<p>Congratulations!!!!! You must be so pleased and exited! </p>
<p>Lawrence is a truly excellent little school. My aunt attended there, and many of the professors have degrees from such schools as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. </p>
<p>Kenyon_01: Why are you scoffing at such a school? It is true that Lawrence is not yet a household name, but it is known quite well in the Midwest and is on the rise, as seen in the rankings (even through I can condemn some rankings, but that is another story . . .).</p>
<p>My daughter is absolutely thrilled that she was accepted as a vocal performance major (soprano) at Lawrence. Whatever the overall acceptance statistics are for Lawrence, it is my understanding that the acceptance rate for music majors is especially low. The combination of an outstanding undergraduate conservatory and a very strong liberal arts curriculum at Lawrence is very attractive. Having said that, the final decision regarding which school to attend is difficult. We have not yet heard from all schools to which my daughter has applied, but so far we have acceptances from Bradley, Drake, U of Miami, and Lawrence, and are still waiting to hear from Illinois Wesleyan, Ithaca, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern (a long list with safeties, mid-tiers, and stretches).</p>
<p>At this point, Lawrence is at the top of her list of schools to which she has already been accepted, though U of Miami is not far behind. Also, she really likes Leeanne Freeman-Miller (voice professor) and Aimee Beckmann-Collier (choir director) at Drake. I'm curious to know how you will go about making your final decision about which school to attend, and to hear any advice you can provide to help us in our selection.</p>
<p>Firstimer -- I'm thinking we sat across from you at lunch during our visit to Lawrence last month. Just back from spring break and D had a good visit and practice lesson at a larger university and has decided not to attend another based on her practice lesson last week. She is now down to 3 schools and Lawrence is probably still the tops on her list by a little bit. She has one more visit to St. Olaf and then we will sit down with her to discuss the financial implications. There are scholarships at 2 of the 3 schools and the tuition at the larger public school is much lower despite it being out of state. So, the money will be one factor although probably not the deciding one -- she plans to double major so there is going to likely be a 5th year of funding needed.</p>
<p>I made a table with a number of dimensions on it and will give it to her so that she can use it if she wishes to rate the schools and do a quantitative analysis. I'm not sure how she will ultimately make the decision. She is thinking of making one more visit to Appleton for a practice voice lesson if she can fit it into her schedule before May 1. She had a practice lesson with the violin professor and likes him very much.</p>
<p>I'm trying to remind myself that any of the programs would be very good and that she will get a good education at any of them. She was accepted into the Honors Program at the state U to which she applied. I know the decision is going to be difficult for her. My sense is that she is ultimately going to decide based on her sense of the overall quality of the music program and her rapport with the faculty. If I had to guess, I'd say she will end up at Lawrence -- time will tell. </p>
<p>Let me know if you have other questions. Feel free to PM or email me.</p>
<p>There are. But, those are from the school, so of course Lawrence is going to show off the most appealing aspects of the school. I was just wondering if anyone had any pictures that are not offered online.</p>
<p>I visited Lawrence in the fall, and the campus was utterly gorgeous. There is a chapel, a main building in the center of campus (I forgot its name.), and trees everywhere. The leaves were changing color, so that only enhanced the beauty of the campus. </p>
<p>And, actually, I didn't see any overflowing dumpsters. Of course, I wasn't looking for them, but they must be well hidden.</p>
<p>The photos on the Lawrence website really do it justice, except for perhaps the music building. I think it looks better in the photos than it does in reality.</p>
<p>Just kidding about the "overflowing dumpsters"... I didn't see any either. Just a beautiful campus in a great little midwestern town. Congratulations to all those heading there.</p>
<p>My D will be going if she can clear it with the director of the musical... She will need to miss a rehearsal (more of an issue because she is the female lead) and the musical is the next weekend.</p>
<p>I went to the April 10th visit day. I stayed overnight with a student host and had a really great time. It really felt like home. I just sent in my acceptance so I'm officially a Lawrentian now, and very excited! I was choosing between St. Olaf, Macalester, UW madison, Lawrence, and Carleton. I really love Lawrence, I'm excited to meet my classmates. Good luck!</p>