<p>smile06, Thank you. You really gave me more of an idea about what the school is like. I do think this is place where you can have a good gpa and get somewhere. It strikes me as a place where you can get in contact with professors when you need to. I think the downside is really the one cafeteria, which could get boring quickly, and the lack of diversity. We loved the campus.</p>
<p>Our family just returned from a visit to Marist, so I thought I would add our two cents. The campus is gorgeous, set into the hill overlooking the Hudson. We were impressed with the facilities. It is in a nice area of Poughkeepsie, I believe it is actually the Town of Poughkeepsie, next to the City of Poughkeepsie. The surrounding area is pretty with the FDR homestead/presidential library nearby. The school has some connection with the library. Academics overall appear strong, and Communications in particular. Some programs boast 100% job placement: Computer Science, Medical Technology, and some business program that I can't recall. The Science Dept. is small (about 275-300), not necessarily a bad thing because you get more attention. There is a new major in Athletic Training. Each student is assigned a mentor as well as an advisor. The mentor keeps tabs on how the student is doing and personally follows up with the student if he/she experiences a decline in grades.</p>
<p>I get the impression the school is on the rise. It is overenrolled for the coming year - 1030 vs. the usual 980. This year they are looking to enroll about 930-980. The Adcom at the info session explained that the strongest apps were for EA. The average GPA for EA was about 3.5 with 1300 SATs. For 2006, they have added ED, which I took as a sign that they felt competitive enough to go for the commitment. They are considering all three sections of the new SAT. They offer a number of good merit aid awards, the amount of which depends upon your combined GPA & SAT scores.</p>
<p>Thanks for the review. I hope our family can see it soon. Ran out of steam/time this summer, but fall and winter can hopefully bring a couple more visits.</p>