<p>Made a whirlwind trip to Lake Forest yesterday for their College Visit Day, and as promised, here are my impressions. For those who aren't interested in a LONG read, I'll summarize first: my impression = favorable (I'd go there if I were oh, a few decades younger); daughter's impression = favorable with reservations. More on that later...</p>
<p>I won't go into great detail on the physical layout of the school (other posters have covered this in the past), other than to say it is a pretty campus. Not <em>oh my gosh, I've died and gone to heaven</em> pretty, but it's a nice mix of open areas, trees, older buildings, and newer buildings. A new student center is under construction (open in Spring 2006) and an addition/renovation to the library was recently completed. One not-on-every-campus building is their own ice rink. And it's hard not to like Lake Forest, the town (while envisioning the million or so that must be necessary to live there). I did crack up when one of the administrators described the town as "their own little Mayberry"! I also did a double-take when our tour guide told us that a large percentage of the faculty lived within ten miles of the college...what kind of salaries do they pay their profs?!</p>
<p>The first part of the day was the usual college dog and pony show. Continental breakfast with many alums floating around, willing to answer questions and talk about why they had attended LFC. I was actually impressed at the number of alums present on a Monday workday, although I thought my daughter might go into fighting mode when one of the alums "apologized" for the fact that Illinois is a "Blue State." Um, maybe he should have checked out my daughter's political leanings first? No harm, no foul though; she just laughed and told him that if she attended LFC it would be even bluer. </p>
<p>Our tour group was the last one out (they had yummy pecan rolls, we'd left the house at 2:30 am, and I WAS going to have breakfast before going on the tour!) Our guide was not a student, but one of the admissions folks, so we got a rather polished presentation (except for his walking backwards skills :)). The tour was more of a walk-by than a walk-in tour, but we did see one dorm room. It was reasonable in size (my daughter thought it was large; I voted average), and the walls were finished plaster rather than cinderblock, which is what I remember from my college days. </p>
<p>After the tour, students went in one direction to sit in on a student panel discussion about college life/activities at LFC, and parents went to a presentation by the VP of Admissions and Career Services and the President. Note that the VP holds a "bookend" position; it's an extension of LFC's interdisciplinary approach. His talk started out by urging parents to take a breath and not get too caught up in the college hysteria. He expressed a bit of concern about the mania of the college "industry" (he did recognize the role that colleges play in this) and urged parents to remember "fit". From there he went on to the talking points that we would hear over and over (and over and over and over) during the visit. In a nutshell, they were 1) LACs are good, 2) proximity to Chicago and using Chicago as a classroom are an important and unique part of the Lake Forest experience, 3) Lake Forest has a diverse student body, and 4) Lake Forest is safe, safe, safe.</p>
<p>The president gave an overview of questions he would ask if he were looking for a college for his child (and he has a rising junior so it will be his turn soon!) I don't have my notes with me, but some of the items I remember included "engaged and accessible faculty?"and "is the school financially stable?" The latter gave him the opportunity to talk about LFC's recently-adopted five year plan; there's a link to it on their home page and is well-worth the read if Lake Forest is on your radar. They will also be starting up a Sesquicentennial drive soon, with the goal of doubling their endowment and continuing capital improvements. He also mentioned some recent grants, and the one that stood out for me was a $750K grant over three years from the Mellon Foundation to facilitate their Chicago programs. They will be opening a Center for Chicago Programs in 2005-06, so that the use of Chicago as a classroom is coordinated across the campus and to develop further programming. He also spoke very highly of the faculty, highlighting some of their teaching and research accomplishments. During the question and answer session, he stated unequivocally that when a professor is being considered for tenure, teaching is the number one consideration.</p>
<p>After this, parents and students reconnected and had a chance to sit down with their regional rep. Our rep emphasized the usual talking points but also shared that he is very much the point man for the applications for his region. He also clarified something that had confused me. LFC does use the common app and requires a supplement of a 3-5 page graded paper from your junior or senior year. However, if you use the LFC app, they only require the graded paper. There are sections on their app for writing about yourself, but it's not the big, bad, dreaded essay type of writing.</p>
<p>After lunch, there was a chance to sit in on a panel discussion of professors. The admissions rep lobbed questions to them, and when I realized the format, I was prepared for more dog and pony show. However, the faculty overcame the format and really shone. One of my key impressions was there was a high level of collegiality and the interdisciplinary approach was valued highly. It was clear from the back and forth banter that these people genuinely liked each other, and they each made it very clear, in their own way, that departmental mini-kingdoms would not be welcome. A number of the professors had team taught with one another, and this, in part, explains the acceptance of double majors. A student can have a double major and a minor, or a major and two minors if they choose. There was also some talk about their Richter Apprentice Scholars Program, which, if selected, allows a student to do guided research with a prof the summer after their freshman year. </p>
<p>Oh, one more thing. I had a chance to pull aside the VP of Admissions, and I asked him flat out how he would respond to the characterization of LFC as home to "slacker preppies." (Hey, I'm not applying, so what the heck...and I wasn't wearing a name tag!) His initial response was a mix of a groan and a sigh (he'd clearly heard the concern before). He then admitted that MAYBE thirty years ago, that characterization was accurate, but there was no way he would subscribe to that now. LFC is becoming more selective (70% admit rate four years ago, down to 60% now with more selectivity expected). He said about 20% of the students were from prep schools, but he felt that just was a part of the "diversity" of the school. Diversity at LFC is defined along global, rather than "face" terms (14% of the students are internationals which they hope to increase), and because they strive to the the "national liberal arts college", they also have students from just about every state.</p>
<p>OK, that was the nuts and bolts of the visit. My overall impression was favorable, largely because I thought the faculty members we met were very impressive. They clearly love to teach, know and like their students, and are very happy to be at LFC. I definitely came away feeling that the sky's the limit for the motivated student, and for the less-engaged student, they'd be hard-pressed not to get a decent education. My daughter spent some time talking with the politics professor and the music professor who were part of the panel, and she particularly connected with the politics professor (she even came away with a suggested reading list for the summer). </p>
<p>Possible drawbacks for our situation is the lack of depth of the music department. It's not a performance program (although my daughter is looking for a BA not a BM) nor is it a large program; one voice adjunct (for all voice types) and only three music majors graduated in 2005. After hearing some of my daughter's background and training, the music professor conceded that it was quite likely that she would be a big fish in a small pond. That would be good from a scholarship perspective but not necessarily good from a learning perspective. On the other hand, I googled the voice adjunct, and she has some impressive credentials, and music is probably the secondary degree of my daughter's planned double major. So it's not a deal-breaker...</p>
<p>My daughter's vote is favorable with reservations. When she attended the student panel discussion, she asked about the level of political/social activism of the students. She was answered with statistics, which was a concern, because she felt if there was any noticeable level of activity, the students would have responded with personal anecdotes. She also was a bit put off because the three students on the panel were Greeks...although one was actually part of a service fraternity, not a social one. (20% of the students at LFC join frats/sororities, but there are no houses. Each group has a chapter room in a dorm.) She has decided that a return to Lake Forest during the school year will be necessary, both to get a sense of the student body and to take a sample voice lesson. </p>
<p>She will most likely apply, but she said that she views LFC as an "emotional safety" (academically, it's probably a match-safety for her). Because she is a motivated student, she feels she would get a strong education but her key reservation is whether she will find the critical mass of "intellectually lively" students. </p>
<p>Good grief, I didn't mean to write a novel! Hope this helps...</p>