@Sweetgum – good to hear your thoughts about these schools! We’re seeing them in a not-so-normal environment now (and who knows what a post-COVID normal is at this point?) as compared to when we visited schools with D19. I really liked the city of Greensboro and UNCG as it fit with what S22 is looking for – a school with something beyond a small number of stores within walking distance. We’ve never been to Boone before so I’m particularly looking forward to that visit. UNC Asheville dropped off the list as the only classical string ensenble was a quartet and they are searching for a viola. (He’s looking for more string players than that, and a cello doesn’t really fit in with bluegrass!)
I started pulling #s from the Common Data Set to compare size of freshman class, the percentages living off campus, etc. Yesterday we were drilling down into foreign language requirements for specific majors. (!)
I so hear you on getting through this school year. Our school system went back to hybrid school last week for the first time. S opted to remain virtual for the year as it is simply so late to be changing routines. On average, his classes have 3 to 6 students in person and everyone else (20+ students) is virtual. S is so ready to just be done and heading to college.
A friend of a friend’s D is attending Hollins (I think she may be a junior now?) and absolutely adores the school. It’s a beautiful area. (My S didn’t want to look at Roakoke because it’s so small. I might do a drive thru since we’ll be on I-81 anyway. )
@OrangeFish I think App and UNC-G both are very good schools for music. Hope you find a good fit. Boone is a fun town. Grandma has a mountain house there so it may be a bit too familiar for my dd22 if she ends up staying stateside. A lot of kids from her high school end up there too and I think she is wanting somewhere new and fresh. But I do really like it. A little disappointed that it seems to be sliding down the list.
@packacards yes I think right now Knox is sitting very much at the top of her list. The writing program is excellent, they have other strong programs in case she changes her mind, she is drawn to the idea of the 3-3 academic schedule, and the small town they are in is just off campus so she could walk to get to at least some other options for meals if she wanted to. That and from what we can tell virtually, the “campus vibe” seems to be a good match for my D.
@Sweetgum yes, she is open to women’s schools! Agnes Scott is another on her list, and thank you for the mention of Hollins! I spent the better part of yesterday on a deep dive and they look like a great option to add to the list. Sweet Briar ended up on her list after a pre-covid college fair. She likes it, but after our virtual visit has some concerns about the remote feel of it. I’ve been worried about the very small size. There’s small, and there’s SMALL, you know? Hollins is also small but nearly twice the size of Sweet Briar. Glad to have another option for her. I didn’t even realize Hollins had a summer writing program. Last year I did a bunch of looking for them for her and she applied to several, then with covid everything went sideways. We weren’t comfortable signing her up for any she was accepted to when we weren’t sure what was going to happen, but it ended up she got an alternate position for Sewanee’s program but they didn’t end up having space for her so they gave her a guaranteed spot for this summer, so that’s what she’s doing. They’ve already announced they’re doing virtual again this year for the program, which makes sense but is also unfortunate.
Even though your D isn’t looking for a US school right now, I do recommend looking at Knox, solid creative writing program, smaller and farther away (though not as far as UK! ) very community oriented feel.
@OrangeFish I have also been doing deep dives and drilling down. I’m embarrassed to say how many tabs the spreadsheet has (and how many columns each of those tabs has! )! However, it has been useful, and I can only hope it will prove more useful as we move forward, to have one place to go to be able to see/get to all the relevant information. (My spreadsheet also has lots of links directly to specific areas on college websites. Why yes, I have spent too much time on it)
We are right there with everyone ready for this year to just be over!
Hi everyone,
New to this thread, returning to CC after about a year off (and they changed everything around again and I’m still trying to figure it out). My S22 is our third kid, we live in the SF Bay Area, oldest went to Willamette and middle is at Reed. Youngest did not do so well with remote learning - he’s a bright kid but kind of unfocused. Like his siblings, he’s interested in west coast schools, particularly in Oregon. He has changed his idea on future career paths several times in the past year (progression went from CS/ game design to game design/animation to undeclared liberal arts to now drama/ acting). As far as the acting thing goes, he hasn’t been involved in drama at his high school so far (although will be taking the beginning drama class this fall) and the last time he did it outside of school was 3 years ago. So… kinda thinking that he’s going to change his mind again eventually but who knows. His top (only) ECs have been choir and Dungeons and Dragons (if that even counts as an EC… he is co-president of the school DnD club though).
Schools I’ve had him look at (online tour or read about in the Princeton Guide) are Lewis and Clark (he loved the sound of it more than the others), Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran, U of Portland, Whitman, Willamette, Chapman, U of Colorado-Denver (came up back when he was looking into animation), U of Utah (similar), St Olaf, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara U … maybe another one or two I’m forgetting now. He seems drawn to the smaller LAC type schools so I guess dropping animation as a possibility was a good move.
