<p>I'm interested in what people have heard/ read about some of the schools I'm interested in. I've done a lot of research, but a litte more information can only help!</p>
<p>Emerson
Swarthmore
Fairleigh Dickinson
Drew
Dickinson
Rutgers
Fordham
Ursinus</p>
<p>I'd be a transfer student and have a 4.0 GPA.</p>
<p>Have you done a search? There's lots on some of these schools especially Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Well, I can only tell you a bit about Drew & Ursinus, as those are the only 2 on your list we've visited (and son has interviewed there). Living in NJ, we do have some heresay info about Fairleigh Dickinson and Rutgers. What in particular would you like to know?</p>
<p>What specifically are you looking for and what do you want us to tell you, because we could write a novel about some of these schools.</p>
<p>Academics?
Courses, Offerings, Professors?
Campus & Asthetics?
Atmosphere?
Social Life?
Housing?
Food?
Students?
Location & Surroendings?
Perks of each school?</p>
<p>I can help you with Emerson, Drew, Swarthmore, and Dickinson.</p>
<p>Sorry, should have specified a bit more.</p>
<p>I'm looking for info on academics, atmosphere and for schools like Ursinus and Dickinson, location. What I'd really like to know is how happy the student body is with their education. Info on professors would be great.</p>
<p>lelalellen, I'd love to know whatever info you have on Rutgers or Fairleigh (I've been told these schools are not "good enough" for me, but a school's a school, right?), even if it is heresay. And Drew as well, as those are my top three choices.</p>
<p>Hi dot... What I've heard of Rutgers is basically good regarding the academics for a very large school. It is known to afford students with many opportunities (all kinds of majors, equipment, etc). The downside is it is HUGE, spread out and can be a chaotic experience for some. Many classes are known to be very, vegy large, often taught by TAs (Teacher's Assistants) or someone lecturing, very fast in broken English. I've also heard that since many professors are consumed by their research, that teaching is just a "thing" they do, not their main focus.(remember, this is "heresay" info). I would think what I've told you about Rutgers is probably true of many other huge state schools, not unique to Rutgers. Bottom line is that one can get an excellent education if the factors mentioned will not be a negative factor. I will tell you that I believe those factors would not be a create a good environment for my son - that is why we've looked into small LACs such as Ursinus, Drew, etc.</p>
<p>Fairleigh I've only heard it being referred to as "Fairly Ridiculous"... We have not looked into it as all of the college books we've been looking at (PR's Best 357 Colleges, Fiske Guide, Insider's Guide, etc.) don't even list it.</p>
<p>Now, as for the 2 schools we have gone to, Drew & Ursinus, we loved both! They are very similar in size (about 1500 undergrads), admissions stats, student/faculty ratios, etc. Both seem to afford students with very small intimate classes with professors (never TAs) who are passionate about what they do and will often go the extra mile to help a student. I think the stats for Ursinus regarding graduating percentages, retention, etc. are a bit better than Drew's (but not by much), Drew seemed to have a bit more of a libereral atmosphere than Ursinus (possibly because their theater department is very big there). Also, Ursinus has about a 20% Sorrority & 20% Fraternity population, Drew has no Greek life. Both are primarily residential campuses with the majority of students living there - creating a really nice, close-knit feeling among students.</p>
<p>Both campuses have their pros and cons (like any school), they each have some older buildings in need of some refurbishment, and both had some newer buildings. Both were nice and compact- making it an easy to walk anywhere.</p>
<p>We didn't talk with any students from Ursinus other than the girl who took us for the tour (who loved it), a girl in the office (also loved it) and a few kids in the dorm who had just arrived on campus as freshman, but had not yet experienced any classes. </p>
<p>We were at Drew 2 different times while school was in session and had the opportunity to "interrogate" some students there... all really loved it and were quite happy to talk about it. The one common theme that kept coming up was the fact that students and faculty had very good relationships - because the classes were small and the professors passionate & caring. They also loved beautiful "forest" campus. (It is truly lovely if you love trees & nature)!</p>
<p>One final note, Ursinus is a bit more removed from any city, where Drew is more convenient to the city (train station is a 7 minute walk from campus).</p>
<p>Please feel free to ask any other questions - I'll do my best to help!</p>
<p>Rutgers is a major research University, a member of the Association of American Universities. It's strong in both the sciences and liberal arts and has the advantage of being an hour away from NYC by bus or train.</p>
<p>It has a new President who is committed to improving campus life and the perception of the University, which is generally better the further away you get from New Jersey. Winning a few more football games will make it a much better school.</p>
<p>Swat is in a different league than the rest on the list. Where are tou transfering from. What are your SATs?</p>