<p>Thank you sacchi and happy1 for your replies. We are Catholic but my daughter is not particularly religious. She was a little nervous about the religious factor with the College of Holy Cross which she also applied, feeling she would not fit in if she didn’t want to participate in Mass, etc. She actually loved Marist when we visited last summer. It’s a beautiful campus and the facilities were really nice. My son goes to SUNY New Paltz which she also really likes. Completely different, but good different. She wants to major in science and minor in art. New Paltz is very artsy, not so sure about Marist. She did get the $12,000 Merit Scholarship. But you really cannot beat SUNY prices for in state residents. I smile every time I pay my son’s tuition! Also waiting to hear back from: Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Holy Cross and Bowdoin (reach).</p>
<p>Sacchi, first congrats to your daughter on her great choices. My D graduated from Dickinson last May, so if you have any specific questions about the school, feel free to ask. D’s roommate senior year was a psychology major and loved the program.</p>
<p>I graduated from Marist many years ago and did have a few adjunct professors, but I saw it as a positive. I recall taking a class taught by a journalism professor who was an editor at a local paper, and an accounting class taught by an IBM executive. Both teachers brought valuable real world experience into the classroom, and the school has amazing internships in the area and in NYC. Although there is a non-denominational chapel on campus, the vast majority of students did not attend the weekly mass when I attended. I would say religion is not an issue there.</p>
<p>I visited Dickinson with my D, who was very impressed, but I just didn’t love it. Having a main street run through campus just seemed odd to me. Also, some acquaintances from the Harrisburg area have made disparaging comments about the lack of things to do in Carlisle.</p>
<p>I know a bunch of kids who are very happy at TCNJ. My D. was accepted there, but we have not visited yet. D. wanted a LAC, and out of all the other NJ state schools, TCNJ seemed like the best fit for her. It is the largest school she applied to, but seems to have a smaller school feel – any feedback/comments on that?</p>
<p>I don’t have any firsthand info about the other schools. Good luck.</p>
<p>robrtab, thanks for the perspective about Marist. You asked about TCNJ. Even though it isn’t high on D’s list for various reasons, I think very highly of the school. We know a number of students who go there, and all really love it. When my D had an overnight visit with an older friend who is a student there, she came back raving about the food choices in the cafeteria, which was completely renovated recently. From my perspective, the most negative thing about TCNJ is that it is difficult to change majors into the popular majors. TCNJ applicants really need to pick their major ahead of time and apply to that major, and can’t count on being able to change their minds later. D’s friend went to TCNJ as an open options science major, ultimately decided on Biology, and then had great difficult actually being able to be accepted as a Biology major, and although she ultimately succeeded, it wasn’t a sure thing.</p>
<p>Hi sacchi: didn’t read through whole thread but a thought; psychology majors, in many if not all cases, require graduate school whether a masters or PHd. Like med school, these grad programs admit primarily based on GPA and test scores. And, of course, cost money…</p>
<p>If it were my child, and she really liked all the schools you mention, I would go with $$ first and then rank in fit order.</p>
<p>If $$ is not really a concern, Dickinson sounds like it is her favorite…especially in terms of diversity</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback on TCNJ, sacchi. Good luck to you, and to everyone else on CC and all our sons and daughters. This is a crazy process. At the beginning of the week my daughter was thrilled to receive two acceptances with awesome merit aid, but was hysterically crying yesterday because she was put on the wait list at a “reach” school, which I’m pretty sure she had completely lost interest in attending. And, I know that two more schools mailed their decision letters yesterday…will our envelopes be big or small?</p>