<p>We are taking a family vacation to our timeshare in PA (Poconos) in late June. I don't want the entire vacation to be taken up with college visits, but it is already overcrowded based on the list my son has. Some of the schools were suggested by his college counsellor; others, we added because we'd be in the area. Some background: son is a good student, good SAT scores on Critical Reading (720) and Writing, average on Math (600). Not too many extracurriculars; active in church and volunteer activities, worked on a political campaign and loves government, politics and historyl; totally non-athletic; a quiet, serious kid who enjoys learning and would feel out of place in a party, high Greek life, athletic environment. Here is the list he has: Haverford (a real reach, I know), Villanova, Muhlenberg, Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Bucknell. I am leaning toward taking Bucknell out of the mix, as it looks like it is in the middle of nowhere, far away from all the others. Any suggestions or advice on which ones to take out?</p>
<p>My D will be attending Bucknell and we have been very impressed the two times we have visited. However, if your S doesn’t want Greek life then maybe this makes sense to drop as I believe that more than 50% of students are involved in frats/sororities (although rush is delayed until sophomore year).</p>
<p>no offense but, you are going to spend a ton of money on your childs college and where he goes will shape the rest of his life and you do not want the college search to take up your whole vacation?</p>
<p>I’d remove Lafayette and Bucknell. Perhaps Villanova.
Would you consier Allegheny and Elizabethtown?
Elizabethtown would probably be a safety so you may hope for merit aid.</p>
<p>Franklin & Marshall does not give merit aid, so that is something to consider if he is hoping for that. He might be a candidate for some merit at Dickinson if he can hike his math score up a bit.</p>
<p>Glancing through your past posts, it seems you’ll be heading down from eastern Mass. At the risk of expanding your list, I think Trinity and/or Conn College would be worth a look if you’re driving through Connecticut.</p>
<p>Heading south from Muhlenberg to Villanova/Haverford, perhaps hitting Lafayette along the way, seems the most doable. Too many visits and you risk getting burned out or having them start to run together.</p>
<p>It’d be a longer trip, but one could also do a loop from Muhlenberg to Dickinson. (If you’re really ambitious, Gettysburg could be tacked on.)</p>
<p>What is his GPA and does he take the most difficult courses? You may want to narrow it by skipping the ones he is least likely to get into. People could make better suggestions if we knew more about what he is looking for as well. Urban/suburban/rural?
Lehigh and Lafayette can be done in the same day since they are so close. Is he a liberal arts student or math/science oriented?</p>
<p>On first reading, he does seem like a Haverford kid, although that is a tough school to get into. I really loved F&M too. Frankly, the presence or absence of Greek life doesn’t seem to always correlate with a "party’ atmosphere. Bucknell does have Greek life but it is also bigger so there are more alternative activities. Dickinson seemed like it had a pretty active party scene to me. I’d also take Lehigh off the list, if he is more interested in poll sci, as Lehigh is a pretty big party school plus it’s more STEM oriented. </p>
<p>Dickinson/F&M/Gettysburg seem like good ideas. Are you sure he is looking for a small school? I would visit some larger ones at some point during your college search just to get that persective.</p>
<p>Sorry to be rambling, I hope I’ve been helpful :)</p>
<p>Bucknell has a very high Greek percentage. The official numbers make it seem lower since freshmen can’t rush, but are included in the percentages.</p>
<p>From your description, I don’t really see a fit at Villanova (but I have to admit I don’t know too much about the school).</p>
<p>OP, I would recommend doing Muhlenberg and Lafayette in one trip. Another trip might be F&M and Dickinson and possibly Gettysburg. If you’re coming to see Haverford, Ursinus might be worth a look, and it’s not too far away.</p>
<p>We saw many of the same schools with my D (who is now at Lafayette). We did not visit Bucknell and Gettysburg for different reasons.
Haverford and Villanova are close to each other.
(Lehigh if you want to add one), Lafayette, and Muhlenberg are all close to each other.
