Help With PA Schools

<p>Did anyone mention Scranton, Gettysberg and Susquehanna? All are fine colleges imho.</p>

<p>ReCap:</p>

<p>Private U’s:
Bucknell
Dickenson
Muhlenberg
Moravian
Lehigh
Lafayette
Ursinus
Susquehanna
Arcadia
Philadelphia U.
Albright
Wilkes
Widener
Lycoming
York
Franklin and Marshall
Juniata</p>

<p>Catholic:
DeSales
Scranton
Kings
Villanova
Alvernia
Immaculata
Chestnut Hill</p>

<p>Public
E.Stroudsburg
Bloomsburg
Kutztown
Lock Haven
Mansfield
Millersville
West Chester
Penn State - Hazelton
Penn State - Berks
Penn State - Altoona</p>

<p>OP - Philadelphia Schools?</p>

<p>Many of the private (and Catholic schools) offer excellent Merit scholarships - some are based on the entire transcript, some consider class rank and SAT/ACT’s, but they are out there.</p>

<p>Note that my suggestion of University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and another poster’s suggestion of Philadelphia University refer to two separate colleges. USIP is the former Philadelphia College of Pharmaceutical Science, and is the third university (besides Penn and Drexel) located in University City, just across the Schuylkill River from Center City Philadelphia. PU is the former Philadelphia College of Textiles, and is located in East Falls (not Manayunk, a couple miles away), a semi-suburban (with poverty) area about 6 miles up the river. Both of them have biology programs, but I was a little surprised to hear about PU’s, since in general it retains its textile-industry focus (and USIP has retained its health-care-industry focus). Anyway, they are both small (<3,000 student), non-comprehensive urban privates.</p>

<p>^
Yep - Phila U now has a school of health sciences and a very good Physician Asst program. </p>

<p>University of the Sciences - sorry I forgot this on the list. One of my d’s classmates is there for pharmacy and loves it. </p>

<p>St Joseph’s is in Philly but not in “the city”. It’s a great school and gives good merit scholarships.</p>

<p>Does anyone have recent ED stats for the above privates? didn’t see any published, and I know that history has shown that they take a large % of their class ED…</p>

<p>If the OP is willing to drive 90 minutes north, I would add Drew to the list in Madison, NJ</p>

<p>According to Moravian College’s website the middle 50th range of admitted students who took the ACT was 22-27, which puts the OP’s son comfortably into the top 25%. Fewer than half of the admitted students were in the top 20% of their graduating class. I would think that with his test score and a “B” average, particularly if he has taken a rigorous HS course load, would make him a very desirable candidate for admission to Moravian.</p>

<p>Lebanon Valley College is in Annville, about 60 miles away from Allentown. They give automatic merit scholarships based on class rank–half of the tuition for top 10%, one third of the tuition for top 20%, and one quarter of the tuition for top 30%. It’s guaranteed for all four years as long as you meet GPA requirements.</p>

<p>As they say on their website (<a href=“http://www.lvc.edu/[/url]”>http://www.lvc.edu/&lt;/a&gt;), “LVC feels like family. That’s because we’re small. Founded in 1866, today the College has 1,650 full-time undergraduate students, 160 part-time undergraduates, 120 graduate students and 100 full-time faculty. We feel more like a large welcoming family than an impersonal institution.”</p>

<p>Elizabethtown, Lebanon Valley, and Albright would be an easy visit between Allentown and Bucknell. All three would be merit money contendors for your son, Albright the least selective of the three.</p>

<p>Geepers, I forgot all about the obvious ones. Sure, the OP’s son may want to consider St. Joseph’s and LaSalle, both smallish Catholic colleges in the city, and maybe Drexel.</p>

<p>St. Joe’s is right on the border between a lower middle class African American neighborhood and an upper middle class suburb, 7-8 miles from Center City. LaSalle is part of an oasis of significant institutions in a somewhat depressed neighborhood in North Philadelphia. They are both caring, intimate educational institutions for which the OP’s some would easily be in range. Drexel is a larger, less nurturing tech-oriented university adjacent to Penn in University City, and probably a match (maybe a high match).</p>

<p>I apologize for asking a different question on this thread. I was in PA last week visiting schools with S. He has a 3.0 and hasn’t taken the SAT yet. We are OOS, but I feel he won’t get into any SUNY’s because of the economy. Does anybody know anything about Widener, which is in Chester. We visited at 3pm on a Friday and it was deserted. We were in York also, and were very impressed - also very impressed with Kutztown and West Chester. West Chester is the biggest of the three. Lots of construction going on, but for some strange reason, the gym is in the basement of the Union and is smaller than the weight room in S’s HS!! If anyone has any info - good or bad - about Widener, I’d appreciate it.</p>

