D21 journey

Thanks. Good to know. I do feel like LACs have less red tape and are better communicators in general than bigger schools. That’s a plus.

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On the BC nun thing, ok, but if anyone is interested, there has been a practicing Muslim woman often working the admission desk for many years. We saw her most recently last year. (My mother was a nun once upon a time. American nuns typically do not wear the habit anymore. Any habit-wearing nuns on campus would generally be grad students from other countries. There is no order of nuns formally associated with the university, which is run by a different religious order.)

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@Homerdog Whats your schedule for visits? Excited to hear your feedback.

Visiting BC during Holy Week will be interesting. With the exception of Ash Wednesday when kids are walking around with ashes on their forehead, it it the time of year where I think the religious aspect of the school will be most visible.

On a separate note, I haven’t been on CC in almost a year, not sure what made me check back in, but you have me hooked all over again, LOL. Thanks for sharing your family’s journey. I am looking forward to finding out out the happy ending, whatever it may be. Maybe you have a future as a mystery writer!!:blush:

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My daughter goes to Lehigh so I have to weigh in. She was considering a number of the same schools and ultimately picked Lehigh because it felt less homogenous than her high school (and some of the overlap schools) and, as she said, provided more opportunity for growth. She felt she could see herself perfectly as she was as a senior in high school at some of the other schools, but wanted to go to a place where she could change, and if she picked one that was “just like her” at 18, how could that happen? I thought that was insightful (noting of course as an adult that anyone could grow or change at any of these amazing colleges). Re the campus and surrounds, she felt it was a perfect metaphor-- it felt less safe (town and hills) but also gave her more opportunity to experience something different. I have lots of intel on Lehigh I am happy to share, but I will say it has been an overall great experience (especially academic) for my daughter who earned several scholarships while there, is now graduating, and will be staying on for a free Masters next year. Also, check out North Bethlehem, it is super nice and very close. Lastly, ABE airport is about 10 minutes by car, and Newark is not inconvenient, as you can bus from ABE.

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Really? The poster didn’t even say it was a nun wearing a habit and there are plenty of ways to identify the nuns and priests, especially if they introduce themselves as “Hi, I’m Sister Sue, welcome to BC.”

I bet it was a nun since there are about 200 religious assigned to BC and more that attend as students. But it doesn’t really matter because even if this person was just a random employee wearing a head scarf and not a nun, there are plenty of other nuns and priests and brothers running the school. They don’t hide them, they run the school.

Agree that it really doesn’t matter, just trying to be accurate/clear (and yet the more I write the less clear I become). The Jesuit order runs the school, a particular order of Catholic priests, no other orders. Members of other religious orders on campus include grad students. There are few profs in the theology dept who happen to be nuns, but nuns or brothers are not running the school. (How to identify an American nun: short hair, normal clothes, necklace with a cross; not exactly definitive identification, but that’s all there is, unless there’s a nametag.) Maybe @homerdog can take a look at her nametag if they are allowed to pop into Devlin during their visit and settle this lol.

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The Jesuits run BC and there are 50 Jesuit priests assigned to BC, but I read there are about 150-200 Religious that are also assigned by their orders to BC, either as students, instructors or administrators. There are others taking seminars or semesters on campus too, but BC many not be their assignments.

My kids went to a catholic grade school with nuns from the Dominicans of Nashville, an order who wear full white habits (exclusively- never appear in street clothing, never see their hair, no swim suits, play basketball in their habits with the kids on the playground). My daughter’s first grade teacher (not a nun) needed a sub for two weeks and got a retired nun from a different order. My daughter whispered to me “She’s really a nun even though she dresses like that!” (jeans and sweatshirt with cats on it, looked like any grandmother). From then on she was known as “Sister Anne, plain clothes division”

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My son is a freshman at Colgate, so I’m following with interest. Of the schools in contention he also visited Lehigh and he didn’t “feel” it there at all. The campus was just “ok” and the area surrounding the university was not impressive. He did not apply there.

He’s thrilled with his experience at Colgate so far and super happy with his decision to go there (his other finalist was Wesleyan).

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May I ask what factors led your son to choose Colgate over Wesleyan? Both schools are excellent. I’m just thinking I may have missed something. I did not ‘feel’ Colgate because of its remote location. Deciding now between Wesleyan, Swarthmore and Vassar.

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I would also love to hear more about how your son arrived at his Colgate decision. D21 is considering Colgate, Holy Cross, Union, Bucknell, Richmond and Washington & Lee. We visit Colgate on 4/19. Thanks!

“Deciding now between Wesleyan, Swarthmore and Vassar.”

I grew up a few years in Poughkeepsie just ten minutes from Vassar, and those colleges have different vibes for sure, in addition to location. A lot may depend on your major, Wesleyan may be furthest away from a large city if that’s important, Vassar is not that integrated with its surroundings, again if that’s important.

Colgate - the few people I know there were more stem majors than non-stem, that could be a difference vs. Wesleyan, where I think non-stem is more popular. Good luck!

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Let’s keep this post on track for the OP.

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Is this @homerdog’s thread?

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Yes.

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We saw Lehigh this morning. Headed to Colgate now. Tour tomorrow and then BC on Saturday. No reviews yet. Waiting until the end!

I will say that we find it very important to see schools. Our first trip to see Wake, Richmond and Davidson was helpful and I can already tell that this one will be as well!

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I get the impression that she has some strong feelings about Lehigh, and that it’s either a definite yes…or a definite no! I am also starting to think that the final choice will be between Davidson and Colgate.

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Yes…but some posters started to ask about other schools not on the OPs daughters list.

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It’s great that you can go and look! We are in NZ and will soon have to help our daughter work through her options sight unseen in three countries: US, Canada and UK! Life is an adventure.

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We are touring Colgate on April 23. I am so looking forward to your review.

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