LAC's in eastern Pennsylvania

College Search & Selection
1

Looking for advice in the college search for DS20. We are looking broadly because 1) he’s not sure what he wants to study, and 2) he is a B/B+ student. So we are looking at some larger schools, but he also finds himself interested in the concept of smaller LAC’s with more individual coaching and attention. We live in MA and looking to stay northeast or midatlantic.

There are so many interesting options in PA and despite scrutinizing the websites it is really hard to tell them apart. Can anyone share insights on the following schools good or bad. Particularly, the feel of the school, amount of advising and contact with professors, social scene, opportunites for intramural sports.

At the moment, DS is interested in psychology (becoming a therapist some day) and/or sports journalism and/or economics! He needs time to figure it all out and enough options to stay flexible during initial year in college.

Schools: Lafayette, Bucknell, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Lehigh, F & M, Gettysburg

He attends a large public competitive HS. Did well on PSAT and has been studying hard for SAT so we expect pretty good test scores but not a stellar GPA.

Lafayette, Bucknell, and Lehigh have division 1 sports, very appealing to an avid sportsfan but he says that is not a must. According to Naviance Lehigh is a stretch, Lafayette and F&M somewhat of a stretch, the rest look like better odds. But they are just names and spots on a map to us at this point.

We are going to be in that area and can visit ONE of these schools in April (can go back later though) and we are trying to figure out which one to visit.

Thank you in advance for all comments!

2

These are all highly regarded schools from an academic viewpoint.

In the past, Lehigh University had a substantial number of students involved in fraternities & sororities. Work hard, play hard atmosphere.

Bucknell University, like Lehigh, is in the Patriot League. Great athletics. Upper middle class & upper class students. With 3,600 students, it is smaller than 5,000 student Lehigh. Both have beautiful campuses. Between the two, I would visit Bucknell University, but both are worth serious consideration. Lots of alcohol consumption at both schools. Lafayette is near Lehigh.

Franklin & Marshall is academic oriented, as you well know. As is Dickinson College. Including Gettysburg, it would be a shame to visit one & not the others. If I had to pick one, then I would visit F&M just because I like using ampersands.

Muhlenberg College is in Allentown, near Easton & Bethlehem. Sizable theater & drama department. I believe that there is a sizable Jewish student population even though the school has Lutheran Church affiliation.

In my opinion, it is most important to visit Bucknell University. Heavy Greek participation. Lots of preppy financially well off students. If you fit in, it would be an amazing place to attend college. If turned off by Greek scene & related activities, or if offended by preppy students, then you may want to look elsewhere.

3

Visit the one he has a realistic chance of getting into. Lafayette, Bucknell and Lehigh are all going to be reaches with his gpa. He has better chances at Muhlenburg and Gettysburg probably. Dickinson and F&M will both be a little more competitive than those two. However, if a sports vibe is important to him, I think F&M might be worth visiting. It feels a little more like a “ traditional” college in terms of vibe: there is Greek life, sports and the campus feels quite large.

You should be aware that some of those schools really are very close to one another. We visited three easily in the same day, but I think Bucknell is probably the most isolated. Gettysburg is also a little farther flung, but close to Dickinson.

My personal favorite of all those schools is Dickinson. I think it has a good mix of students. The campus is lovely, town is cute, nice people, good mix of arts, sports, language, etc… I do think visiting several of them is in order. Go back and spend 2-3 days just in PA, if you can.

4

I have been at all of the schools on your list either on tours, with sports and ECs with the kids, as a student myself, my siblings and nieces/nephews attended, or at professional workshops.

Lehigh and Lafayette are so close together and can easily been toured in the same day. My DD17 liked Lafayette more than Lehigh but my DS20 is the opposite. Gettysburg and Dickinson can been visited together but you would likely only have time for a tour at one.

It is difficult to give specific feedback on each school without knowing budget and major (or at least focus – STEM, humanities) Some on your list are extremely small, rural, expensive and far from internship opportunities. Not sure your finances but some of these are going to be extremely expensive for a B/B+ students and may not be worth the inflated costs.

For a B/B+ student I would look at Susquehanna University and Lycoming College depending on major. We have also been very impressed with Scranton. All are hidden gems and give merit for good test scores for the B+ student. All have the traditional college feel with beautiful campuses. PA has so many of these smaller LAC and Universities that it is a great place to look.

5

Our two favorites in that general area were Dickinson and UScranton. We took a strong dislike to Bucknell so I would agree that some research should be done.

