One-line descriptions of each LAC culture from enrolled student

<p>anyone has anything for Colgate ??</p>

<p>Harvard: and don't forget ours is the college where our central campus, Harvard Yard, is also as much of a tourist destination as a campus!</p>

<p>I think at Colgate you can pretty much use the one I did for Colby, plus larger, preppier, & more athletic.</p>

<p>I'd agree with SBmom (not sure about the preppier part though -- I think of Colby as a bit preppier than Colgate).</p>

<p>In re flash visit yesterday:</p>

<p>Just to get this out of the way first--beautiful spring day, no rain, clear skies, and both were startlingly beautiful, Swarthmore so stunning it was really hard to pay attention to anything else. </p>

<p>My daughter talked to more kids at Haverford, so formed a stronger impression: introverted, pleasant, not arrestingly interesting in an immediate way, total calm prevailing. I wish someone from Haverford would correct this view, if necessary. </p>

<p>Swarthmore (my view): Smarter kids, more curious, intense.</p>

<p>Impression of both: too isolated from larger intellectual currents. Too few students. That is what a larger selective school offers, and for us it is very important. They bill themselves as very "diverse" (a word which is rapidly losing meaning) but they are not reputed to be intellectually open-minded or "diverse" with respect to politics or religion, according to the guidebooks I have seen. This will probably make their devotees mad. Not particularly attractive physically. I say this only because it might make a difference to some people. (There is a great thread on CC called "If the colleges sat together at lunch" and the conclusion is that the most beautiful kids are at Vanderbilt, Texas-Austin---this one is true, I went to school there from the frozen north and was amazed. I came to the unscientific conclusion that it must be all that Vitamin D from the sun. And Arizona.)</p>

<p>
[quote]
They bill themselves as very "diverse" (a word which is rapidly losing meaning) but they are not reputed to be intellectually open-minded or "diverse" with respect to politics or religion, according to the guidebooks I have seen. This will probably make their devotees mad.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I don't know which guidebooks you are referring to, but I don't believe that is an accurate view of Swarthmore at all. Virtually every religion in the world is represented in the student body -- Christian, Judaism, Buddhist, Islam, Hindu, and some I'm probably overlooking. I am not aware of anything but respect for various cultures and religious beliefs. </p>

<p>Politics are a mixed bag with some strong themes running through the history of the school. Very, very conservative on the issue of government interference in people's lives. On at least three occasions, the school has been willing to give up federal student aid rather than force students to abide by an intrusive government policy. </p>

<p>Strong tradition of civil rights dating back to the anti-slavery efforts of the school's founders. Strong tradition of women's rights. Strong tradition of religious tolerance and acceptance. I don't know know if those things are "conservative" or "liberal".</p>

<p>Somewhat mixed adherence to the general Quaker anti-war politics. Swarthmore was the first Quaker school to accept military training outfits during WWI and hosted Navy training units on campus again during WWII. A good chunk of the research for the atomic bomb was carried out on Swarthmore's campus, althought that one may have raised a stink if anyone had known about it. </p>

<p>A student group on campus today has founded a group to raise money for Africa Union militia forces fighting genocide in the Sudan. Their efforts, have the support of congressmen from both parties, and their recent PR function/lobbying event in Washington featured both Republican and Democratic congressmen as speakers.</p>

<p>Not sure what you mean by "intellectually open-minded". As I follow the debates on various issues in the student newspaper and LiveJournals and blogs, I find the viewpoints varied and often beyond simple black or white "popular" classifications. For example, one of Swat's most loved young professors is a devout libertarian. I've read him skewer George Bush. I've read him skewer Ralph Nadar. Sometimes I agree with his political views, sometimes I don't. If you want a political debate, anytime, anyplace, on any issue, you can find one. If anything probably too much of that.</p>

<p>Here's a selection of editorials from this week's student paper on political and religious topics ranging from the US Trade Representative, to the new Pope, to digital rights, to a response to the school's most hardline African-American columnnist. Rather than rely on guidebooks, judge for yourself:</p>

<p><a href="http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15218%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15218&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15219%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15219&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15225%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15225&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15222%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2005-04-28/opinions/15222&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I'm not concerned that hanging around these writers would scar my kid for life. I am looking forward to her being home for a few weeks. I miss watching Bill O'Reilly with her over dinner and debating the "important issshoooos facing our great nation".</p>

<p>what about UCLA?</p>

<p>Cornell, where your best hasn't been good enough since 1865. Seriously though, it is a challenging yet rewarding experience.</p>

<p>UCLA: We are a school that is as populous as a decent-sized city, and we are located in one of the great metropolises in the world. We are diverse: internationals, computer nerds, pre meds, artists, & film/theatre people. We are some of the best and brightest kids from all over California, the USA, and the planet-- and we come in every color & creed. We don't need much hand holding, and we appreciate having a groovy village filled with restaurants & movie theatres on our doorsteps, located halfway between Beverly Hills & the beach. Oh yes-- the weather is fabulous!!</p>

