<p>We were just on vacation in Wisconsin and stopped by / toured Lawrence University, not so much because it was a university of interest to us, but to start my hs juniors on the process of thinking about their preferences (small / big, rural / urban, etc.). I wanted to post that H and I were favorably impressed and wondered what others thought.</p>
<p>Appleton, WI was a pleasant small city and seemed like it had college-town type offerings. The campus itself was lovely. There must be some big-time money coming into there, because there was tons of construction and the facilities looked very nice, certainly comparable to our top 20 alma mater. </p>
<p>We listened a lot for the campus values and we heard diversity (far more than I would have expected for a small city in WI), inclusion, individual attention and concern for the environment / living green. It was a good contrast to what my kids are already familiar with and provided a good basis for them to begin to articulate what appeals / does not appeal to them. One of my kids liked it, the other didn't, but more importantly, they could begin to think about what aspects of an environment were appealing and why, and deconstruct the overall "feel."</p>
<p>Anyway, I post this for two reasons: 1) Wanted to share favorable impressions of Lawrence overall (it's a CTCL college, and I sort of get the impression that if it were only in New England, it'd be prestigious) and 2) To thank fellow CC parents for urging the wisdom of taking them to see other campuses regardless of whether the college itself is necessarily on the short list.</p>
<p>I’m going to be a freshman at Northwestern University this fall, but Lawrence was one of my other top choices. One of its main attractions for me was its double degree program. It has a very high quality music conservatory, but they are also accomodating for double music/liberal arts majors. I was accepted into the conservatory, and had I not been accepted at NU or UChicago, I probably would have gone to LU.
But yes, it seems like LU is often unfortunately overlooked. It really has a lot to offer, and should have more recognition, I think.</p>
<p>My dd is transferring to Lawrence this fall as a sophomore. We were very favorably impressed when we visited LU in her junior year, but for various reasons she chose to attend Lewis & Clark in Portland, OR. Her freshman year there was fine, but she discovered that she sorely missed the band nerd culture she had enjoyed so much in high school and very much wanted a school with excellent academics plus a higher level of music scene. LU offers all that, on a very attractive campus in a cute little midwest town. She is excited about heading there this fall and I think she is making the right choice.</p>
<p>On the diversity front, the 2009 USN&WR Ultimate College Guide says 2% African-American, 2% Hispanic, 3% Asian-American.
I’m sure it’s small town Wisconsin rather than what Lawrence prefers. Beloit’s numbers aren’t much higher.
One reason to visit when school is in session.</p>
<p>Lawrence is a wonderful college, and like a handful of other midwestern LACs not named Carleton and Grinnell (namely Macalester, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Knox, Earlham) if you dropped it into New England it would be every bit as popular and respected as the usual suspects. It is a very tolerant campus. The racial diversity isn’t as significant as it would prefer, but Lawrence also has a good contingent of foreign students who provide additional racial and ethnic diversity.</p>
<p>^ You’ve got our number, MilwDad–our daughter applied to Grinnell, Beloit, Lawrence, and Earlham. She ended up at Beloit, but Lawrence was her second choice. She had a great visit there–excellent interview, wonderful student tour guide. We visited when school was in session, and though Lawrence might not be as diverse as it would like to be, it is not nearly as “small town Wisconsin” as Ripon College, another school we visited on the same trip.</p>
<p>My son just graduated from LU and is off to grad school. His best friend who is Canadian and grew up in multiple foreign places came to the graduation and spent a week on campus beforehand. His comment: “I wish I’d gone here, but it is a bit too late now.” He will be graduating from a Canadian university soon. It is special and I am glad it isn’t in New England. The cost is down and the environment is friendly and accepting. The academics are first rate. But it’s in Wisconsin and only those who know about it or are willingly to step out of the mold, take a look.</p>
<p>I’ve seen Appleton and the Lawrence campus many times- much too small, etc for our tastes. Conservative area. Different people like different things. Lawrence does have a good academic reputation, however- especially for music.</p>
<p>Wis75, I think you made a good point. Sometimes we are attracted to something that is different from our normal routine. My son had only spent time in the SF Bay Area for Christmas & summers and summers in New Hampshire for his stateside experiences when he decided to visit and then attend a school in Wisconsin. Wisconsin for him was exotic! The winter was a treat for him. He had never experienced snow. He linked right up with Lawrence Internationals and had ready made friends and then he expanded his friendships to US kids.</p>