6

With respect to economic diversity, Bucknell University & Lafayette College have the fewest percentage of students receiving financial aid (36% & 30% respectively). Followed by Lehigh University (42%).

Gettysburg College appears to be the most economically diverse with about 63% of students qualifying for financial aid.

At Muhlenburg, 57% receive financial aid, F&M = 55%, while Dickinson has 57% receiving financial aid.

7

I wholeheartedly agree with some of comments above regarding academic match. The schools you listed are not typically schools for B/B+ students without a hook of some sort. But there are plenty of other options. I’d keep looking for alternatives.

8

I live in Eastern PA and all the colleges you mentioned are very well regarded. As others have said, Lehigh & Bucknell might be reaches for B/B+ students. Probably Lafayette as well.

Ursinus is a possibility. Toured Dickinson with my S14 who was also a B student - he didn’t apply, but it was one of my favorite campuses and the town is cute. The kids I know who attend Gettysburg are nice, good students. It is also an attractive campus in a small town.

Check College Navigator College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics. Some liberal arts schools are boy-light and might be more open to your son especially if his scores and ec’s are good.

If you are open to Catholic schools, would you consider St. Joe’s in Philly? Right on border of city and nice suburbs, with D1 sports, school spirit, and welcoming to B/B+ kids.

9

Percent of female students at each of OP’s listed schools:

Bucknell = 51% female

Dickinson = 58%
F&M = 54%
Gettysburg = 53%
Lafayette = 52%
Lehigh = only 45% female
Muhlenberg = 60% female.

10

My daughter is at Susquehanna and loves it. She was also a B/B+ student in high school. SU gave her a large amount of aid. They have an active alumni network that donates a lot of money - the campus and facilities are beautiful. We have been very impressed with the individual attention the students get. They are also well known for encouraging students to study abroad - it’s a requirement unless there are extenuating circumstances. DD just spent a fantastic semester in Florence, Italy. Her roommates were students from Bowdoin (coincidentally that campus is only 30 minutes from our house) and Washington University.

The way we heard about the school was through a college advisor in Maine - he liked the university so much he sent his own kid there. He told so many people about it that there is a pretty good contingent of Maine kids at SU! Makes it handy for getting rides to and from school. :slight_smile:

11

I would consider doing Muhlenberg College and Ursinus College in one day (1 hour apart), Dickinson College and F&M in one day (~37 minutes apart) and Gettysburg and McDaniel College in one day (~38 minutes apart). That will give you a sample of six of the Centennial Conference schools.

I work at McDaniel College and although we are in northern Maryland rather than PA, I think your son should give us a look. We love B/B+ students. We were included on US News’ list of “A+ Colleges for B Students,” and that is a point of pride. And McDaniel is strong in Psychology, Kinesiology, and Writing!

Other small liberal arts colleges within this general geographical region he might consider include Juniata, Albright, Susquehanna.

Your son has some great schools on his list so I don’t think he can go wrong; it’s a matter of finding the one that is the best fit. Best wishes to him (and you!) on his search!

12

We visited many of the schools on your list.
I would say both Lehigh and Lafayette are definite reaches. With a strong test score I would say Bucknell might be within reach.
My S19 really liked Gettysburg. Beautiful campus, friendly atmosphere, good academics.
Ursinus would be a good match and is also generous with merit aid. Close to Philly. It is a very small school however - I think like 1600 students.
Muhlenberg is known around here as a theatre/dance school, but other strong areas as well. The area is really blah in my opinion.
The University of Scranton is a highly respected school that loves B/B+ students.

13

I visited a number of colleges on your list.

General impressions: First off I’d suggest you get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide) and start reading up on these schools.

Academic Fits: The books also give some indications of the level of academics needed for each college which is important. Many school websites have admission data, you can use Naviance if your HS has it available, and you can google the common data set for each college and look at section C (google: common data set ).

Finanical fits: Run the net price calculator for any school you consider. Have the “money talk” with your child upfront so your son is clear on any limitations you have.

Social fits: We found that nothing helps as much as a visit to the college. Each LAC had a distinct vibe – some my D liked, others she didn’t feel were right for her.

Some possible additions to your list: A couple of additional LACs to look at in your S’s range may be Wheaton (MA), Clark (NY, excellent in psych). Some mid-size schools to read up on may be Quinnipiac (CT), Marist (NY), and UScranton (if a Jesuit school is OK for you). There are also some smaller schools in PA such as Ursinus which may be worth a look.

I think from your list Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell would be major reaches for a B/B+ student.

