<p>I'm hoping for some input on my daughters top choice of Juniata. We like the school and it's science curriculum, but I must say the community looks like a depressed area with low income area's right next to the school. Has anyone thought the same? Has anyone decided against Juniata because of this? Any help would be great. It would be a 2 1/2 drive for us to visit her. Thanks so much in advance. Jim</p>
<p>Hi Jim!! you may want to send a message to Holliesue; her daughter will be attending in the fall…</p>
<p>I’m subscribing to this thread so I can learn on my D’s behalf. </p>
<p>FWIW, I know 3 people who attended a generation ago and they loved it. They never mentioned the economic condition of Huntingdon. But, they did say the location felt “in the middle of nowhere.”</p>
<p>Huntingdon seemed fine to us. It is not an exciting town, but, there are a few nice places to eat. I suspect that students pretty much stay on campus.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips…Anymore?</p>
<p>By the way the area above the school has gorgeous homes!</p>
<p>I have the same concerns. Our daughter loves the school and the science program but as an alum of a large university with a lot to do off-campus, I’m concerned that the area around campus looks boring and that she will run out of things to do outside of school. I’ve heard that there is plenty to do on campus so I’m hopeful that there is no need to be off campus. I would love to hear from some parents of current Juniata students.</p>
<p>not sure daisyq if your d has been accepted or not. If your d is a junior, I will be able to give you feedback after my d starts at Juniata in the fall!
My d was looking for a small school in a small town, so Huntingdon is actually bigger with more to do than many of the places we looked at 
We spoke to lots of kids over our 3 visits to Juniata. They all told us that they keep plenty busy between school work, activities offered on campus and off campus stuff.
I went to a big university also, and quite honestly, I was so busy with school work that it wouldn’t have mattered much what was off campus!</p>
<p>Small school, small town? She’s found heaven if those are the 2 qualifiers. :D</p>
<p>Sadly, Huntingdon is a dead, still dying town. Literally, until Walmart arrived several years ago, buying athletic sox requred a 90 mile roundtrip. The county has the highest unemployment level in the Commonwealth, and is a really tough place to be a job-seeker unless prison work and Wally World meet your fancy. Very low level of family income. Best jobs are those held by folks willing to drive the rough (in winter) 40 miles to State College or Altoona. The major industries are 4 … Prisons (3 state facilities, razor-wire and all! … Imby!), local insurance underwriter company (which is now laying off folks), college, tourism (camping, boating, fishing) which does not impact locals who don’t own camping grounds or related small businesses. Not much interaction among townies and college community, but not sure how much of an issue that is for students. Too much disparity in many ways.</p>
<p>Student body pretty regional, with lots of weekend matriculation home and elsewhere, it seems. Students seem to like the POE approach to majoring. </p>
<p>Juniata is one of 6 or 7 Brethren colleges and as such is somewhat of an historic oxymoron. Amish don’t pass 8th grade, thus their brethren Brethren having higher educational institutions is …interesting and creates some dynamics. </p>
<p>Despite this, Juniata’s great strength is its science program. Exactly opposite virtually all other LACs, 75% of JC students receive a BS (vs. BA) degree. Competition in the early sledding is keen in chem and bio. Teachers are excellent in those areas. One really weird twist is the frosh chem class purports to start people at organic, using the prof’s text book. He’s an excellent prof, very liberal (like virtually all) in his views, but we were told by several other strong chem/science programs, they would never transfer those credits. So, not sure that means anything except that the exceptionalism in this one is purely a function of this prof’s view. It is the weed-out class for science students. </p>
<p>Excellent environmental studies live-in lab @ Raystown. And the program is good, but most students take some heavy science to be competitive. The entrepreneurship program looks good on paper, not much real fire, it seems. That’s a function largely of the community and its extreme economic depression. (btw, there are a few “gorgeous” homes on the hill, but they are few, sporadic. Many newer homes, but nothing spectacular at all. All are S&A built, which is a cookie-cutter builder.)</p>