We liked F&M and Dickinson as well and would say those schools are worth visiting.</p>
<p>Would agree with a lot of the above comments, except that Clarion and Slippery Rock do not seem to have the same reputation as Temple, PSU and Pitt. </p>
<p>A lot may depend on your child’s grades, since his SATs put him in between some reaches and safeties as possibilities. For example, Bucknell might be a reach, especially if you need financial aid, since they are very much need-aware.</p>
<p>Many of the schools you list, except for Muhlenberg, and Haverford, of course, have some party reputation. Bucknell has a very high percentage of Greek life. I think Gettysburg also does. I would agree with others about checking out some additional schools. If you’re only looking at schools that are not in big cities, you might also consider Susquehanna, University of Scranton, Juniata. If you are interested in city schools (like Villanova), there are plenty near and in Philly and Pittsburgh. There are also a lot of smaller Catholic schools that might be worth considering, since Villanova was on your list.</p>
<p>My son heading to Bucknell in fall. We are very impressed with the academic environment Their acceptance rate this year was just over 20%, so it is highly selective. The also have a phenomenal alumni network, and 96% of graduating seniors have jobs. He is thrilled to head there this fall.</p>
<p>Muhlenberg considers demonstrated interest in admission decisions, so don’t take that one off the list. It’s a great school and we loved visiting it (twice). For some applicants, an interview is required: those students who apply under the SAT-optional program; students who want to do the cooperative programs (4-year MD program with Drexel, 3-4 year Penn Dental program, etc.); some others. It used to be that interviews were required for merit aid candidates, though that has apparently been changed. It’s still strongly encouraged. </p>
<p>Many PA LACs are known for their large amount of bright, athletic, preppy and fratty kids. Many of the schools on your list were not a good fit for my oldest. I live in PA and know kids at each of those schools. </p>
<p>I would recommend Muhlenberg, Susquehanna (very close to Bucknell) and Juniata. </p>
<p>For your son, I would HIGHLY recommend College of Wooster in Ohio. :)</p>
<p>A PP called Villanova a city school. It is most certainly not in a city, but in a beautiful, wealthy suburb about 30 mins from center city.</p>
<p>ETA: I agree with a PP about interviews. They would be important for all of these schools. If your son is a quiet kid, it’s best to practice with schools he’s not too interested in - maybe in your local area? You mentioned that he doesn’t have much in the way of ECs, but as long as he can happily discuss the things he does love, he will be fine.</p>
<p>Villanova is definitely not in Philadelphia, but like Haverford and Bryn Mawr, it’s situated on Philadelphia’s “Main Line,” which means it’s a short (<30 mins.) train trip into Center City and beyond (and includes stops near Penn’s and Drexel’s campuses, as well). All three towns would be classified as upper middle class suburbia.</p>
<p>In terms of size and the types of students it attracts, Villanova has more in common with Lehigh than Haverford. (The Fiske Guide notes a lot of overlaps in applications between Lehigh, Villanova and Penn State, primarily because of their strong engineering programs, I suspect. For the OP, Boston College would be a good comparison to Villanova in terms of vibe.) </p>
<p>For someone looking for less selective LACs than Haverford, but still in the same general region, I would look at Ursinus, Muhlenberg, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Lafayette. I believe all these smaller schools are interested in how much “demonstrated interest” is displayed, possibly because of their roles as safeties for a lot of Ivy League and Top 25 LAC applicants.</p>
<p>I am a college freshman and a couple years ago I did a PA trip to visit. I went to Carnegie Mellon (way out of the way), Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette. As has already been mentioned Bucknell is very athletic and Greek based. Lehigh also has a lot of Greeks from what I know, but it is very close to Lafayette and so I would recommend just stopping by if you are there anyway. When I visited Lehigh I was turned off by the fact that it was located on a large hill, although the buildings were really beautiful. I would drop Bucknell from the list because it doesn’t seem to me like the kind of place your son would like.</p>