<p>I think I answered you on Widener on another thread. There is little redeeming value to it, in my opinion. Chester is a dump and it is mainly a commuter school. It is a last resort.</p>

<p>Widener is in a really really bad area. I would never have any of my kids attend for any reason.</p>

<p>Just noted the comments on Muhlenberg. My sister lives directly down the street from it, a couple blocks away in the direction of the city center, and has not run into any crime issues. The college itself is in a pretty neighborhood.</p>

<p>michone – Why do you think your son won’t get into any SUNYs? Bad economy or not, your sons GPA and ACT score make him a contender for many SUNYs aside from Binghamton, Geneseo, New Paltz and – maybe – Stony Brook. The SUNYs take many kids with a “B” average and with far lower ACT scores. The ACT carries as much weight with the SUNYs as the SAT by the way.</p>

<p>I know that many public school guidance counselors will give you the idea that their admission standards are just shy of the Ivies but that is far from the truth.</p>

<p>Wow, I aqm amazed by everyone’s knowledge and the number of schools in this area. It looks like we could spend weeks. My son has a B average because of chronoc sickness during his sophmore year and the fact that he didn’t put his all into keeping up. He is takin AP chem, Us History and Envor Sci. His latin is an honors class because there isn’t an Ap available. Next year he is taking Ap stat, bio and European Hist. He has to take regular physics because of scheduling.</p>

<p>In spite of his B average, he is in the top 1/3 of his class (640 kids) and hopefully (since things seem to clicking) that will improve.</p>

<p>Merit Aid wouldbe great. Because he really likes to learn and discover he needs a school that will have kids and teachers that are enthusiastic about education. Most of the schools who take kids with ACT scores of 30 seem to be looking for kids with 3.5 or higher GPA’s. So we’re looking for an intellectual enviroment that lets in B students!!!</p>

<p>Hudson Valley - That was a different person whose son also has a 3.0 that commented on the SUNY’s.</p>

<p>warriorboy648 – Yep, I see that now. Well, if michone’s son has a 30 ACT admission to a SUNY shouldn’t be a problem!</p>

<p>Because of the chronic sickness and if he can raise that score even a point or two I could see him having a slight chance at lehigh and more so at lafayette. Definatley worth a visit.</p>

<p>I understand that everyone should have some reach schools, but if warriorboys son needs merit aid, it would be better to look at match schools or even better, schools where he has the scores at the top of the curve. </p>

<p>I mentioned DeSales earlier and their Physicians Assistant Program. Here’s something about it from their website [Physician</a> Assistant Studies](<a href=“http://www.desales.edu/physician_assistant_studies_degree_pa.aspx]Physician”>http://www.desales.edu/physician_assistant_studies_degree_pa.aspx)
“Overall, we have a first-time pass rate on the National Certifying Examination of 99% (national average approximately 89%). For the five most recent graduating classes, our graduates have scores on this licensing examination that exceeded the 99th percentile when compared to ALL programs in the country. We have 100% employment rate within 4 months of graduation. Since the institution of the PA Program, we are also proud that we have a graduation rate that exceeds the national average for programs in our region and also nationally.” I know a couple of kids that started at Lehigh and transferred to DeSales for this program.</p>

<p>The ACT of 30 is a great score, but the 3.0/top 30% will make schools like Lehigh, Lafayette, Dickinson and Bucknell tough. We saw Susquehanna and it’s a great school. Liked Muhlenburg, but not as much as Susquehanna. Consider Ursinus (amazing pre-med), Elizabethtown, Villanova (as a reasonable reach), St. Joseph’s, Scranton, Susquehanna, Moravian (safety), Albright, Drexel (if he wants a co-op) and Washington College in Md.</p>

<p>warriorboy-
D is a senior at Muhlenberg, relative’s daughter currently at Lehigh. My husband and I are Bucknell grads from long ago.</p>

<p>If you can be more specific about the “fit” for your son, posters will be able to hone that long list for you. </p>

<p>You can spend many hours out in Central PA, looking at Bucknell, Susquehana, Scranton, which might be better spent around Phila. </p>

<p>You will find a distinct vibe at Gettysburg, Dickinson, vs Muhlenberg. </p>

<p>Can you describe your son’s outside interests, and hobbies?</p>