<p>Great women’s athletics. Terrible mens, w/ exception of volleyball. THE sport is women’s vball, but the longtime coach and AD has just departed for Navy. Still, that will likely continue to thrive w/ the longtime asst. moving up, and so few women’s vball programs really being anywhere close to competitive. It’s always the same 4 or 5 institutions in the finl 4a. </p>
<p>Facilities are decent, especially the academic buildings. Dorms are dull and long in the tooth. Some slum-lord housing available as one goes down the hill into Huntingdon. No public transportation, and train only makes 2 stops/day …one headed E, one W. No buses. Roads in and out are nasty, switching 3 lane, tough in winter. Scenery is very nice. The college seems to really work w/ students on FA.</p>
<p>Thanks for the informative post Whistle Pig. We are visiting on Thursday. Do you think the academics outweigh the negatives you have listed?</p>
<p>Pennsylvania is home to many small LACs - most in rural, unexciting locations - so I dont think Juniata is unique in that respect. Frankly, there isnt much between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh except farms and old, often dingy-looking towns (I live in PA so Im not bashing the state). The situation isnt much different at Susquehanna, Lycoming, Allegheny, Dickenson, Elizabethtown, etc. So if nightclubs, cultural events, cafes, or upscale shopping are of interest, then Juniata, along with many rural LACs, are probably not the best match.</p>
<p>My son will be attending Juniata in the fall. But he loves hiking and the outdoors and wouldnt be caught dead going to dance clubs or willingly go shopping. He did express interest in taking the bus now and then to attend some games at Penn State (I thought I heard that Juniata sometimes organizes such trips.) In addition to big-time sports, State College also has a wide range of restaurants, theater, bars, etc., so that might be one way to escape the smallness of Juniata.</p>
<p>From our familys experience, many students are very busy with schoolwork and campus activities and dont really have much time for anything else. My daughter attends Gettysburg College which is supposed to be located in a tourist mecca, but its very small-town also. Occasionally theyll go to an apple festival, shop for necessities at the local strip-malls, go eat in one of the local town eateries, or take a school-sponsored trip to D.C or New York City. But overall the rural location hasnt hampered her fun at all (and shes not even an outdoors-type). Im not even sure when shed have the time to cram another thing into her day. Of course, Gettysburg does have frats which makes for a more active and organized party scene if thats what youre looking for.</p>
<p>I think that the type of student whos attracted to Juniata doesnt care what the per-capita income of the town is or what the surrounding houses look like. These things simply have no effect on the day-to-day student experience. The only factor that sometimes correlates with lower socio-economic areas and that would give me pause would be crime. But Juniata is very safe (as opposed to urban schools which would provide a lot more excitement off-campus but may also present other problems). </p>
<p>Juniata is definitely not for everyone. I sure hope that itll be right for my son. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, as far as there being only one train a day in Juniata: we’re pretty excited about that because maybe my son can just go back and forth to school by himself. With our daughter, there is no train or bus out of Gettysburg, so she has to find rides, arrange for a campus shuttle to take her to Harrisburg to catch a bus, or we have to drive her. This is not unusual with small LACs.</p>
<p>So - an extra point for Juniata for us!</p>
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<p>Not to quibble, but this one’s no small issue. I’ve been to everyone of these communities, and I’d beg to differ … these are not “one size fits all” and look like Huntingdon. That suggestion is simply a gross inaccuracy and misleading. I’m not sure the point, beyond perhaps rationalizing Juniata’s locale vs. others, suggesting …“hey, they all look alike.” They don’t. Not at all, beyond some being in small, rural areas. But the truth is each of those are vastly different scenarios. Enough on that issue.</p>
<p>Juniata, as noted in mine and his posts, is very rural and a wonderful place to hike, camp, fish, bike, canoe, boat. Some of the world’s top trout streams w/in 25 miles. I fully agree, the college community, as I previously noted, is pretty distinctly separated from the community, and as I noted, not sure how important this is. </p>