Anyway… guess I’ll start following CC again in general and if any of you have suggestions for me to add to this list, I’d appreciate it.
Welcome @washugrad ! I am right there with you on the “not doing so well with remote learning” and “bright but kind of unfocused” child thing! It’s been a rough year. We’re in TX now but when my older D was applying we were in CA and had many of those schools on her list! She was undecided (very, very undecided), so I honestly don’t remember much about specific programs at various schools, but some others we looked at or she applied to were U Redlands, Whittier, Western Washington, Northern Arizona, and Southern Oregon. SOU stands out to me from the group as I recall it as a public liberal arts school, participates in WUE, and is located in a town in Southern Oregon that has a pretty well known annual Shakespeare festival, so I think drama and theater are big there. The things I seem to remember about it are random Probably because we visited on a Saturday in the summer when no one was around, and my D ultimately did not apply. I think it could be solid safety for students in this group.
I agree the new interface takes some getting used to, but I have to say I really appreciate the feature that allows notification of new posts in specific threads and topics. I can just set it and forget it, come back when I get the notification rather than haunting the place
@1822mom – I’m impressed with your deep dive and many tabs spreadsheet skills! Those details will come in handy going forward. Such a great investment of time!
@washugrad – welcome aboard and back to CC! My oldest did the theatre major college search – it’s a whole new type of challenge!
@1822mom Hollins is my dd22’s top pick right now. It’s far enough away from home (we’re in NC) but not too far. Aside from the UK schools she seems mainly interested in schools in Virginia.
Hollins is an excellent school for writers and it is well positioned overall. I would be nervous about Sweet Briar. They came within a whisker of closing due to financial problems a few years ago. Hollins has a good financial rating. I would be happy if dd22 decides to go there. I’m happy for her to go to the UK, too, as long as she’s happy and doesn’t get homesick. Hollins is a nice backup plan for her because they have a lot of study abroad options including a Hollins Abroad-London program.
I looked at Agnes Scott. My mom was an alum there, but it just didn’t feel right for dd22. I think Hollins is a better fit for her.
Just got another postcard from Hollins that touts these stats:
• Top 1% in the nation English Language & Literature Most Focused category - USA Today and college factual
• Top 10 Most Politically Active Students - The Princeton Review
• Top Undergraduate Theatre Program in Virginia - OnStage
• “A” rating for financial health - Forbes
• Best Value School (#44) among National Liberal Arts Colleges - US News
• A+ school for B students - US News
• #5 Best Alumni Network - Princeton Review
I’m sure these are all somewhat subjective and I’m not sure about some of them. There were a few others, too, but I do think it is worth doing a deeper dive on if you have a daughter open to a women’s college who loves to write.
@1822mom my D ended up at Kenyon which is in a tiny town in the middle of Ohio and she’s very happy with the small town rural vibes! She’s coming from the Bay Area, but loves how everyone is tight knit on campus.
Hi @washugrad ! Sounds like we might have a lot in common. We’re also from the Bay Area and my husband and his family are from STL. He’s a former animator at PDI/Dreamworks and when young people ask him how to get into animation he always recommends undergrad at an LAC! Your kid doesn’t need to count out animation just because he feels like a smaller school is the right fit for him!
@Sweetgum Oh I did do the deep dive, Hollins is on the list no question! I apologize if that wasn’t clear! It looks like a fantastic place! Thank you again for the recommendation! I agree finding the right fit for the kid is the goal and I think it’s really cool your D is looking for that in the UK. I would be so excited if I could get my kids to even do a term abroad!
I’m a parent of a kid in the class of 21 with a 3.3 (unweighted) from a school that sounds similar to yours in NJ, mixed socio-economically but very competitive. I can tell you FOR SURE there are dozens and dozens of great schools for you. The first thing to determine really before anything else at all is your family’s budget for college including loans. Once you know the price range you’re targeting you can explore with more confidence. My son applied to 12 schools and was accepted to all 12. He focused mostly on LAC’s and definitely wanted out of NJ but also got into Miami U and Temple (with a very nice package as a liberal arts major). I’ve gone very deep into this process over the past couple of years and am more than happy to help in anyway I can. Good luck!
@1822mom, if you have the funds and it doesn’t conflict with the Sewanee program, the Hollinsummer program is only a week long July 18-24 and they are planning to be in-person. I think it will really happen this year . They have been having classes in person on campus and kids here in NC are going back to school, so I think they could do a socially distanced summer camp too if they have to. I think it will be a good test run for dd22. She was supposed to go last year, but they canceled and gave everybody refunds. She hasn’t done any away from home / sleep away camps so I think this will be important for her.
@packacards yes I think my D enjoys a small town, as long as town is close to campus, my thing is always the transportation. Small town is great but it has to be nearish at least a regional airport that we can get flights to easily. We live in north TX and I always tell her she can fly anywhere from here. It’s mostly true, but some places are trickier than others!
