know how this student will feel about upstate NY. Aside from Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and Ithaca…it’s pretty remote up there. That may or may not be OK- depends on the individual.
I still stand with my final three- Lehigh, Colgate, and Davidson. I see nothing unusual about choosing Lehigh over one of the other two, if it is the right fit. And if it’s not the right fit, she has other wonderful options.
3 Likes
I think the Homer family is concerned about fit, as was D20. Of the schools with which I am familiar I would have thought Richmond, BC, and Wake might be the best fits. Davidson is my fav school as an alum but it might be smaller and less social than their D wants. Especially if she is interested in Greek life, KA just disbanded and I’m not sure where the eating houses are headed. We were not fans of Lehigh based on the area. I think Vandy might be good but understand how the people you know there influence what you think of the school. D really liked BC and considered an ED application. We are not Catholic and she did not get the impression it would be an issue for her. The student we know ended up kind of bummed not to be in the farther away freshman housing, it sounded like they had more fun and bonding. Good luck with it all, exciting time.
3 Likes
I have no predictions (total lurker) but I truly appreciate everyone who is making one. Very entertaining and it’s building up the anticipation greatly. But will we all have to wait until May 1st to get the final answer?
1 Like
Oh gosh I hope not.
As for fit, yes that is the magic question. How to determine during Covid? We are asking as many students as we can find about these schools. We learned that visiting Covid campuses this spring does not help with figuring out fit as you can’t spend the night, go to a class, most don’t have tours, and kids aren’t even out and about to snoop on.
Are any more trips planned at this point? Can you give a refresher on which schools has she seen or not seen? I know you have said she will not go to a school sight unseen. Also, did she take the waitlist spot for Denison?
She saw BC in Feb 2020 before the pandemic. We just saw Richmond, Davidson and Wake. I gave a quick review. I i also wanted to wait to say too much about that trip since everyone started to place their bets and I thought it would be fun to hold out. I promise to give full review at the end of all of this.
We are trying to plan a trip to see the rest of her admits - Colgate, BC again and Lehigh.
4 Likes
As far as the freshman housing situation at BC goes my nephew lived at the Newton campus freshman year and had a blast. It does foster bonding among the kids that live there. My best friend’s S lived on main campus freshman year and enjoyed his experience as well. One note on housing, unless you are specifically guaranteed 4 years of on campus housing in your acceptance letter, you move off campus as a junior and then back on campus as a senior. Of course you could get around that if you apply to be an RA.
Boston is a great college city/town and it’s easy to get into the city on the green line. There’s a lot of school spirit especially with the football team and the hockey team that competes in the Bean Pot every year against Harvard, BU and Northeastern and it’s great fun! Weather shouldn’t be much of an issue coming from Illinois.
3 Likes
Thanks. That’s helpful!
538 entering class for Davidson with 47% yield
802 entering class at Colgate with 34% yield
811 entering class for Richmond with 21% yield
1370 entering class at Lehigh with 22% yield
2408 entering class at BC with 31% yield
2 Likes