Prospective Dickinson student needs to know more!!!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dickinson College
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<p>hi, </p>

<p>it is interesting to read the entries by all you guys. according to the fiske guide, i know that LACs (we don't have these in HK) usually have small-sized classes and close faculty-student relationship which is very attractive to me. but i have puzzles on:</p>

<p>1/ are these liberal art colleges (even those high-ranked ones) well recognised by graduate schools and employers in the US, and in particular overseas?</p>

<p>2/ as these colleges are so small as compared to comprehensive universities, will the quality of education and learning facilities be comparable to those of comprehensive universities as far as an undergrad is concerned?</p>

<p>3/ as mentioned in some early posts, lack of diversity is a common situation in these LACs, will there be adequate support for international students there? will it be easy for international students to get along easily with high population of American students - according to fiske guide, they are usually rich (sorry, I didn't have to chance to study abroad before)?</p>

<p>4/ like many other Asian students, my SAT CR is only 460 but maths is 750, and TOEFL ibt score is 98 (equiv to computer based score of 250), how is the chance for getting into one of those renowned LACs like Dickinson, Gettysburg, F&M (their students used to have scores higher than mine)? (Note: I will be completing the IB Diploma year 13 which is somewhat equiv. to the AP programs in the US).</p>

<p>5/ Certainly, as a non-native English speaker, my English is weaker than you guys, I am not sure if it will be easy to adjust to the classes and assignments etc. (I am just afraid that everybody speaks very fast)</p>

<p>6/ Further, as a "Science" student in Hong Kong, I used to care less about social and humanity issues. Is it a problem to live well in LACs? (In Hong Kong, students are divided into "Humanities", "Commercial" or "Science" streams.)</p>

<p>Too many questions? Yes, but I guess international students will be interested in these questions (at least some of them). Hope you all can give some advice. Perhaps more information on these can help to resolve the "lack of diversity" problem!</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>i know from visiting dickinson that, even though their campus is full of your typical rich white kids right now, they are definitly making an effort to expand their diversity, and it is apparently working. Also, they are very focused on international connections and language, so I'm sure you would feel very comfortable, since even the 'rich white kids' there are interested in more than just what happens on campus, or in their own country.</p>

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<p>Not to diminish your point, for it's on the $ ... but Dickinson, in this respect, is like just about any of 5,000 or so institutions of higher ed. Seeking greater diversity, more foreign students and global network. Both worthy objectives, neither the least bit unique no matter what the viewbook might proclaim.</p>

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<p>HUGE RED FLAG OCCURRED RECENTLY WHEN A FRESHMAN STUDENT INCURRED A BROKEN ANKLE ON CAMPUS. tHE STUDENT'S PARENTS CALLED THE FROSH DEAN FOR ASSISTANCE WITH TRANSPORTATION BACK AND FORTH FROM CLASSES. THE DEAN CURTLY RESPONDED THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS THE STUDENT'S AND THE FAMILY AND NOT DICKINSON'S PROBLEM. THE STUDENT WILL BE LEAVING AFTER THIS YEAR.</p>

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<p>I started this thread a while back...</p>

<p>This is the first time I have posted since then but I wanted to say thank you to everyone who answered my questions about Dickinson...especially the first person who wrote such a long and thoughtful response!!</p>

<p>i was accepted yesterday and am very happy as it is a top choice!!</p>

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<p>My D received her FA offer today and they were AWESOME! We are very much looking forward to visiting now. This thread has answered some of our concerns, too.</p>

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<p>btw:
A bunch of people asked what the difference between Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson was. Some other people mentioned Gettysburg and Muhlenberg. I can tell you one difference: I had never heard of any of those other schools before I read this thread. I have heard of Dickinson out here on the West Coast (its been in the news a lot, I guess?) and so have my Ds friends. Dickinson seems to be gaining a bit of a name for itself. I know the name doesn't really mean much, but it is a case in point. </p>

<p>I know there are a lot of people from Pennsylvania and the neighboring states there. Are they friendly towards Californians and are there other people from the West coast there? My D is attracted to Dickinson because of their programs and also because they seem to have more of a range of students compared to a lot of LACs. Is that true that there are both liberal (like my D) and conservatives? Church goers and non church goers? Granola types and pearl wearing designer bag types? When a person chooses a small school it is very hard to get that kind of range. </p>

<p>As to the person who was concerned because the college administration wouldn't tote their kid around from class to class with a cast- please, get real. Crutches and friends work pretty well or even a wheel chair.</p>

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<p>citrusbelt: my family just returned from a weekend visit to Dickinson. At the moment it is probably the top contender on her list, but she's waiting to hear from 3 other schools. Her younger sister (HS freshman who hates going on college visits) kept saying "you've got to go here, so they'll let me in, too." The kids we saw seemed friendly--people kept interrupting the tour to say hi to the guide, or to add information. He laughed and promised they weren't "plants" to try to make him or the college look good, lol. We also ate dinner and lunch at two of the students' favorite off-campus spots, and they were terrific, so D would certainly enjoy going back to those places. We were there Easter night, so some of the restaurants were closed, but on a regular weekend, it looked like plenty of options for things to do within walking distance of campus. As far as on-campus activities, there were more fliers and posters and chalk announcements on the sidewalks than at any school we have been to, and the girls were sorry that we couldn't go to any of them. There also seemed to be a wider range of students that we ran into all over campus than at any other school---they weren't just all working for admissions to make the campus appear diverse. These were kids sitting in classrooms or in the dorms, and they all seemed happy to be there. So, anyway, we came away with a very favorable impression.</p>

