Just visited during Spring Visit Day with my daughter, a HS Junior. She was really looking forward to the visit after lots of research on the school and taking the virtual tour. She felt this would be a safety school that she could love. Sadly, she (and my spouse and I) left disappointed. It’s not that it doesn’t seem like a very good school academically, because the curriculum seems challenging. It was the following things that made her decide it wasn’t a good fit for her - and of course, it’s really fit I’m talking about, so this is not a post meant to bash the school at all. Just to give some perspective, for those considering it…and if course I realize our impressions might not be accurate.
- The IS project. Not the project itself, but the fact that it seemed to be all anyone talked about. Admissions reps, students - any question you asked them, they'd mention the IS. Your freshman classes "are designed to prepare you for" the IS. We asked about the social climate and heard that students are friendly (which they certainly were) and that "you can always break the ice by asking someone what their IS is." During the info session, it was practically the only thing discussed. And not even so much about how it relates to student experience, but rather what impressive products have been developed as a result of student research. They even handed out samples of one product that was spoken about for at least 15 minutes. It was a little off-putting, and made my daughter feel like her entire academic experience would be focused on just getting ready for her senior year project. It was unlike any other info session we've ever attended. It felt a little like a sales pitch.
- The lack of answers about student life outside academics. We heard about the school spirit at sporting events, which sounded good. We were told several times about how involved students are. But when we asked students about what they did in their free time outside of academics and sports, they told us things like "well, there are really great visiting lecturers" or "I'm involved in the social justice club." We know there are acapella groups and theater performances and supposedly the school brings in some entertainment, but not one student (we asked a few) answered by saying they attend any of these things. Nobody said they had fun. The presenter from the info session, when we asked about any net testing or fun school traditions other than filling the Kauke arch with snow and bagpipers, couldn't tell us any. There might be some, but none of them popped into his head. I understand we only asked a few people, but it was unnerving.
- In spite of hearing about how proud the school is of its diversity, we saw almost none. Every student visiting - there were maybe 75 - was white. We had lunch in the main dining hall. Every student in there, pretty much, was white. Seriously. We saw three or four students who were not Caucasian the whole time we were there. And the white students all looked the same. Nobody looked artsy, or hippie, or alternative, not that they have to be, but you would think you'd see a couple of girls with blue hair. Or a couple of guys in skinny jeans with funky haircuts or an eyebrow piercing, or a girl in a hippie skirt carrying art supplies or a guitar (not to be so stereotypical, but just making a point). But we saw none of that.
- The lack of students outdoors. The day began cloudy and chilly, and it was a Saturday, but by 12:00 it was sunny and warmer, and the campus was just empty. Nobody playing Frisbee. No people walking in pairs or groups. Nobody sitting on a bench or under a tree with a laptop. It was odd.
So overall, my daughter decided not to apply. She was sad because she wanted to love it. After visiting a few other LACs she kind of liked COW’s “big campus” feel, and the buildings are very beautiful, too. But she left feeling that it was missing the sense of community and fun she felt at other schools we saw. If COW feels right to you, that’s wonderful. The students we spoke to did say they were very happy there, and I’m sure the school prepares them well for graduate studies and the working world. But it just wasn’t for us.