I have some comments below on schools we visited. Please know that they are all fantastic schools and we know people who have loved each and every one of them. It is a matter of finding the right fit at an affordable price.

For full disclosure my D went to Lafayette and loved it – she was drawn to the campus, the students she met, the fact that it was a LAC that was strong in the STEM fields, it had Greek life but it wasn’t overwhelming, there was school spirit etc. It was just a great fit for her. She did get a BS in psych and got into a fantastic grad school in her field.

She did not like Lehigh even before we got out of the car because she wanted a LAC and we kind of forced her to look at one mid-size college. It had a beautiful (although hilly) campus but it wasn’t for her.

Bucknell – was just too Greek Life oriented for her.

Mulhelberg was nice but we had a dud of a tour guide who turned D off to the school (tour guide could not find a science lab and talked on endlessly about kosher food). I tried to get her to re-visit the school but she declined and frankly we had a good list already so I didn’t push it.

Franklin & Marshall - Was one of the schools on her final “I could see myself going there” list. Very nice, strong in science, lovely campus.

Dickinson - Another school she could have seen herself at but it seemed a bit less STEM driven and she didn’t love the road going through campus to get to the science building. They emphasized doing a semester abroad.

UScranton – We looked at with our S and we were very pleasantly surprised. It is a mid-sized school school but had a compact campus and a very nice feel. It is Jesuit so you’d have to be OK with that.

14

I’ll add my voice to those suggesting adding Susquehanna to your list to check out. Plenty of students love it there. Dickinson and F&M are well loved too, but if you want merit aid, F&M doesn’t provide it. I’m not sure Gettysburg does either. Many kids at our school qualify for need based aid and all three do well with that. Susquehanna has both types of aid if I recall correctly.

Otherwise, definitely only consider Bucknell if a large Greek presence isn’t an issue. It’s a nice looking school with a bit to offer, but kids either like it or not based upon the Greek life it seems.

Which one school to visit? Read the vibes about each (on here and perhaps via Fiske) and pick the one that is most attractive.

FWIW, there’s no way in the world you’re going to get to Dickinson from F&M in 37 minutes as a pp suggested. Allow a little over an hour if the traffic is good. I just double checked via google and it says 1 hour 6 minutes for 55 miles.

Gettysburg to Dickinson is roughly 45 minutes. Gettysburg to F&M is an hour and a quarter.

Bucknell and Susquehanna are roughly 25 minutes apart.

15

And the drive from Bucknell University to Susquehanna University is easy & relaxing (or at least it was about seven or eight years ago).

I think that an appropriate school for your son may be St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

16

We visited most of those and d applied to F&M, Laf, Dickinson, and Gettysburg. Laf was her fav, but she was waitlisted. My fav was Dickinson. Seemed to have the most well rounded and down to earth students, great campus (lovely library!) cute town. Gettysburg has a bit of a party rep. Bucknell & Lehigh seemed Greeky. Muhlenberg felt “small”.
Agreeing with Susquehanna as a nice alternative. Beautiful campus, bright students, excellent merit aid.

17

You guys are the best! I really appreciate these replies. As I expected, different viewpoints from different people, and a few new ideas to check out.

A little depressing that some of you think these are academic reaches, but we are staying optimistic on that front. DS is a late bloomer, and it’s quite possible his GPA in the fall will be higher than it is right now. I cannot believe that there aren’t schools of this type happy to take a good, solid, ordinary kid who gets a few A’s and mostly B’s.

We won’t qualify for financial aid. Merit aid would be very nice and will weigh significantly, but we are prepared to grit our teeth and go full ticket for the right match for either of our kids (he’s a twin). We’d need to be convinced that a more expensive school is worth it, though.

Keep the comments coming, and thank you.

18

OP - a lot of these schools have become much more competitive over the last few years - like Lehigh and Lafayette.
Definitely check out the websites and NPC for Ursinus and Gettysburg. Both offer merit aid based on GPA and test scores and you’ll get a real sense of cost.
Another school is Allegheny College. It is extremely rural, but I consider it a hidden gem.

19

Your son will get a substantial merit scholarship award at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Should get you in-state rates.

20

From our Naviance:
Lafayette - 26% acceptance - 3.88/1377
Lehigh - 18% acceptance - 3.8/1330
Bucknell - 29% acceptance - 3.79/1420
F&M - 29% acceptance - 3.55/1460
Dickinson - 45% acceptance - 3.61/1310
Gettysburg - 55% acceptance - 3.36/1180
Muhlenberg - 45% acceptance - 3.61/1343