<p>Can someone help me compare the following;
Loyola vs. Hobart & William Smith vs. Providence</p>
<p>Well, my D got into Loyola & was waitlisted at Prov. </p>
<p>PC is in a neighborhood that is more working class & has more bars than Loyl. That does not mean L students cannot find a bar. </p>
<p>Loyl has a neighborhood right next to it that I do not want my d walking around in alone, but on the other side of the campus, it is upscale suburban type housing even though it is within the city. </p>
<p>I liked the feel of Lyl better than PC but that is me. We did visit it more often than PC & we also got to see it when all the students were there, which was not the case with the other. PC feels more cityish but both are in cities. Both cities have plenty of interesting things to offer students and also Narragansett Bay & the Chesapeake Bay are near them, with lots of outdoor things to do, beaches in season, etc. Both schools have access to free shuttle buses that go around their ciites. Both Balt & Prov are not very far from interesting things such as kayaking, climbing, hiking, etc. and also Boston & DC. </p>
<p>Can’t help you on the H & WS question. I wd say, visit them all & see what kind of vibe you get. And look at their online course catalogs.</p>
<p>I cannot speak for the other two schools, but can address some questions about Loyola. DS is a rising sophomore and loves Loyola. Being in the city, there is a lot do. DS loves music and there is a good music scene in Baltimore with a lot of intimate venues and inexpensive tickets. Loyola is about 15 minutes from the Inner Harbor and some 8 minutes from Towson and the mall areas. Loyola is bordered by a nice upscale neighborhood on 3 sides and York Road (a rough neighborhood) on the 4th side. Many suburbanites are somewhat appalled by York Road, but having lived in a major city half my life I have seen a lot worse. However, I would advise folks to avoid the York Road area at night.
Loyola students make it a habit of walking together at night wherever they go and DS has found the campus itself to be very safe.
DS hates the bitter cold. The weather in Baltimore is rather temperate for the Northeast. Baltimore does get all 4 seasons but compared to upstate NY and New England you will find the winter days and evenings a good 10+ degrees warmer.
Academics are top notch. Half of DS’s classes had 17 or fewer students and his one large lecture had 36 students. DS had one class where the professor invited the entire class for a dinner and a debate at his home. Never heard DS mention much about his classes in high school, but he does rave about several of the professors he has studied with thus far at Loyola.
Good Luck with your college search. My wife and I are thrilled that our DS chose Loyola.</p>