<p>The train travel thing, while not a huge issue, is essentially a non-issue for locals. Because it is so inconvenient in scheduling. It arrives late in Pgh - Phila, and departs in mid day from Hdon. Most students simply find it to not work as a travel option, altho it sounds good. </p>
<p>One interesting piece of JC history is the involvement in the civil rights/'60s movement. Lots of activity for a small rural college. Relates to the liberal history of the school and its roots in the Brethren community and the peace movement. Still a peace studies presence there. The PSU connection is like the train stuff. And Centre County/State College is 45 tough miles and light years away. Definitely NOT what parents would hope for their students, i.e. traveling up to College Ave or the campus for a night of partying and then driving back over the mountain and a winding, desolate highway. </p>
<p>But what I suggest to folks is try it on. And keep in mind …not the nice summer, spring, fall days when most students will spend most time here. Good science and some other programs (most all science connected). But it is a lovely, rural, pretty isolated community with very little economic vibrancy or opportunity. And btw, there is no comparison between Gettysburg and Huntingdon, I’m sorry to say. Even if there is no viable train or bus in and out of either. JC is a very viable place for he/she who sees benefit(s) there addressing their needs. The economy, infrastructure, and location are isolating factors difficult to overcome. State College airport is 50 miles off, and unfortunately not very viable as an option for getting in and out. Too few flights at too much cost and still too many tough miles to campus. </p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of Greek entities generally. Their absence @ JC might leave a social option void. Not sure.</p>
<p>In response to Whistlepig’s comment that my post was a gross inaccuracy and misleading: </p>
<p>I’m not trying to rationalize Juniata’s locale or anything else about it. I’m not trying to sell the school to anyone here; for all I know, my soon-to-be freshman will go up there and hate it. I did say that the school is not for everyone and people who want a vibrant cultural scene would probably not be happy at any rural LAC, including the ones I listed. (Also, Juniata and Temple University would be an example of vastly different scenarios, to use Whistlepigs terminology; Juniata and Susquehanna and Lycoming would not.)</p>
<p>And I certainly was not suggesting that kids drive up to State College, get drunk, and then drive back. I simply pointed out that State College has some better restaurant/theater/sports/concert options that Juniata lacks. Many students may be interested in travelling to State College for those reasons, not just to party. If partying is a goal, then again, Juniata is probably not the right school.</p>
<p>And while Huntindon is poor and does not have economic vibrancy and opportunity, I still dont think that this matters to the average student. The economic opportunites, while important to the inhabitants of the area, are of absolutely no interest to my son, at least. Hes not moving there to get a job.</p>
<p>Such factors could be very important to other kids. But then they probably would not be matriculating at Juniata. </p>
<p>And as incongruous as it may seem, the town residents dont seem to be all that depressed about their home: </p>
<p>[America’s</a> Coolest Small Towns, Circa 2009 - The Early Show - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/earlyshow/living/travel/main4946306.shtml]America’s”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/earlyshow/living/travel/main4946306.shtml)</p>
<p>The Early Show campaign was interesting, and an emotional boost to locals, for sure. And I’d concur about Lycoming being somewhat analogous. Not Susquehanna (10 miles down the road from Lewisburg, Bucknell, etc. A whole lot more happening on that river than the “mighty Juniata.” lol</p>
<p>And we are in agreement …not shooting at any of these places. Rather responding to 2 things:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Edifying the OP’s question about realities of local economy. If I’ve misstated anythng, corrections are welcome and appreciated.</p></li>
