<p>I could be misreading, but the idea I got from the above quoted post ("However...concern.") was not that you might be isolated due to lack of friendliness or willingness, but due to a lack of exposure. That is, if you're not around much, you won't necessarily have a lot of time to get to know people at your own school. </p>
<p>Then again, as long as you find friends somewhere, it doesn't much matter where they're at, and that's part of the beauty of Claremont.</p>
<p>Neither agreeing or disagreeing with the claim, just giving my own interpretation of what was said :-)</p>
<p>People go to scripps because they want to be there, and it wouldn't be fair of you to assume you could get the "Pomona experience" if you went to Scripps. Scripps is a great institution, as is Pomona, but you should probably go to Bowdoin if you can't appreciate Scripps for what it is.</p>
<p>PS I am bias because I am going to Scripps next year. I love Scripps, and I don't like people bashing my baby! :)</p>
<p>I agree with what you're saying.
I feel it's unfair to use a college as a backdoor. It's like saying, Oh I go to Bryn Mawr but I'm more part of UPenn/Swartmore because I take classes there. Doesn't work that way.</p>
<p>I haven't visited because of time and money. But I've talked to students, faculty, and looked at lots of pictures. I've heard student body is similar to Amherst. At any rate, I believe there's enough diversity at all these colleges I'm not /too/ worried about not being able to find friends. Not sure if you were implying more there or not, but why do you ask about visiting?</p>
<p>I wasn't bashing Scripps, Rita. The point of my last post was to make that clear. I think Scripps sounds cool, it just doesn't offer the specific academic program I want to major in. And I like the idea of more diverse social opportunities than I have currently at my women's college. That doesn't mean I don't also appreciate things about it being all women. It doesn't have to be one or the other.</p>
<p>and FYI rtc, bryn mawr is so far away from Swat and UPenn it would be virtually impossible to spend much time on those campuses. My impression was that the Claremont Consortium was different in how close the campuses were, and it took special pride of together being "A university in the UK style"</p>
<p>Escape ,both schools are great academically but IMO visiting is very important. You can not know a school from reputation, reading about it, talking to others, looking at brochures. All of that is very important don't get me wrong but the intangable things such as atmoshere, fit, student body etc can only be known through a visit. Both of my kids totally changed their choices because of overnights and that behind the scenes look . If it is not possible then you choose the best you can but if there is any way to visit it can give you information that can be obtained no other way. Best of luck to you ecape!! 2 great options</p>
<p>ecape-
When is the deadline do you have to choose by? And is it possible to ask the admissions offices at both Bowdoin and Scripps to fly you down there to visit? I understand how time is an issue, but I agree with arizonamom above about the importance of visiting, and IMO spending even one day and one night at a school is very telling in terms of whether or not it's the right fit. I think it'd be a good idea to at least try and ask the admissions offices about the possibility of an expenses-paid trip.</p>
<p>ecape- my daughter recently turned down Bowdoin for Pomona, after visiting both. She thought the students at both schools were bright and enthusiastic, but liked the atmosphere more at Pomona. </p>
<p>At Bowdoin, she immediately recognized and found unappealing the presence and social pervasiveness of the many sports cliques. Athletes are not nearly as self-segregated at Pomona.</p>
<p>In addition, although she won't major in dance, she felt Pomona and all of the schools in the Consortium, support more opportunities for dance and the arts than Bowdoin.</p>
<p>She has friends, currently enrolled at each of the Claremonts, who take classes at and even major at a different school than the one they attend. She sees that as a huge plus.</p>
<p>classes are out and most students are gone off campus now. but I might take a train to bowdoin for a day to see the campus. that's the best i could do, really.</p>
<p>"one day and one night at a school is very telling in terms of whether or not it's the right fit"</p>
<p>I understand that visiting is very popular. but international students don't get to visit. and virtually everyone has a different feeling about their campus after they've been there for a year than they did when they first visited for a day. I mean, maybe your kid changed their mind after a visit, but do you really think that's proof they would have been alright on either campus after a couple of weeks? I'm not opposed to visiting... it's just that I live my summers on a shoe-string as-is. (they won't do expensis-paid trips, b/c they have as many transfers as they need)</p>
<p>Anyway, I think I'm going to Bowdoin. So I guess continuing a debate is a bit silly.</p>
<p>edit: zannerina, I just noticed your post. Pomona is not a choice for me, unfortunately. And people claim Scripps atmosphere is different than Bowdoin's. I'm just doing the best I can w/o getting a chance to visit, really. I think things would probably be fine, either way. I think these LACs are probably more alike than different. (I'm not a big sports fanatic, more of an artsy non-preppy type myself, but I hear Bowdoin's got a fun ultimate frisbee team, so maybe that would be my click... <em>shrug</em>)</p>
<p>Alright, I'll give my final take on here.
Arizonamom, I disagree. While visiting is helpful, it isn't THAT necessary. I was born in and lived in India. My parents and their friends and families went to the best college they got into, none of them complain about it and they've all done pretty well. The entire visiting thing is american consumerism and being provided with 'choices' stuff, completely an american concept.</p>
<p>That being said, visiting was important for me because i was put in place between a school offering me a better finaid package (lafayette) and a school with a better reputation and a place that I thought was more 'me' (wesleyan). I visited them both and revisited them both to make sure I felt comfortable at them and that I wouldn't regret my decision. Reputation is important, people who say otherwise are lying. To be honest, who cares if you get a great education if grad schools and employers doubt the program (I know none of this is in question with the school's we're talking about, but it's true nonetheless). In hindsight, I know I would have been fine at either of the schools. I would have also been fine at penn state honors, Urochester, or any other school i was admitted to...
This freedom of choice aspect of it, like I said, is an american concept and the rest of the world doesn't make mistakes (apparently) through the decisions people have made.
Also, I'd like to point out that international students tend to do pretty well wherever they go and many of them do not have the means to visit the colleges they attend. (whoops, you said that I'll just hammer it home :-p)
I'd say that a one day visit is not representative (say an athletic fest was ongoing on campus, does that mean that it happens ALL year round, no!). Statistics doesn't work that way and all a college visit is, is a sample that a visiter takes. Whether that sample is representative of the so called 'population' is up for debate.</p>
<p>I know about the distance, but one can take classes at those schools if one is a student at bryn mawr. Granted, it's a stretch since it's NOWHERE NEAR the same concept of the consortium.</p>
<p>Congrats on Bowdoin, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for there. Hurrah for decisions!</p>