PA Trip Questions

Parents Forum
1

I know this isn’t the first PA trip thread, but thanks in advance for any advice for our situation. We have three days to visit schools while staying in the Philly area, and I’ll have younger siblings (who hate long drives) in tow.

D19 is thinking Liberal Arts and an intellectually curious atmosphere. She is a warm, positive person, but needs her downtime and, for many reasons, would like to find a school where the “work hard, party hard” ethic is not prevalent. EC interests are outdoor adventure and theater related, and she gets inspired by what most people would probably think are quirky/geeky things.

We are planning to visit Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Franklin and Marshall.

If we take reach vs match and financial considerations off the table (just for this thread–don’t worry, I’ve learned a lot on CC), are those the most likely schools for a good fit? If not, which schools would you substitute?

If we can only add one more school, what would you suggest?

Many thanks!

2

Swarthmore? DIckinson?

3

Muhlenberg?

4

FYI F&M doesn’t have merit aid.

Ursinus (its a College that Change Lives)?

5

Ursinus, friend’s D attended and loved it, good merit opportunities there, too. One of my D’s sounds a bit like your D, and she liked and applied to F&M, Ursinus, Dickinson, Muhlenburg, Lafayette, Bucknell, and Gettysburg.

6

Another vote for Ursinus.

On the other hand, maybe you should take a look at Temple. It’s a completely different direction – huge, ultra-urban, public – but precisely because of all those qualities it has a wealth of different communities and social/intellectual microclimates, any one of which may be larger than Bryn Mawr or Haverford. People like her may be a much greater percentage of the student body at those schools, or F&M, or Ursinus, but there may actually be more people like her at Temple. Which has vibrant theater and film programs, too.

7

Bucknell is beautiful but does not fit the prohibition against “work hard, party hard” culture.

8

Wow–lots of ideas! Looking at maps.

@taverngirl re Swarthmore, I’ve put it on the list. Re Dickinson, I’ve been to Carlisle and remember it as charming, but wasn’t sure about the party/alcohol culture (which I realize is everywhere, but D is hoping to find it non-dominant).

@blossom re Muhlenberg, D has a friend there so I’m hoping to send her to visit on her own on a separate trip. Friend says theater is very strong (D’s not looking to major in it, but has found theater people to be a good crowd for her).

@bopper, I read about F&M ending merit based aid in a Washington Post article. Looks like ending merit and increasing needs based aid hasn’t hurt them stats wise. The share of full pay freshman had fallen from 63% to 43% in 2014, and they’ve decreased student debt at graduation by 20%. In any case, interesting.

@bopper and @mamag2855 , Ursinus is on the TBR pile (to be researched)!

@JHS, I hear what you’re saying about a bigger school. More people = more people like you. Temple goes on the TBR pile, too.

9

She sounds perfect for Bryn Mawr.

10

BMC and Haverford sound like “her people” –

11

I agree with the BMC and Haverford comment being her people. She will probably really like it there. Swarthmore is more of a competitive vibe. Muhlenberg is good for theater, but I don’t know how easy it is to participate if you’re not majoring in it. Ursinus is nice. I don’t think Dickinson has a party reputation so you may want to consider it while you’re out at F & M. I wouldn’t put Temple on your list - bad neighborhood, big school - she won’t like it. Bucknell is not right for her either. She might like Lehigh or Lafayette (maybe), but I think the others may fit her better. Juniata may fit her too, but it’s probably too far out of the way.

12

Dickinson, Gettysburg and maybe UScranton?

13

Muhlenberg.

14

Thanks everyone for chiming in! It’s good to know we seem to be on the right track, and I’ll try to add at least one to the trip. Wish it could be Villanova for convenience, but it’s not at the top of the list of potential good fits.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Best wishes to all.

15

Messiah, Susquehanna, Juniata?

16

We have returned from our 3 day PA trip. It was so good for D19 to set aside time to really think about what it’s going to be like to be a college student, and what her goals and priorities are for those four years. Plus, I loved spending the time with her.

We saw Franklin and Marshall, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore. Muhlenburg, Dickinson, Ursinus and Juniata are still on the long list, but we ran out of time.

D liked both Haverford and Franklin and Marshall, although they have different vibes. Haverford felt very intellectual, and the students seemed independent but not too competitive. We both laughed when the Haverford guide said that it was good that the athletics fields are so close to academic buildings because she could see the beginning of her friends’ games, go study, and then pop back to cheer at the end of the game as if she’d been there the whole time. (This sounded like something D would do as she loves to support her friends but is also a pretty big studier.) Franklin and Marshall felt more like a typical university, only small. D’s tour guide was a petite woman who plays intramural water polo–fun! I didn’t ask D whether she noticed the frat guys sitting on the couch on their front porch adding some bro-atmosphere to campus . . .

The info session at Swarthmore was at 9:00 am only, so D said “pass”. That may mean she doesn’t have what it takes to be a Swattie :wink: It was cold and pouring rain while we were there, but she liked the campus and the quirky vibe, although we felt like having an Honors Program when your school is already so super selective and academically demanding might not be a good sign. Also, they should get umbrellas for their admissions office.

The biggest and best surprise was that D really liked Bryn Mawr :slight_smile: . She wasn’t open to a women’s college at first, but I sent her an article on them and she didn’t protest when I booked the tour, so we went. She thought it was so pretty–like a mini-Oxford. The women looked comfortably at home, happy and in their element. Some were in animated groups with their friends, others cozily studying. Our tour guide was a well-spoken, organized senior whose genuine affection for her school shone through the tour. They have an advisor and/or upperclass mentor for everything, and the traditions are so appealing–thumbs-up!

Our plan is to keep going with preliminary visits, and then make a true short list of schools to go back to for interviews, possible overnights, class visits etc. If anyone has questions, I’m happy to try to answer!

17

Thanks for the update @3SailAway We too were out in PA on a rainy presidents day weekend touring PSU. I think I like college visits more than my student. I have been to Haverford and know a very nice grad of that school. For the right student, I think it would be a very good choice.

18

“bro-atmosphere” :))

Sounds like a very fruitful trip! Glad it went well.

I always found the Honors Program at Swarthmore a little odd, too.

19

@3SailAway: your D’s reaction to BMC was the same as my D’s—she didn’t expect to like BMC and was surprised that she preferred it to Haverford. She didn’t start out looking for a women’s college, but that’s where she decided to go. There are many theater opportunities for students at both BMC and Haverford. Also, there is an amazing new theater at BMC.

20

@3SailAway - would love to read the article you shared with your daughter if you have a link to share!