We visited Davidson. All four of us. We know kids there. We didn’t get a conservative vibe. Seemed the vibe was pretty balanced politically. And that’s the info we get from the students we know there too. W&L may be different.
I know tons of kids at NEU. They are happy. It’s not for everyone though. IMO, it doesn’t provide a “traditional” college experience. D has two very close friends there, both of whom have done multiple summer terms in order to graduate “on time.” They think the coops sound good, until they actually do them. Both have done coops which they have said were boring, unfortunately. I know another kid well (graduated) who was very gung-ho while at NEU, such as being editor of a prominent college magazine and various other things, did coops, but has yet to find a permanent job.
I don’t know if my D’s friends at NEU necessarily feel they have loved college, though they definitely enjoy being in Boston, have friends, and are happy. The feeling I get is that there isn’t much of a campus culture. Merit aid is tough to come by too, these days. Even when D’s bestie was accepted back in 2016, the merit award for this girl, a top student with high test scores, was stingy and didn’t even kick in until her second year.
A survey of three students doesn’t make for a universal experience, of course. Just be aware that if traditional college is what your D wants, she should look elsewhere.
I know a few kids from our HS who either graduated from NE or who are there now. They all seem pretty happy with their decision and none of them seem overly pre-professional. I agree that the school is not for everyone.
When we visited I asked a random student a question and ended up talking to her for a few minutes. She told me that in her opinion, co-op is tough. When I asked why…she said that you spend time making friends and eating with them etc…and then they are suddenly gone on co-op. She said she had trouble adjusting to that.
Also when we visited…there was a large group of kids waiting to enter a different room. From what I gathered, they were accepted into a program for entering freshmen where you do your first semester abroad, and then you come back in the spring and begin campus life.
S17’s best friend is at Northeastern. A rough first year, but now loves it. It will take more than 4 years to graduate with co-ops, but he makes money during those co-ops. Definitely don’t think it’s a “traditional “ college experience in that kids come and go due to co-ops, or are working full-time while others are in classes.
He lives down the street from high school friends that go to MIT. He seems to go to more MIT parties than NU parties! Off campus housing is pricey (no shock there).
Acela train home is a nice feature,
Given this description of your daughter, I question Northeastern as a fit. It’s very much an urban school without much of a campus vibe and school spirit. The young adults I know who went there in the past few years spent much time off campus for social life. Boston is their “campus”.
OK all very good points. Especially (1) that it might be hard to keep your group of friends together and (2) just because you have co-ops doesn’t mean you’ll end up in a job you want at the end.
Anyone know anything about BU? More like NEU or BC?
I have to also comment on your H’s desire to have “serious” career services. You know that I’m partial to Bates, lol, but honestly, the career center has been phenomenal. The Purposeful Work program is great too, in that it helps steer kids to jobs of interest. My D and her friends have had great opportunities. Maybe it’s just D and her friends, but these kids are doing so many impressive things. D has had a firm job offer since November, but she’s also pursuing fellowships and research positions. Her friends have job offers at Big Four accounting firms, investment banks, and other places, or are pursuing postgrad options with excellent advising from the career center.
Of course, so much of post-grad success depends on the student. I do think any of the colleges you’ve mentioned are going to have active career centers that will help her get started.
@twogirls , yes, D’s other bestie at NEU had to study abroad first semester and started at NEU in the spring. It worked for her, but it’s definitely not for everyone. NEU has been notorious for deferring good students and/or sending them abroad for the first semester because it helps their stats. Not slagging off NEU, it’s just the truth. And YES, all three of the kids I know well really disliked that their friends were always disappearing. I think they might all say that was the worst aspect of NEU. And also, I think all three would agree that until you’re an upperclassman, the classes are not anything to get too excited about.
@homerdog, BU, meh. Just huge and no school spirit that I’m aware of. Plus, the notorious Warren Towers, just awful.
After reviewing OP’s posts in this thread, my impression is of a bit of a confused approach.
For one to consider Villanova & Furman, but not The University of Mississippi Honors College and Washington & Lee University is confusing to me.
Ole Miss and W&L are thriving. Yes, both schools attract a lot of wealthy white kids , but they are also intelligent & driven.
Wash & Lee places well in the NYC financial district and Ole Miss is a powerhouse for accounting & for creative writing, and has one of the highest regarded honors colleges in the nation. If you believe Reader’s Digest, it is the best along with ASU Barrett.
Again, Oxford, Mississippi is a beautiful, liberal college town full of intellectual writers.
P.S. If I had to describe Ole Miss in two words, they would be “cozy” & “romantic”. Alternatively, “loyal” & “liberal” could work. Again, the concepts of conservative & liberal are relative.
