Juniata vs. Ohio Wesleyan vs. Denison vs.St Lawrence

College Search & Selection
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<p>Looking for feedback on the social and academic atmosphere (in terms of rigor and intellectual curiousity) at these schools. Trying to assess whether D could find her niche at any (or all) of them. She's a bright, very introverted/shy, super intellectual, book worm type who also loves outdoorsy activities and will likely major in environmental studies and/or international relations. She strongly prefers a quiet/non party atmosphere and is not very keen on the idea of an overwhelming greek presence on campus. Other schools she's likely applying to are Swarthmore, Haverford, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Kenyon, Hamilton, Dickinson, and Bates to give you an idea of what she is looking for. </p>

<p>We came up with Denison, OWU, Juniata, and St. Lawrence based on the need to add some academic safeties that have the potential for very good (up to full tuition) FA for students with strong stats. Her stats put her at the top of the applicant pool at each, so figure she has a good shot at significant merit aid. We do qualify for need based aid, but our budget is very limited, so FA is a key factor in her search. </p>

<p>Denison: love the town, beautiful campus and seemingly strong academics. Aware of reputation as party school and frat presence, but sense the school has done much to attract bright, intellectually curious students in recent years.</p>

<p>Ohio Wesleyan: honors college and dorms very appealing, as is the theory-practice-theory approach. Some concerns about how much the "easy to get in, hard to stay in" reputation is reflected in the student body. </p>

<p>Juniata: D attracted to Brethren roots/social justice vibe and philosophy of inclusive community (no frats). Strong environmental studies program as well. Concerned it may be a bit regional and unsure how rigorous the academics are?</p>

<p>St. Lawrence: the draw here is the strong environmental studies program and outdoorsy activities. D very concerned about "play hard" culture and high number of athletic recruits. </p>

<p>I know she could just apply to all 4 and see what happens, but hoping to avoid spending unnecessary time and effort on applications to schools where it might be hard for a super shy kid who thrives on academic challenge to find a group of like minded peers. </p>

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<p>Politically, Denison has a less liberal student body than OWU or St. Lawrence. Not sure about Juniata, but suspect it is more liberal than Denison.</p>

<p>I suggest making a choice between Denison and OWU. They are quite different from one another but both are safeties. You should be able to eventually draw a clear distinction between the two. Denison and Granville are “pretty” while OWU and Delaware are not, if that matters. The students seem to reflect that difference too.</p>

<p>I looked into St. Lawrence several months ago, and like you remember that the “play hard” aspect was a concern. Also seemed less diverse. Lots of wealthy kids, if memory serves me. More remote than any of the others, and might explain the “play hard” attitude.</p>

<p>Culturally both Juniata and St. Lawrence are definitely East Coast. OWU and Denison are obviously Mid-West. By the way, for comparison, Kenyon is not all that Mid-western. Yes, Ohio has the most students at Kenyon but only 15%, but California has the second largest number of students.</p>

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<p>@NROTCgrad‌, had planned on a visit to Ohio this month to visit Kenyon, Denison, and OWU, but schedule wouldn’t allow. Headed there 1st week in December to tour all 3. I think spending a little time on each campus will help us get a better feel for where D might be most comfortable. Since they are all free to apply to, she may just decide to apply to all 3 and see what happens come spring time. Thank you for sharing your insight</p>

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<p>Definitely should apply to any schools she likes that also happen to have free applications. You can make decisions later. Some people think they need to know all this stuff before they apply. Yet, with free applications people can wait until after acceptance to narrow things down.</p>

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<p>Ohio Wesleyan’s alumni – for generations – have tended to matriculated at excellent graduate and professional schools and to do be very credible individuals. I do not suggest this in untrue concerning then other LACs you cited, but I KNOW it’s entirely valid for OWU.</p>

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<p>Thanks @TopTier‌, the more I look into OWU, the more I like what it has to offer. Seems highly under rated. </p>

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OWU is definitely underrated and offers very strong academic opportunities. As NROTCgrad notes for Kenyon above, I believe the same is true for OWU; the 2nd most number of students at OWU come from California.

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Much to the chagrin of some students, the party atmosphere and frat presence at Denison has been greatly toned down in recent years. The fraternities are no longer residential - their houses have been converted to special interest housing. Parties in excess of a certain number of students have to be registered with the University: http://denison.edu/campus/conduct/overview/party-registration

The student body is moderate to liberal politically (it’s definitely more moderate than Oberlin for example but I would not call it conservative.)

It is a very good academic school and is very generous with merit aid for good students.

9

Add College of Wooster to your list. It’s near Kenyon and it’s a gem for bright kids.