<p>Reed College: You will know if you're a true Reedie about one month into living on campus. If you aim to please your professors and always agree with others, you will not be respected, although you still have to be receptive if you want to stay on peoples' good sides. If you're an iconoclast with a lot of self-confidence or have a genuine stake in an existing cause, you will thrive here. There is virtually nothing you're not allowed to do at Reed short of sitting on the rooftop with a sniper rifle. This is befitting for the incredibly creative, yet sensible student body that brings the campus to life. Oh yeah, and we have our own way of doing admissions</p>

<p>Skidmore College: Not sure what your aspirations are, who you want to be? You'll be comfortable here, both socially and facility-wise, and you can pretty much just revel in the fact that you're among people who lead normal lives and eagerly form random pickup games of frisbee. Don't be scared by the overwhelming white population that all seem to have gotten married to a musical instrument... you will be accepted if you're not one of these. That being said, if you are an ardent political activist, or have any extremely unusual interests for that matter, this might not be as stimulating an environment for you as some other colleges. We might also have a hard time relating to you if you're not of a deep pocket.</p>

<p>Oberlin College: We embrace everything that's not conservative, republican or christian. You will support us in a movement to make every shower and dorm gender neutral or be ostrasized. Otherwise, we're pretty much the quirky intellectuals that you see in Reed except we are a little less bitter about losing political debates and a little more orthodox when we do throw the occasional party.</p>

<p>Lewis & Clark College: If you went to an American School overseas, you will adjust to this place well, with kids who are pretty academic and open-minded to other cultures except we end up with all the white students despite how condenscending we've become towards minorities in admissions. Pot is everywhere, but its not imposing nor is there pressure to engage in drinking, sex or any other behavior associated with a typical college student outside the classroom.</p>

<p>Austin College: Are you one of those out-of-staters who stumbled upon our website by coincidence? Come join us if you're interested in paying lass for an LAC of our caliber! Even though most of us aren't accustomed to the uptightness or pretentiousness of Northeast urbanites, this place has an aura which makes us more tolerant of diverse races/sexual orientations than other surrounding schools. Despite our frats and sororities, which become overly tempting to join when you see the lack of offerings off campus, we don't judge you much on your family's income as long as you have good manners. Otherwise, just another LAC gem (with an unexpected emphasis on preprofessional studies that prepare you well for post-grad) hidden behind the facade that is Texas.</p>

<p>oh, and this probably will remain a mystery, but does anyone have any first-hand accounts of New College of Florida?</p>

<p>New College of Florida: We are all the smart kids from high school who got kicked out of class because we proved the teachers wrong. We are stuck somewhere in time with the hippies but are also cool with your own style (that is unless you're wearing a collar). We like to have small parties with reasonable amounts of drinking in our nice but small palm tree studded patio. We cherish our ability to do anything we want at our school so be prepared for anything. </p>

<p>BTW this is only one person's impression from one visit and some conversations with alumni, current students, and professors. It's a great place but not for all. It's better for those who can hold their own in all types of situations, and have some general ideas about what they want to study ( lots of independant projects and courses). The school is small and some places look better than others, but the sunsets can't be beat!</p>

<p>what about Umich?</p>

<p>ucla : everything you could imagine is out there, but if you wait for it to come to you it will never happen -- take charge and make it happen.</p>

<p>Bucknell, anyone?</p>

<h2>3 predictably politically correct opinions, 1 exhibiting what is probably considered daring on college campuses. The guidebooks should take note.</h2>

<p>Query: has anyone found a website where high school counselors (the college advising staff) exchange views on very current developments in admissions for particular schools ?</p>

<p>There is an organization called the National Association of College Admission Counselors. They do research, which is general in nature. Example: <a href="http://www.nacac.com/downloads/ch3_adstrat.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacac.com/downloads/ch3_adstrat.pdf&lt;/a>. I didn't expect to find specific opinions about schools on it, but these folks must exchange views somewhere.</p>

<p>Xmere,
Our D just completed her 1st yr at Haverford. On her way to NC to spend some down time with some close Ford classmates. Keep in mind that this is a child born and raised in Los Angeles...very diverse, liberal, and use to many activities that a large city has to offer. We, too, questioned whether the fit would be right for the long term...but, she made the decision...and it really is the perfect place for her. At the SoCal reception (prior to May 1st deadline last yr), we were told that most students don't realize how truly amazing their classmates are (because they are so unassuming and the Honor Code does not lead to those type of discussions) until graduation!!! In study groups, D has truly found that to be the case...she is amazed...so are we! ;) It is a very strong community...with students supporting one another. Just a sampling of what we have learned...</p>

<p>Everyone should be logging onto the website of the student newspaper for the schools that are considering. </p>

<p>At the end of the year, the senior editors usually write "tell all" articles summing up their experience over 4 years at the school. </p>

<p>A friend of mine recommened this to me (she is a professor at a top 10 school and said the articles are really "honest" and are a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the culture of a school). </p>

<p>I just logged on and read Penn's articles and found them to be in line with much of what has been expressed here on CC, with a comforting perspective and interesting twist.....</p>

<p><a href="http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/428414e322518%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/428414e322518&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>SBmom - yeah the California weather is fabulous. Two seasons - mud slide season and forest fire season.</p>

<p>Maybe in Malibu. </p>

<p>Not in Westwood.</p>