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<p>When we visited, we encountered a woman who was quite rude to us and kind of soured my D on the college. I'm hoping she gets past that and can evaluate the college based on merit.</p>

<p>To add to the questions, does anyone know about Greek life at Dickinson? I'm thinking they don't have a Greek contingent, but I don't recall why I think that.</p>

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<p>Jude, that's a shame--and totally opposite of the experience our family had. As far as Greek life, it does exist--I think about 25% of girls and I don't know the maile percentage--but what the girls that D met told her was that they had friends both in and out of sororities, and that it didn't matter. Girls don't even go through rush until their sophomore year, so by that time it seems like it's just another EC--which you may or may not have time for.</p>

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<p>dg, I did just look at the colleges website housing options and I see that there are several fraternities and sororities, along with other 'special interest' housing options. </p>

<p>And I'll pass along to her that others didn't encounter 'rude woman', so it was a PERSON, not the typical college atmosphere...</p>

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<p>Jude,
Just wanted to say that in 4 years I have never encountered a rude person at Dickinson - administration, faculty, or staff - on the phone or in person. Maybe whoever you met was just having a bad day.
My D just called so excited that tomorrow both Barak Obama's senior advisor and former President Bill Clinton are speaking at Dickinson. That should be a fun afternoon!!</p>

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<p>I am going to apply to Dickinson next year and I really want to ask several questions:
1, What are the characteristics of Dickinson?
2, What is special about the college that you hardly find in other colleges?
3, What is your most memorable experience during your time at Dickinson?
4, What is the most popular club in Dickinson?
5, What can you say about Dickinsonians?
Can anyone here answer me? Thank you in advance:D</p>

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<p>I am a parent of a current freshman at Dickinson, so I can give our perspective. My son loved the school from the first campus visit, and it became his first choice. He has been very happy from the first day, and seems to find the campus small enough to know a lot of people, but large enough that he keeps meeting new people. His classes have been small with a lot of faculty contact, a big plus. He lives in a freshman dorm (Davidson-Wilson) that is nicer than any other dorm we saw on our college visits, including a whole set of visits for his older brother. Carlisle doesn't offer a huge amount, but the school has things going on all the time, more than he has time to take advantage of. With regared to Greek life, I believe that about 25% of kids belong. My understanding is that the frats do not have housing, so frat and non-frat kids are not very separate and do not live separately. My son is joining one, but lots of his friends are not. His freshman experience has been terrific, and he feels like it is the perfect place for him.</p>

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<p>We are from the south and looking at some Eastern LACs. Beyond the obvious culture differences, could anyone comment on differences between Dickinson (or Gettysburg, F &M) and the southern counterparts like Furman, Davidson, Wake?</p>

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<p>Davidson is far more selective than the northern schools you mention and has pretty much the vibe of Williams or Bowdoin or other top-ranked LACs with just a touch of what I guess I would call southern charm (keep in mind that it is very rigorous academically and draws at least half its students from outside the South). I do not think you are going to find so much a regional cultural difference as a difference in test scores and high school GPAs--the northern schools you've mentioned are perfectly respectable academically but not in the same league in terms of what it takes to get ther in the first place so drawing from a somewhat different level of the applicant pool.</p>

<p>I don't know as much personally about Wake but my sense is that it may be more southern in ambience than Davidson--but again, is probably considerably more selective than the northern schools you've cited, as well as larger given that it has graduate and professional schools--though I realize Dickinson also has a law school.</p>

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<p>Dickinson is a fine place but not at all in same league as WFU, Davidson, even Furman altho to a lesser degree, as matt's mom notes.</p>

<p>One correction though ... Dickinson does not have a law school. That is Penn State's law school. But even prior to PSU assuming trusteeship 10 or 15 years back, the school was not associated with Dickinson College. Twas free-standing, and in major part, that's why PSU consumed it. It could not survive or at least prosper as a free range chicken. There are no grad programs at DC, and to my knowledge, never have been.</p>

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<p>I am surprised you would find Dickinson to be "not in the same league" as Furman. I view those two on par, academically. I realize the difference in academics in Davidson and Wake vs. northern LACs (we are from NC) but I was trying to get a feel for the culture up there more than the academics (of which I am very familiar). Am very intrigued with the location, access to DC and Baltimore, civil war history (Gettysburg, etc) and other benefits. Are these schools conservative? etc? Any insights are appreciated.</p>

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<p>My D applied to Dickinson, F&M and Gettysburg. The only southern school she considered and visited was Rhodes, but she ultimately felt that it was too dominated by Greek life, so she did not apply. All of the schools will give you individual attention, a close-knit community, excellent service opportunities. Rhodes and F&M may have the edge if you are science-oriented, Dickinson if you want study abroad opportunities, Gburg for US history. All three PA schhools are close to Phila., Balto., DC (though Gburg is closest.) Gburg has the most southern feel, and largets frat presence (though not as much as Rhodes.) I believe Gburg is the most conservative - but all are fairly liberal. Hope this helps.</p>

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<p>The truth is you're fine with all 4 schools you mention.</p>