Hi Everyone,
I wanted to loop back and thank you all again for your input. DS visited Bowdoin and Carleton and ended up applying to and was accepted at Haverford ED. He did not have a ‘dream school’ but was very logical about the process. Many of the schools you mentioned made it to his final list, but he narrowed the list to his top four and then decided Haverford would be his ED1. He is relieved to have this process behind him and is very confident in his decision/acceptance to Haverford. Thanks again all!
Congrats!
@2mrmagoo Congratulations! One question, since you’ve visited both Bowdoin and Carleton – how would you describe their primary differences? (We’ve visited one and are curious about the other.)
Hi Porcupine.
Sorry for the delay in the reply. The two schools certainly have much in common from their strengths in humanities and the sciences, to suburban locations in sleepy small towns. Both are picturesque and are small LAC’s with smart students. The differences were more subtle and really came down to a feeling. We visited Bowdoin on a Friday and Carleton on a Saturday morning. Given the difference in time, we saw many more students at Bowdoin, but surprisingly this was during lunch and not walking around campus. The students seemed very segregated during lunch at Bowdoin, and my son picked up on a few things that confirmed for him that the school may be segregated more ( athletic vs non-athletic) than he would like. From an abundance of team sweatshirts at lunch, to photographs of teams lining a hallway leading to a common area and athletic facilities, the point was made that sports play a role here. We were a bit taken aback at the dorms being triples and quads for freshman. That is definitely a no-go no matter how great the school for my son. Frankly, the tour guide was possibly the worst of the 15 or so schools we toured and this definitely left an impression. There was a lot of mentioning that Bowdoin was a top school without supporting evidence why the school should be top on his list. We came away without a strong connection to who the student body is, and why it is a special place. Carleteon on the other hand was warm and engaging, from the tour guide to the admissions rep during the information session. The tour focused less on the significance of the buildings, to what goes on inside, what the interactions are with professor/student and the unique characteristics that make Carleton a community.
Ultimately, the decision was easier for my son because he knew he wanted a small LAC, but was particularly attracted to consortiums in close proximity due to the increased social and academic offerings. This narrowed his list to the Quaker Consortium and Claremont Consortium.
Congratulations to your son! My DS is on his last year at Haverford, and he really enjoyed his time there. He got a lot of really great opportunities that he might not have gotten at a larger school. He also made some really wonderful friends. Let me know if you ever have any questions.
Thanks megan12!