In school SAT happened here on Wednesday and I think we’re done with the SAT, regardless of score. She put a lot of effort in, took many, many practice tests, but honestly, I don’t see the needle moving on her score. I’ll probably have her try ACT, but she will likely apply test-optional.
@Sweetgum – thanks so much for the info on App State! We are in the middle of our NC college tour and App State has rocketed to the top of his list! He also really liked UNC Charlotte, but App State has his heart right now.
Glad he likes App State @OrangeFish. Not sure what kind of music he is into, but they do have a great music education department and a great music history, too. Here are some names he might or might not know that are from the Boone area or App State — bluegrass icon Doc Watson (didja see his statue downtown?), alternative rockers Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Old Crow Medicine Show, country stars Luke Combs & Eric Church.
@OrangeFish Yikes on the flooding. If he does end up at App State tell him to avoid the Boone Mall during heavy rains. That parking lot frequently floods. I am glad to hear that he likes the music director. I have vague good feelings about classical music and App State, but not much more than that. I’m sure y’all have read up on it and know more than I do at this point. I do think it is a sweet school in a beautiful location.
Hi there! I am planning a trip to the Midwest in early June to look at some LACs with my son. He has a 3.4W GPA. He is interested in music (maybe as a major, maybe not, keen interest in jazz), health sciences, and he is a very strong soccer player. I think he will probably need to be at a college that accepts at least 60% of applicants. Does anyone have experience with these schools:
Knox, Illinois Wesleyan, DePauw
Lawrence we know about and is at the top of our visit list, so I’m not even going to ask about that one. I’m just wondering about the above colleges and if they are worth a visit and if we should add any others.
I looked at all 3 schools you have listed with my S21. (We did not look at Lawrence). Note, my son is not musical, so our impressions are not based on musical opportunities at these schools.
Knox: He is about to pull the trigger and enroll at Knox. We were impressed with their virtual information sessions and two on-campus tours. Campus is charming and some parts of it have a historical feel. It seems to offer strong opportunities for a broad range of studies and interests. Knox does not have a music conservatory, but does have its Ford performing arts for theater/music (we did not request to tour the Ford Center so cannot comment on it). Also quite strong in soccer in their D3 conference. We had a thorough tour of the athletic facilities, which are very nice and well equipped, since S21 plans to play football and track/field. The city of Galesburg is a short walking distance which offers off-campus diversions that could appeal to college students (cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, Orpheum Theatre, Lake Storey). Incidentally, I’ve heard that Galesburg is known for regular jazz nights in town. There is a yearly jazz festival at the Orpheum Theatre in mid-April. I would guess that Knox students might be participating in these events.
Illinois Wesleyan: We took a brief look at the campus but downtown Bloomington is not within easy walking distance. We weren’t impressed with downtown Bloomington. It also didn’t seem as strong in particular areas that S21 wants to study. We did not do an official tour.
DePauw: We did an official on-campus tour. Tour was very impressive. Campus and conservatory are beautiful. Seemed to offer strong opportunities for a broad range of studies and interests. H and I really liked it, and Greencastle is a charming small town. S21 could not warm up to it. He just didn’t like its vibe. Maybe felt a bit too “country club” for his tastes?
Thank you for your impressions. I like Knox because it seems to have a decent jazz presence (I’m sure level of play can fluctuate greatly from year to year) although it doesn’t offer a performance major. However, it specifically says on their website that students can do both athletics and music, which I love. S is undecided and wants to explore different interests and they seem to really support this. I’m glad you found Galesburg charming. Many people complain about it, so I’m curious to see what it’s all about. I went to Grinnell, so I know and appreciate prairie towns.
I am concerned about fraternities at DePauw and IWU. And also with the jazz program at IWU. We don’t need the best, but I would prefer it’s well-organized and challenging. My son is an artsy, public school guy from South Texas and would definitely be turned off by anything “country club”, so thanks for the heads up there.
)
) very community oriented feel.
)! However, it has been useful, and I can only hope it will prove more useful as we move forward, to have one place to go to be able to see/get to all the relevant information. (My spreadsheet also has lots of links directly to specific areas on college websites. Why yes, I have spent too much time on it)
Probably because we visited on a Saturday in the summer when no one was around, and my D ultimately did not apply. I think it could be solid safety for students in this group.
Those details will come in handy going forward. Such a great investment of time!
It looks like a fantastic place! Thank you again for the recommendation! I agree finding the right fit for the kid is the goal and I think it’s really cool your D is looking for that in the UK. I would be so excited if I could get my kids to even do a term abroad! 
. They have been having classes in person on campus and kids here in NC are going back to school, so I think they could do a socially distanced summer camp too if they have to. I think it will be a good test run for dd22. She was supposed to go last year, but they canceled and gave everybody refunds. She hasn’t done any away from home / sleep away camps so I think this will be important for her.