<p>So far, I've applied to UPenn (but there's no way I'll get in, seeing as two other people in my school have already gotten in ED), NYU, Sarah Lawrence, Gettysburg, Goucher, and Boston U. I've gotten into Goucher and haven't heard back from anyone else yet.
Anyway, the point is that in the rush of college visiting, I got to see every college on my list except for Sarah Lawrence and Goucher; I applied to those going only off of collegeboard.com information and brochures and so forth.
Has anyone visited either of these two colleges? I will of course go visit them before I make final decisions, but I'd like other input before I go, just to get a basic idea...if anyone has any special information on or even general impressions of these schools, it'd be very helpful. ^.^</p>
<p>You should visit the websites of these schools and their headings on this website and read up.</p>
<p>Sarah Lawrence is very uh.. unique. It is definitely worth a visit. I would not attend there or even consider attending without visiting. It is a great match for some, but a nightmare for others.I don't know how else to describe it.</p>
<p>Ditto to MK. Goucher is more your "run-of-the-mill" female- and left-oriented liberal arts college.</p>
<p>I visited Sarah Lawrence and came away with a similar impression. I didn't apply in the end.</p>
<p>The school epitomized that of the "Hogwarts" school. Concededly, I REALLY liked the asthetics of the college and the surrounding town; Bronxeville was beautiful. There was lots to do as well, in fact, I stopped at a pretty large shopping mall which was within walking distance. The proximity to NYC is certainly a plus.</p>
<p>The college/town itself didn't feel urban at all. It seemed quite quaint, actually.</p>
<p>The college itself, well... The academics are VERY unique, in fact, having an actual MAJOR isn't an option. The people on campus are extremley artsy, but in a, well, I don't know how to describe it way. They were more "wannabe" artsy, from what I took away from it. Everyone seemed like they were trying to be artsy and, well, in the mold of Wesleyan, Bard, or Hampshire students, but simply weren't up to par. Everyone just seemed kinda, not to be insulting, but, weird. Also, my tour guide fell on our tour and I came away with the impression that school was something of a "joke." It's committment to non-SAT scores, non numerical evaluation and a Hampshire-like education system seemed ingenuine and, well, not effective. The whole school seemed sort of like a place where things just weren't taken seriously.</p>
<p>Just my two cents, I didn't like it, but I could certainly see some people likeing it I guess.</p>
<p>It's true, you should visit Sarah Lawrence. I liked it pretty well, and I strongly disagree with kev07wan that it is a "joke." The stats show that SLC grads are well prepared for graduate schools. I'm not a big fan of the gradeless system but they do take it very seriously and they do work hard, so don't worry about that one bit.</p>
<p>My oldest D is at SLC. She transferred to SLC from a USNews top-15 U where she was dean's list her first year, a dean's scholar and NM scholar. She could not be happier at SLC, and she's not a fake artist or low-standardized-test-performer. She is constantly surprised that students come to look at the school or actually enroll there without a clue about the SLC system of Dons, non majors, conference, grades, etc. I'm wearing this out, but it's not for everyone. You need to challenge yourself and thrive on close personal contact with your professors as well as fellow students. Curriculum needs are not a worry; they'll design a course for you if you can't find one. The course catalog is amazing for a school of nearly any size.</p>
<p>Goucher is excellent in writing and the arts, if you're into that. In fact, writing is important at Goucher regardless of major. They've recently adopted a rule that requires ALL students to study abroad. Goucher's campus is sort of park-like, with the winding paths and trees. It's not pre-professional, and classes are usually quite small. The cafeteria food is fairly good for college fare. It has a very laidback feel. I got the impression that Goucher does well in taking average (or lazy) students and pushing them to their potential. As Proud Dad said, SL might be best for someone with a lot of drive already.</p>
<p>My bias: my son is going there in the fall and got in ED. He is an excellent student and is not weird (in my opinion, and I know "weird"). He wants to be a writer/actor, and is attracted by the myriad of classes Sarah Lawrence offers in these areas as well as its proximity to New York City. Yes, there are eccentric/odd/interesting students at every college, and hopefully Sarah Lawrence, too. Sarah Lawrence attracts smart free-thinkers. Students that revel in the opportunity to study what they are passionate about in seminar-style classrooms. Where else do you have the opportunity to have your education guided by a twice-a-month meeting with a "don" who works closely with you for four years?
You are also required to spread your classes out over the arts, science etc. so that you can't just take dance or acting classes for four years.
Is it really so preferable to receive a letter grade at a college/university and not get a detailed evaluation from a professor, particularly one who does not know your name? Sarah Lawrence has letter grades that are available for transcript purposes and graduate school, but most students prefer receiving only the detailed narrative evaluation. Who wouldn't?
I find it somewhat hypocritical that people who bash Sarah Lawrence, with an educational system closely parallel to that of Oxford, at the same time would go "ga-ga" over a student who got into Oxford where they would also attend all seminar classes and be guided by a don. "Yes", to the naysayers, Oxford may be more "prestigious" and have more varied classes, but, be honest, isn't their educational philosophy/structure similar to Sarah Lawrence?<br>
One can only look at some of the Sarah Lawrence grads in varying fields e.g. Rahm Emanual (politics), JJ Abrams (creator of "Lost"), the new dean of Oprah's school in South Africa, to realize that Sarah Lawrence must be doing something right.</p>