FWIW. The Tree of Life Synagogue is in Squirrel Hill on Shady. It’s one of the most peaceful and beautiful areas of the city. It’s also historically diverse and the people of the Jewish faith are an important part of that neighborhood.
Madmen can not be planned for in a meaningful way.
I would be more concerned with binge drinking, expectations/pressure/depression and sexual assault as meaningful considerations. And worth some long discussions with your student. These are the true safety issues of the modern campus.
NYC has 10mm people in out of the city every day. You are much more likely to be hit by a cab or bike messenger than killed by a madman.
CMU is one of the schools I have degrees from (as is Pitt), so I agree Pittsburgh is a terrific city, and Shadyside and Squirrel Hill wonderful neighborhoods. We were at Rodef Shalom on that morning, if that matters. I agree with your comments on what the real dangers are. Yet it’s human nature to mention the big plane crashes at each airport and not focus on all the car accidents that have occurred on the road on the way there.
Thanks again, everyone. You’ve all provided terrific insight.
Thanks, Mastadon. I think my daughter’s synchro days are over! She tried doing a few figures in the warm-up lane during a swim meet this morning, and her flexibility is gone.
@SatchelSF I went to a summer program at Davidson, and I expected to be more skewed towards the conservative side since it has a southern vibe, still maintains a loose affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, and has a very large proportion of students in frats/sororities/eating clubs, but was surprised to discover the student population was overwhelmingly liberal. The majority of camp counselors (current Davidson students) were passionate liberals, as were the vast majority of the summer program students (most of whom were actively interested in Davidson). Out of about 80 students in the summer program, about 15-20 have been accepted through Early Decision I and II to Davidson. Somebody asked my hall counselor about the school’s political leanings, and he said that there are a select few conservative bubbles on campus, but almost everyone at Davidson is politically liberal. Also, greek life at Davidson is very different from greek life at most schools. At Davidson, no one lives with members of their chapter; they are all interspersed with other students. Greek life members eat in the houses together (supposedly, many join simply because the food offered by the chapters is much better than the school’s food), and they volunteer together.
@RayManta I am a New College alum - the campus is small but EXTREMELY defined, there is an overpass that students use exclusively over Tamiami (nobody walks across that busy road). It’s also residential so she could live on campus if she really wanted and be in the “bubble”. I always recommend New College to anyone who wants a small college specifically because it’s really an underrated and incredible school.
@allhailcorporate I drive under that underpass every Tuesday while driving my younger daughter to orchestra rehearsal! I have heard good things about the school, and the daughter of an acquaintance goes there. I’ve never stopped and walked around, though–the buildings that are visible from the road makes the campus seem very cramped, which probably isn’t the case. At any rate, my older daughter is really intent on leaving the south, which I really can’t blame her for (she was born in DC, and we have no family roots down here–and she wants to go far from home). She has no interest in Vandy, Duke, Wake, Emory, Tulane, or Davidson, for instance.
This coming week, she’s going to visit Bowdoin, Bates, Middlebury, Wellesley, and MIT (just to see it, out of curiosity). We subbed Middlebury for Colby after some of the advice in this thread. I wish she could get to Hamilton and Colgate, too, but I don’t think that will ever happen.
We’re currently waiting on her recent ACT and SAT scores, but even if they fall short of the range for those schools, I see this as an opportunity to better identify those schools where she’d fit. Have to take advantage of her school breaks when they happen. She just needs to be in an environment where all the students crave knowledge and ask questions about everything, and have a zillion interests, like she does.
Of the schools she visited, she keeps talking about Amherst. Of the schools I visited with her, I think she fits best at Swarthmore. So we just need to figure out what those schools have that make her a good fit, and find some similar matches that may be safer bets for her depending what her scores ultimately are.
Seems like my daughter has fallen in love with Middlebury…she’s there now. She wouldn’t have visited if not for the discussion in this thread, so thanks all!
In the months after this thread, my daughter began to gravitate to one school in particular: Amherst.
Short story, she applied ED, and was just accepted! She is over-the-moon excited. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, and the other one I started regarding possible LAC safe options. This is truly a wonderful community.
Happy to discuss why Amherst rose to become her top choice if anyone is interested…for now I think I need a stiff drink, lol.
Congratulations to your daughter, @RayManta ! I am wishing her the best start to college, and enjoy the rest of her senior year knowing she has Amherst in her bright future!
Congrats @RayManta! I was beginning to think no one ever can get into the school they want, particularly in this category. Best of luck to your daughter.
(As for CC, yeesh what a mess. I can’t even login on my phone anymore. Just dumps me out to the error page without any way of completing a password change or otherwise resolving. Kind of a bummer because I miss the place.)
This is truly a wonderful community.