<p>I read somewhere on these boards that W&L is sometimes called the Dartmouth of the South. I was just wondering why that is? What is so similar between these two schools?</p>
<p>Davidson actually, not W&L</p>
<p>kid112, lots of people say that. idk what baolong is talking about. dartmouth and w&l are both great academically and have similar student bodies- preppy and traditional. both schools also have great social scenes.</p>
<p>Both are highly selective & academically prestigious and have preppy, frat based drinking cultures along with very active social scenes.</p>
<p>I have heard Vanderbilt called the Dartmouth of the South or sometimes another Ivy, but never W&L.</p>
<p>We visited and saw the course listings. It was very surprising to my son. In many areas he would have run out of courses to take after sophomore year.</p>
<p>With W&L and Dartmouth you are really comparing apples & oranges cause Dartmouth has a graduate school, which will automatically give more opportunities for depth of study. It's not a valid comparison at all.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is MUCH more diverse, MUCH more liberal, and overall MUCH more a New England LAC than W&L. Very different schools.</p>
<p>mommusic, I'm just curious what your s wants to study.</p>
<p>Obviously they are not the same. And I don't think the comment is meant to suggest they are clones by any stretch. Thus, it doesn't make sense to pick out one or two specific things to suggest no broader similarity exists. </p>
<p>The statement relates to the fact that both are private, highly selective, and benefit from similar outdoor landscapes (i.e. nearby mountains, wilderness, rivers, etc.). They are in small towns that are fairly remote, and are among the very few LACs that have a law school and a business school. Both are also among the 10 oldest colleges in America. Thus, while they are not the same in numerous ways (as some are quick to point out), W&L shares some very distinctive and unique qualities with Dartmouth to an extent beyond that of others on its side of the Mason Dixon. </p>
<p>That's all it means.</p>
<p>
[quote]
We visited and saw the course listings. It was very surprising to my son. In many areas he would have run out of courses to take after sophomore year.
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</p>
<p>W&L offers something in the neighborhood of 1,000 courses for only 1,700 students. And considering all the distribution and gen ed. requirements, it's very hard for me to imagine anyone exhausting the courses in his/her major by the end of sophomore year. Can you comment more specifically?</p>
<p>Also, as I heard in the interview I had yesterday, to get a full look at some of these offerings, look at the past few years of course catalogs, not just the latest. Some courses are offered every other year, or a teacher is on a sabbatical, but I belive they have some great options.</p>
<p>They also keep things very current. Right after 9/11 (they had a student in WTC and one in the Pentagon killed) they brought in some professors for courses or lectures about that area, the history of it, etc. And they have a lot of great people come in to give talks</p>
<p>drc09--yes, it does make a difference if you look over several years! But that is a problem with smaller schools--the courses are offered irregularly so if something doesn't fit into your schedule, or you are off campus that semester....too bad.</p>
<p>My understanding of engineering coursework is admittedly incomplete and from an outsider's point of view. But it did seem some areas did not have the depth of a school with a graduate program. I know my son at Illinois took engineering & CS courses that were for UG or grads, which would not have been available at a smaller school such as W&L. </p>
<p>Some areas of math for instance, were only touched on in a survey course (judging from the course description), whereas at other schools they would have had their own quarter or semester course. Sorry if I don't have the expertise to be more specific...this is just what my boys noticed.</p>
<p>Which is why some people prefer to go to a school with a larger engineering dept. and/or grad school. You have to decide whether the small school's personal attention is worth the tradeoff.</p>
<p>Oh I completely understand that. The school has to fit in with your interests. Although I'm planning on studing math, another passion is International Relations, so I will be focusing on things along that line and W&L has a lot of offerings there. But yes, if engineering or whatever is what you want to do, another school may be better.</p>
<p>Well yeah, if one is interested in specific areas of engineering that person should attend a college or university with an engineering school. W&L doesn't have an engineering school, thus, not many engineering classes.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I'm surprised an engineering student would even consider an LAC like W&L.</p>
<p>EDIT - sorry FLVA dad, I didn't see your response above, I had read the responses on the update email I just received.</p>
<p>I would be surprised also, but they DO offer engineering degrees and there was a thread on cc some time back where a person was asking about W&L for their son who wanted to go into engineering. Seems he was being courted by them and she wondered if the scholarship money was worth turning down a bigger "engineering" school.</p>
<p>And from W&L's web site:
[quote]
Washington and Lee is proud of its engineering program, of what it is able to provide for the students who choose it, and of the success of its graduates in a wide variety of fields.
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</p>
<p>They claim the liberal arts requirements give their engineers something extra.</p>
<p>I don't buy it. A small school can't be all things to all people, and just b/c you are flattered by a scholarship to a place doesn't meant it's a good fit. </p>
<p>I wouldn't criticize a LAC for not offering depth in engineering courses, but they claimed to offer the degree.</p>
<p>They do offer an engineering degree - it's a Physics-Engineering degree. But if a student wants to focus on other areas he/she will participate in a 3-2 program set up with Columbia or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where they would do the majority of their engineering/technical coursework. Many other LACs have similar programs. My alma mater does theirs with WUSTL and Case Western. The students end up with dual degrees in a 5 year program - one from each university. And yes, unlike the education received at a pure engineering school alone, the Liberal Arts background under a 3-2 program does provide a more well rounded education. In that sense, it can be a great experience and a great program that makes sense. However, if you are looking for an entire engineering program encapsulated at a single school, an LAC like W&L is not the place to look. If that was your son's expectation I can certainly see why he would be disappointed. But it's not false advertising to say they offer opportunities for students interested in engineering because they most certainly do. In fact, I would say having dual degrees from W&L and either Columbia or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute would lay the groundwork for an extremely compelling resume.</p>
<p>I was not aware of the dual degree program. If you don't mind moving between campuses, that's a good plan.</p>
<p>If you're going to do a 5 year program, however, I would think a co-op program would be more valuable. Depends on your career goals, I guess. If I were an employer looking for someone to design a bridge that won't fall down, I wouldn't worry about how many liberal arts requirements he had fulfilled. Looking for a managerial type, however, would be another thing.</p>
<p>They also mentioned something about online courses being available to fill in the gaps.</p>
<p>It seems like a valid comparison to me from a selectivity, fraternity-dominated, rural environment basis to me. Most people's first reaction about a college is not level of diversity, the way it is for slipper.</p>
<p>
[quote]
With W&L and Dartmouth you are really comparing apples & oranges cause Dartmouth has a graduate school, which will automatically give more opportunities for depth of study. It's not a valid comparison at all.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't see why this 'automatically' gives Dartmouth students more opportunities for depth of study or what that even means. I doubt that very many Dartmouth students are taking graduate level courses. They certainly aren't in most social sciences or humanities since they have no graduate programs in those disciplines.</p>
<p>like gellino said the focuses of the schools differ. at W&L you might get a just as good study in econ or poli sci if not better than dartmouth. it really all depends on what you are looking for.</p>