<p>I am a parent of a very happy freshmen, and I feel compelled to spread the word. When I think about this time last year and the long, sometimes grueling, process of college selection that my daughter and her classmates went through, I can only smile and take a deep sigh of relief that she is so happy and intellectually engaged at Sarah Lawrence College. If you are anything like my daughter, you are highly intelligent, quite literate, highly creative, and self directed in your learning. My daughter was the type that would always seem to go off on some side tangent when doing an assignment, and what to any other student would be a 10 hour project, would become a month long pile of books, art supplies, and anything that sparked her interest that was somehow related. This works very well at Sarah Lawrence College, which encourages in depth examination of topics that the student chooses with the assistance of conference work with the faculty. She is in seventh heaven! She loves to write and this is essential too.
I just took a look at the evaluations that come at the end of the semester. They are in depth and leave no doubt that each professor is very in tune with the student's work and thinking. I have been an educator myself and I am impressed.
One warning, my daughter's campus visit was not the best due to the student that we were assigned. When it came time to make the choice of schools, she was drawn to the very unique academic program. She loves it and I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the work she has done thus far.</p>
<p>Thank you, poetsmom. SLC is my daughter's #1 choice and is anxiously awaiting decisons. As you can tell, there is very little traffic on CC, of SLC. We have not visited yet. Will make the journey if she is accepted.</p>
<p>Good luck! If you have any questions.....I would be happy to answer what I can. ..</p>
<p>I am planning to visit SLC this spring break! Is there anything I should check out or pay attention to? </p>
<p>What do you think got your d in? I am really worried because my grades aren't that great -__- (B+/marginal A-)</p>
<p>I am glad you are visiting Sarah Lawrence in the spring. It is quite beautiful that time of year with everything in bloom. I would say, make sure you visit the whole campus. Our tour guide was a student and it was a hot summer day, so we only saw a small part of the campus. Make sure you go into the town of Bronxville and have lunch. It is a great little town and the train station is very close to campus, which is great when you want to take the short ride into the city. I am not sure what your interests are, but check out all of the facilities. The dorms are not the greatest and we had been to some beautiful campuses, so my daughter was not thrilled at the time. Now she loves it, even though the living arrangements are not the best. She loves the faculty, the challenge and there are lots of creative thinkers there, just like her. I am sure that this school is not for everyone. Make sure you see the school while students are there. There are many artsy looking kids as opposed to preppy, etc.</p>
<p>It would be difficult to say what got my daughter admitted. She had off the chart SAT scores, but Sarah Lawrence didn't see them. Her grades were not the greatest, but her courses in HS were more than rigorous. She submitted a portfolio of her works.
She is a writer and pretty talented, if I may say so. Good recommendations, etc. Just put your best foot forward.</p>
<p>We too, shall visit during her spring break. Debating whether to drive or take a train. How is the weather for the most part?</p>
<p>If you are coming in April, the weather should not be an issue. We saw a few other colleges in NY, so we drove. I guess I would drive so I could see the surrounding area. My daughter takes the train home back and forth on breaks, which is a big plus for me! You could certainly take the train into NYC and then out to Bronxville station. Are you planning a stay overnight? We had a horrible experience with one of the hotels listed on Sarah Lawrence site. Don't stay at the New Rochelle hotels listed ! There were several other parents that I met at the information session that had similarly bad experiences in New Rochelle. Are you going to see any other colleges in the area?</p>
<p>Thanks, PoetsMom :)</p>
<p>FWIW, my daughter is an extremely happy sophomore. She enjoys the unfettered access she has to her professors and the emphasis on writing. The proximity to Manhattan is great, and the campus is lovely. Enjoy your visits.</p>
<p>Hi Joango, my daughter, a freshman, loves going into Manhattan too. I am just wondering how much spending money per week you think is reasonable. Although I am delighted that she is enjoying the arts in town, it is getting so expensive. What do you give your daughter per week? (if you don’t mind me asking)</p>
<p>Good question…my daughter would have very little spending money if she attends. (all resources just to pay tuitition.) could a person enjoy SLC, and NYC, without spening much money?</p>
<p>I will venture a guess that a student could find plenty to do without spending as much money as my daughter does. She has never been known to be thrifty in any way. I take full responsibility for not teaching her the value of money. She has a group of friends who seem to have money to enjoy all the city has to offer and I do not want her to be the one sitting in the dorm. The recession has hit me hard and I am assuming that there are plenty of students whose parents are in the same position. I am just wondering how much is a reasonable amount? I am an older Mom, so nobody I know has kids in college. I really need to set a limit on spending at this point. She receives no financial aid…didn’t apply for any.</p>
<p>We are touring in April. Can you give me an idea of the students/party scene? I have heard a few disturbing things but I guess that is anywhere…my daughter comes from a NYC private school and few if any kids ever go to SL although it sounds very interesting for her…any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I must ask what you have heard that is disturbing. I sure do not get that impression from my daughter. My daughter may go to parties, but I can tell you that she is in the city going to concerts, museums, and plays every weekend. I know this, because I pay for them on my charge card. What have you heard?</p>
<p>Just a lot of partying type things which I guess is everywhere but certain schools are talked about more than others I guess, esp. Liberal Arts concentrated schools. I am also under the impression that it is an extremely liberal/left crowd but again, that must be everywhere. I am sure you can not generalize or stereotype any school and you seem so happy there so maybe my concerns are not warranted. Any tips for when we tour? Thanks.</p>
<p>Well, all I can tell you is that my daughter is very happy there and she is very engaged with the work. I am sure there must be some party scene, but I would hardly think there could be much relative partying with 75% females! I never heard SLC referrred to as a party school before and it surprises me to hear. As far as left leaning, of course they are. Aren’t most young intellectually inclined students left leaning?</p>
<p>Thanks for your input…you hear all sorts of things about all sorts of schools and you seem to be having a great experience so I appreciate your thoughts. It may be a little heavily liberal for us but we will see…such a nervewracking time.</p>
<p>Well–</p>
<p>Freshman are required to get the substantial meal plan, so living expenses beyond that are really up to you. Going into the city on a regular basis can get pretty expensive. There are plenty of kids who do have the means to go into NYC all the time, but alot stay on campus too. I honestly wasn’t too keen on my D taking the train at all hours on the weekend in the beginning. I am finding that no matter how much or little we give her, she manages to spend it. Sorry I couldn’t be more specific. Good luck with your choices. Poetsmom–We give her $50.00 a week right now because she blew through her saved spending money. She has never been accused of being too thrifty either. Next year we have two in college, and she will have to make her spending money last!</p>
<p>I suppose my daughter my have the added benefit of extremely thrifty. We’ve always had to find activities that cost little to no money. She can stretch her allowance further than anyone I know. Also, she prefers the left leaning learning. SLC’s approach to learning is her greatest interest.</p>
<p>Hi Enthusiastic parent of SLC poet,</p>
<p>My daughter was recently accepted to SLC which is one of her top choices. We are planning to visit next week to sit in on classes. My daughter is concerned that SLC may be too small. My daughter is very excited about SLC’s proximity to Manhattan and she is looking for a rigorous academic environment. Her major interest is in cultural anthropology. SLC seems to have only two or three professors in this field. We are very confused. SLC also did not offer nearly as much financial aid as the other schools.</p>
<p>Your enthusiasm is contagious…are you able to address any of the above? (or can anyone else out there throw in their two cents?)</p>
<p>Many thanks, the mom</p>