FWIW:
Only about 39% of the students at the University of Alabama are from the state of Alabama.
Only slightly more than 50% of the students at Ole Miss are from Mississippi.
BU does not have a campus. I remember walking down city blocks on our tour, with the buildings on the streets being part of BU. This one is most definitely urban.
What about the University of Miami? Another one of my coworkers has a child there on scholarship. He has all kinds of cool internships and study abroad experiences…as part of his award…for free. He didn’t love it at first due to roommate issues, but is happy now.
Never considered Ole Miss. That was tongue in cheek.
@Lindagaf Believe me. I’m with you. I think i need to (once again) convince H that a LAC can be a great way to internships and jobs. In the end, he was ok with S19 going to Bowdoin because he will major in math or physics and will get quantitative experience to bring to jobs. With D being way more undecided and most definitely no STEM-y, he thinks a LAC is more of a gamble. Honestly, he would probably rather her head to UIUC and be in the business school but that is not a fit and not going to happen.
And @Publisher her search really is pretty focused - small to medium schools, school spirit, small class size. The list I posted in the opening post could be her final list. I’m just getting a lot of suggestions and trying to be open to them.
The only schools she has visited so far are Davidson, W&M, Wisconsin, Bowdoin and Colby. She thought W&M was gloomy, Wisconsin WAY too big and Colby too far from the town. She liked Davidson and Bowdoin the best but just wants a little more traditional college fun than Bowdoin offers. Could she be convinced to go to a Bates or St. Olaf where there’s no traditional fun? Maybe because maybe they give her everything else she wants. Everyone always seems to agree that Richmond and Wake and Colgate seem to check all boxes but she needs more on her list and that’s why she has schools on there that aren’t all exactly the same.
I have friends and relatives whose kids either currently attend LACs, or recently graduated. These schools include Carleton, Hamilton, Colgate, Franklin and Marshall, Swarthmore, Davidson, and Barnard.
The experiences of these kids are all over the map…between heading straight to grad school, getting a well paying job right after graduation, taking a gap year or two to work and figure it all out…to lounging on the couch and not doing much of anything.
I do think career services are important…but I also think much of this also depends on the student.
@twogirls yes. KIds can have all kinds of opportunities but need to take them. I hear you.
I understand. Just trying to get you to expand your options in line with stated interests in merit money, writing, & a wonderful undergraduate college experience.
Sometime during this past year CBS’ 60 Minutes did a lengthy segment on liberal, intellectual, creative Oxford, Mississippi.
At large public universities, one will encounter a variety of people while enjoying the comforts and privileges of an honors college.
We were just reading comments about today’s ACT on that “other” website. Seems clear that kids thought this one was hard. D just admitted to feeling the same way but felt ok on all sections except science. We kind of decided that, if math and English didn’t hit 30 on this test then she will switch to SAT. She’s in a good mood and likes that plan.
BU has gotten tricky, too. My friend’s D last year was accepted to U Penn and flat out rejected by BU. She was above their published stats on all counts. They were shocked. She’s thriving right now at U Del honors, which she chose because U Penn gave no money.
I thought that BU experienced a significant decline in applications last cycle.
@homerdog , not sure if you ended up following my son’s story. He had choices at schools with good reputations and lots of rahrah spirit, which he insisted was very important to him. He was offered excellent merit aid at a couple of schools. In the end, being a very practical person, he chose the cheapest option, which was the instate he applied to. He said he wasn’t going to be $15,000 dollars a year happier at the OOS school that offered good merit. He’s at Binghamton and loving it. Not to say your D should consider Binghamton. But if she’s a “go with the flow” type of person, do consider your best instate option, which is UIUC, right? That’s a great choice too.
I also have to ask you about no traditional fun at Bates. Not sure what you mean by that? They have a lot of fun stuff going on. The kids are always doing things and there are a lot of campus sponsored events. Pretty sure they are having plenty of fun.
If strength of career services is a very high priority, of the schools on your list, Colgate and W&L, would really stand out.
@Lindagaf D will visit her cousin and her bazillion friends at UIUC this winter and then take a tour. I just worry that a political science or psychology major from UIUC is less employable than that same major from, say, Wake or Colgate. I think she might get lost in the pack. Lots of kids there in giant classes. I don’t know. Maybe I need a reality check. If she were a comp sci or engineering student then UIUC would be a no brainer.
If she didn’t like Wisconsin (and believe me we gave it a big try - the weather was beautiful and the school showed so well that I wanted to go!) then she is not going to like Illinois. Wisconsin is way prettier.