<li><p>And I believe the explicit and implied comparisons offered are grossly off target, beyond maybe one. Williamsport is a tough place, too. Ironically, like Huntingdon, their is a huge drug problem in both communities, driven by the same phenomenon … families of incarcerated criminals moving to rural locations where there is ample available low-income housing. Htown has a couple section 8 hi-rises that are real problems, along with many aging row housing and on-the-cheap downtown apts that unfortunately account for most of the “growth.” Again, beyond the obvious, I’m not sure how these issues impact college students. Williamsport’s influx is due to those same families moving in from urban Phila, Allentown, Bethlehem following their in-rehab family members being sent to dry out. But Etown, Dickinson (Carlisle), even Gettysburg, are vastly different environments. And I’ll stick with that call. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>And I’ll stick w/ the reality that State College does provide some options. But the reality check is when was the last time, how many times over the past year did you drive in winter weather 90 miles for an ice cold one, different style pizza, or trip to the Best Buy? </p>
<p>One anecdote about eats and cocktails. Htown DOES have a very upscale, outstanding martini bar and restaurant. Mimi’s. Again, fac staff like this, but don’t know that students can afford to frequent this one. Unless dad’s paying. Like most college towns, tons of pizza places tho.</p>
<p>Just got back from Juniata. It was a very positive experience. The students were friendly, as well as the professors. Several students said hello and opened doors for us. We were walking around the Liebig Center for Science when a biology lab TA came out to talk to us. He was very helpful and friendly. We then went on the tour, which lasted an hour. They did small tour groups of 2 families each. After the tour, my daughter interviewed with one of the admissions counselors. Based on our visit, Juniata has moved up my daughter’s list.</p>
<p>We stayed overnight at the Comfort Inn in Huntingdon. It was clean, affordable, and had a decent breakfast. The night before we went to OIP. They had decent pizza. After the tour we drove around town. Based upon some of the comments here, I was expecting it to look bad. It was not that bad at all. It was actually nicer than parts of New England that I have seen. (I went to college in Providence.) There are some repurposed buildings that are now shops or restaurants. We went to Standing Stone Coffee for lunch, based on a recommendation from a worker at the campus bookstore. It was a good recommendation. Food and coffee was most excellent. They roast their own beans in the shop. While the area wasn’t the best we’ve been to, it was safe, friendly, and something my daughter could envision being part of.</p>
<p>MDdad2012- your experience mirrored ours! Every visit we had to Juniata the students were very friendly and helpful to us. We also didn’t find the town to be that bad! Perhaps because we come from a depressed economic area also :)</p>
<p>Glad you had a fine visit. It was a good day to be in Htown, one of the best. When the bradford pears are blooming, all’s right w/ the world, it seems. btw, the Standing Stone Coffee Shop IS truly the culinary highlight of our town. Owners Greg and Jesse are devout Christians and run their place as a ministry to students and the community. Great place to meet, greet, eat. It’s a going concern and well worth lunch and refreshments. Loosely connected to Coalition for Christian Outreach.</p>
<p>Safety is much better up near the college than down the hill. Lots of street urchans doing business after dark. Some minor gang activity, lots of drug stuff going on downtown around the low-income housing areas.</p>
<p>JC is indeed a friendly place, and in that respect, not having Greeks is a positive. Everyone knows everyone. Lots of “Norms.” </p>
<p>Truly anyone visiting today, hit it right. Even Huntingdon looks better when the sun shines, and the razor wire glistens. I think there are something like 250 give or take on death row between the 2 SCIs there. Escapes are rare. :eek:
Rabid skunks and copperhead snakes are far more dangerous. And prevalent.</p>
<p>We did not tour Dickinson or Gettysburg, so can’t compare them. But we much preferred Huntingdon and Juniata to Elizabethtown!
I think we have all gotten your point. I sometimes think these things are really very subjective. I live in the Binghamton NY area and many find it very depressed and depressing. I think otherwise :)</p>
<p>Of course they are subjective. Like beauty contests. I prefer Miss Montana in a bathing suit and high heels promoting world peace, and others prefer poor little Miss Rhode Island in an underarmour wet suit scooping cranberries and playing"I’m So Pretty" on the harmonica. It really is in the eye of the beholder. And as you note, oh so relative. And that is what makes it, well … so beautiful. And why there are now nearly 5,000 colleges.</p>