<p>We visited a number of years ago when D was looking. It was our first visit. She was not impressed- too small, too midwestern. H and I thought it was wonderful. It is a VERY regional school. I do think it is perfect for many kids, but it is not as diverse as they wish and really mainly attracts people from the surrounding states. (the visit was memorable because she was a total bit$h the whole time to H and me and we had moved the earth to make the visit happen- traveling from Dallas to pick her up at Interlochen and then flying to Green Bay etc). It’s still family-lore and something I remind my Div School/Postulant to the Priesthood daughter about frequently…</p>
<p>D applied last year and was accepted with very generous scholarships. It was a good safety for her, but her heart was elsewhere. </p>
<p>I have 2 friends with daughters attending and both are very happy at Lawrence. Like any school, it needs to be a match between the student and the college. I think it offers a great liberal arts experience for a student, if the other pieces fit them.</p>
<p>The area around Lawrence may be conservative compared to Madison, Wis75, but what area isn’t? In fact, Appleton and the Fox Valley are currently represented by a liberal Democratic congressman. It is a smaller area, certainly, but then many of us in Milwaukee feel that Madison, although very nice, is still a regional city with limited cultural amenities, just like many folks in Chicago feel the same way about Milwaukee, and just like many folks in New York feel about Chicago. It’s all your perspective. :)</p>
<p>Any way, that’s all beside the point that Lawrence is an exceptional college with a lovely campus, a commitment to undergraduate education and probably the strongest overall student body in the state, academically speaking. For anyone interested in Liberal Arts colleges in the midwest, it should be on the “must check out” list.</p>
<p>And one other thing I should say is that it’s too limiting to pigeon hole Lawrence as strictly music oriented because, like Oberlin, it has a conservatory. My older son applied and my younger son has visited and probably will aplly, and neither is remotely interested in music as an academic pursuit. Older son is in social sciences, younger son in quantitative areas. Just like Oberlin, Lawrence’s liberal arts (non-conservatory) side is just as good as its conservatory.</p>
<p>I’m a high school senior and I just visited Lawrence on a summer visit day. I absolutely loved the campus and people. It is everything I thought i wasn’t looking for: midwestern, big on music, very small, but the feeling was completely right. I encourage anyone in the area to visit, it has a great vibe, and may be an unexpected contender in your college search. after not even being on my radar, it has moved up to top choice.</p>
<p>I know several people connected with Lawrence who live in Appleton, and I happen to know that Lawrence is very LGBT-friendly if that’s a matter of interest for anyone. </p>
<p>One friend of mine has been teaching at Lawrence for the last couple of years, and she and her spouse just finished the process of finally moving everything to Appleton from Brooklyn, where they’d lived for the last 10+ years. Something of a culture shock (where are all the wonderful restaurants??), but they do seem to like it there.</p>
<p>I gather that if gets rather cold in winter, though!</p>
<p>I had to bring my somewhat British friends to visit Appleton this summer. They couldn’t go to the states and not visit the area. One did the LU tour for her son who couldn’t make the trip due to army service! We had fun at the local Greek restaurant, speaking Greek! My son was married in Door county nearby. That is a wonderful place and LU has a lodge and considerably acreage there for the students.</p>
<p>I promote the school and location anytime I have a chance. I put Appleton right up there with Nice, France. Ha Ha. Both beautiful places in their own right. But different strokes for different folks. Speaking of winter. I have always missed it. Kind of a downside for the region but hey, I was in Ann Arbor last Christmas and it was o.k. Kind of pretty for a no snow type of person.</p>
<p>PS, my friends thought the area was fantastic. They loved the park, the shopping, and couldn’t believe all the rabbits. “Magic,” they said. “Americans are so friendly.”</p>
<p>Lawrence is also strong in the sciences, particularly physics. Although I have no personal connection, it is a school to which I would have been happy to see any of my kids apply.</p>
<p>I am from and still live in the Northeast, attended a top-rated LAC here, but when we went college hunting, my favorite schools for my kids were all in the midwest! I found the combination of progressive campus culture with the unpretentious, friendly midwestern charm unbeatable!</p>
<p>I don’t find too many parts of the upper midwest to be “conservative” compared to the northeast. Wisconsin and Minnesota are historically progressive states. Iowa is in many regards as well.</p>
She ended up at Beloit, but Lawrence was her second choice. She had a great visit there–excellent interview, wonderful student tour guide. We visited when school was in session, and though Lawrence might not be as diverse as it would like to be, it is not nearly as “small town Wisconsin” as Ripon College, another school we visited on the same trip.</p>