I’m going to La Salle University, & I think it’s a hidden gem. It’s in a working-class neighborhood, which may be why it isn’t well-known. The people were so friendly, though!
It’s a small, Catholic, basketball school, a bit similar to St. Bonaventure.
It’s a great option for “average” students. I received great merit/financial aid with only a 3.3!
“You are kind of looked at as lower level if you are looking at PASSHE schools.”
@bester1, I have seen this in our schools. The kids have no idea what they are talking about and their opinions are coming out of nowhere (well maybe secondhand from their parents), but somehow other kids continue to listen to them.
I hope you are wrong about Clarion getting consolidated, I think it’s a great school.
The only real problem with PASSHE is the high tuition, compared to other states, and the fact that the tuition rates continue to rise
10 years ago, 75% of the PASSHE schools’budget came from the State. Nowadays, 75% of the PASSHE schools’budget comes from what the students pay.
@MYOS1634 - yes…that is what I am trying to point out. The PASSHE schools are in serious trouble with this line of thinking. Some(Clarion, Cal U of PA) will need to close or consolidate. It is difficult for average to just above average students to find an affordable state option in PA. We are just as well served attending a private or for us in Western PA…crossing the Ohio border for Cleveland State or Youngstown State. If you have a motivated child…they can get a good education and graduate with little to zero debt.
@thingamajig - did you attend Clarion? Tell me why you think it is a great school? My In - Laws attended and they say the same. My daughter visited and thought that there was not much to do…some of that had to do with the tour guide that stated “Everyone goes home on the weekends, I wanted to go to Drexel but could not afford it”. So she said no way she wants to attend.
The fact in post #62 is probably a reason for the attitudes described in post #61.
@bester1 I don’t think your daughter would be well served at either Cleveland State or Youngstown in looking at the retention and graduation data. Also you will pay the full OOS tuition of over 30k plus fees for two schools that are unranked and can’t graduate more than 9% of students on time. That is worse than a community college.
@OnTheBubble - Thanks. She would swim at these schools and have access to good monitoring. Youngstown would cost less than $3,000/per year for her. Cleveland a little more but both have D1 regulations and academic support and check ins. The 95 at Youngstown has something to do with it having so many commuters that could never graduate in a 4 to 6 year window. Good thoughts thoughts and insight tho.
I meant the 9% rate at YSU
Have her look at John Caroll, Xavier, UToledo, UDayton, UScranton, Capital (OH), Gannon, Muskingum, Ohio U, U Cincinnati, Davis&Elkins, Shepherd, Wheeling Jesuit, UMW, Longwood, CNU, ODU, Sweet Briar, Virginia Wesleyan, Roanoke, Randolph, Towson, McDaniel, Stevensonperhaps even Goucher,UMBC.
Obviously you’d have to run the NPC, but I think these would be good matches or low reaches, and she may be recruited by some.
^I second Dayton, Scranton, Ohio U, UCincy, and Christopher Newport (CNU).
Thank you for the suggestions. Some of the schools are too small for her liking. We are goingto see Gannon as it is urban and she will look at a small school if it is urban. Toledo is a possibility as well.
@bester1 You sound like my brother with three girls wrestling with urban vs not so urban. After they did overnight visits at both all three went to schools in small towns.
Have your daughter do an overnight at St. Bonaventure when they play Dayton, St. Joe’s or Davidson. You may want to go as well. 
@0nTheBubble - thank you for the suggestion. Sounds like fun. I have been talking to her about St. Bonaventure. She would be a great fit but says it is too small. Can you tell me much about Olean?
@bester1 Ask her too small for what? Try to get her to be specific. I think you will find at smaller schools virtually everyone lives on campus, compare to the two schools you just saw where they don’t. They will be ghost towns on the weekend.
Your daughter is like many thinking they will have all this time to leave campus. Truth is she won’t, especially if she swims.
St. Bonaventure is actually closer to Allegany which is walking distance more or less. It is a nice small town with bars, shops and restaurants along the main street. Olean is much larger and has lots of stores and two malls. There is a new shopping center across from the east side of campus with a big movie complex. Olean isn’t the prettiest place but it has everything. A little further away is Elicottville where Holiday Valley is located. Every Thursday the ski club runs buses there. It is a very nice town and the ski area is legitimate. The school also has packages for Bills games during football season and arranges buses to Buffalo. Bonaventure also has 2900 yard 9 hole golf course on campus. The campus is lovely, set right on the Allegheny river.
Bonaventure certainly does not feel remote and campus is huge and its all residential. Between the two towns the population is about 25,000.
Has she contacted the swimming coach? That is a great conference, the A10.
Head up for a home basketball game. ESPN lists it as one of the most hostile places to play. Both teams had RPIs below 30 this year.
Thank you for the info. Yes…she has a teammate that will be a freshman there this fall.
@newjerseygirl198. Could you help us understand “great merit aid”. LaSalle is pretty pricey and there are some horrible student debt stories online coming from students who attended. Did you have good test scores? I like the university (have my MBA from there), but don’t know about aid.
@bester1 Have you looked at PASSHE schools further east in PA? We are in the same boat (avg student in PA). Blooomsburg and Millersville (and certainly West Chester) seem to be fairing better financially (?) but hard to tell. Shippensburg and IUP seem OK for the moment. PA is a mess overall. The list of LACs mentioned by someone above (Dickinson, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg) would be for upper level students with higher test scores, I think.
By the way, I know we’re going in circles on this a bit and apologies for repetitive questions, but I am trying to find like-minded souls on CC (avg stat students or parents of those students, in PA). Has anyone looked at Delaware, MD or Jersey schools. We have a list of those schools too, just don’t know they would give anyone merit for an ACT of less than 28 (or equivalent SAT). Towson is on our list.
@Portercat - Thanks for the note. We did brief drive and walk tours of both Millersville and Bloomsburg. Millersville was under alot of construction and was a bit confusing. Bloomsburg was really nice from just a walk through. We will go back to Bloomsburg for an official visit. Daughter also wants to visit West Chester. With a 23 ACT score and weighted gpa of 3.2 and unweighted at 3.8…we do not have that many affordable options in PA. NY and Ohio seem like better bets outside of PASSHE schools. Gannon is an option to look at as well.
Btw, for those interested in the PASSHE system…you might enjoy this attempted explanation of how this system got to where it is today…http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/03/prweb11659370.htm