<p>Ok I am from the the Ithaca area and an alum of I.C. If that is your starting place (great college!) and you want something in the two hour range, then Hobart is at the top of your list. Gorgeous campus and really a strong academic place. You should also stop in at Wells College. It is small, way out in the country, but is an unknown jewel of a small college. SUNY Geneseo is also a strong state school. Good luck with your search!</p>
<p>Hi again Marny! I am so glad that you are still reading these boards! I did have some questions about Cortland, so I will send a PM to you a bit later! So nice to hear from you! BTW, cinema/film is no longer a consideration. I do think that if he went to Ithaca, he might catch the bug again and might help out with some EC having to do with drama/film (he would enjoy this). He found another hobby a few years ago, and has not picked up a camera since. He is involved with drama in HS for fun. I will explain in my PM. Marny, New Paltz is not a new name for me, and we might visit on a seperate trip. It is not so far that we couldn't split it up. I would rather see schools further away while in Ithaca. Oswego drew my attention because of the scholarships that goaliedad was kind enough to post (we are out of state, but their scholarship, if awarded would make Oswego slightly less expensive than our instate schools). Cortland did not seem to have the same scholarships listed for OOS. I have to look at Oneonta and New Paltz about that before going, and Alfred too, for that matter.</p>
<p>paying3tuitions, Thank you for responding. I thought about Alfred too. We never saw it with our older son bc I never could figure out how one gets home without a car! I did find out last night that there seems to be a bus that might work. I was too tired last night to check it out, but I will look at this possibility today. I also want to read some reviews. Reviews from students years ago were good, esp. for certain majors. Bucknell and Rochester are to reachy to bother. </p>
<p>jollymon, thank you for helping me. I read your past posts as you were exploring with your son. I hope that he is off to a great start! Is he a freshman? We toured Ithaca with our older son, and it was a good fit, but as we were touring I felt in my heart that this was a better fit for my younger son. My older son did not receive merit aid here, but their FA package was fair (they gave the most FA that was not merit related), though they were not the best offer and we would still feel choked (in case anyone needs that info). Last year parents posting on CC (not Park Scholarship winners) said that their packages were rather poor, but we would throw our hat in the ring, if our son likes the school. Our GC said that she has heard about poor packages in the past too, sigh....
I discussed Wells with my husband. I remember reading that your son liked Wells, jollymon. My H feels that after graduation there would not be a network of alumni for him to connect with that would want to assist him over a female because they would be 99% women (no flames from posters please, I want to stay on topic). He also thought it sounded too small, but we are looking at schools with 1200-1400 students. I believe that Geneseo is too much of a reach to bother.</p>
<p>Northeastmom- we are looking at schools in the same vicinity as you are (but we are in-state for SUNY). We've toured and researched MANY schools, and really like these: </p>
<p>SUNY Fredonia (a bit outside of your 2 hour radius of Ithaca, but this school has a very strong arts program- kids who apply to Ithaca also apply here)
SUNY Potsdam (ditto)
UBuffalo </p>
<p>The SUNYs generally are pretty good, and the price is right for in-state or even OOS (especially when you compare the price to other state schools). </p>
<p>If you haven't been on the SUNY website, there is a helpful map: SUNY:</a> Map of Campuses</p>
<p>Private colleges:
Hobart and William Smith (loved this school)
Hartwick
Ithaca College
Rochester Institute of Technology (excellent school-worth a look)</p>
<p>PM me if you would like to compare notes!</p>
<p>pageturner, I just sent a PM to you. I just checked out RIT and it is not a good fit. My son wants to major in English. They do not have this major. Also, they are a larger school than he wants. We plan to visit Hobart and Ithaca. We have toured Hartwick already. </p>
<p>We are not interested in the arts programs at the SUNY schools. We are trying to figure out which SUNY to visit while in this area in NY for an English major.</p>
<p>northeastmom--my son & his friend visited Ithaca College and found it had a really fun, quirky, friendly group of students. Another dad I know visited w/his son, and they said the campus seemed 'dead.' However, this dad had visited at 9 a.m. on a Sat morning (most college students sleeping) whereas my son & friend went in the afternoon.</p>
<p>Maybe timing the visit when kids are up an about would be something to think about if/when you visit the schools. Son likes Ithaca and has applied. I'm pretty sure it has a strong Eng major. The mailings from the school seem fun and interesting, for what that is worth. :-)</p>
<p>If you are willing to make the drive. Clarkson University in potsdam NY would be a good one to check out. Great engineering and business school. Also has a ton of other great science majors, PT is a big one. It is not that hard to get into, but its a greats school, 98% of grads get jobs in their field right out of school.</p>
<p>thanks headline and jolynne.</p>
<p>My son is not interested in engineering, or science, or art majors. Do I pass up Alfred, which seems to have other majors, but is known as an engineering and art school, and do I pass up on Clarkson, which I think of as another engineering school? My son is interested in English and history.</p>
<p>Any opinions on Potsdam, Brockport, and Plattsburgh are welcome, as well as Elmira, and of course Alfred, and any others.</p>
<p>Another LAC type school to consider in the region would be St. Lawrence. A little more than 2 hours from Ithaca, though, so you might not be able to hit it in this trip.</p>
<p>As to Plattsburgh vs. Pottsdam, from the drive-by tour, I would say Pottsdam has a better feel both campus-wise and town, although the Pottsdam campus looks and feels like you are in a fortress (see a campus map and you'll understand what I mean). Could be considered a bit confining, but you can pretty much spend you whole academic day indoors. Neither are within your 2-hour radius.</p>
<p>goaliedad, I know Potsdam and Plattsburgh are not going to be seen on that weekend. Is Potsdam a school that is mostly for music, education, and music education? My kid is not interested in those majors.</p>
<p>Thanks for the St. Lawrence suggestion.</p>
<p>I went to Wells with D this past week for the 21st Century Leadership day - I was impressed with what the school had to offer given its small size. I think with your son's stats it is worth a look, especially with the English and history interests that he has. It is quite affordable, relative to some of the other schools mentioned here, and students have the option to take up to four courses at Cornell if they are not offered at Wells. You can fit in a visit between Ithaca and Hobart easily, just come up Cayuga Lake and go back down Seneca...</p>
<p>rachacha, I thought of Wells. I asked my H if he wanted to visit. H does not think it is a good idea bc he thinks that alumni networking would not work well for a male graduate. He also thinks that it is a bit too small.</p>
<p>Potsdam is darn hard to get to.</p>
<p>midwestmom, why? What is special about this particular SUNY?</p>
<p>I live near Utica College. Depending on your son's intended major it could be a good fit for him. They are pretty generous w/ financial aid (a lot of my D's friends chose UC bc the aid was too good to pass up) and you do get the Syracuse degree (although it does say Utica College of Syracuse University). I know several professors there and work with many graduates of their Economic Crime Investigation program (the first of its kind in the country). </p>
<p>Potsdam IS hard to get to. DD auditioned there and it was so rural (and we are from cow country) that she said she could not live there.</p>
<p>Just a word on Oswego. It was EXTREMELY popular this year. IDK if they have come out with their numbers yet but 3 of the top 10 students in my D's class are attending Oswego and we know a number of B students that were rejected.</p>
<p>Thanks momof3stars. Why is Oswego suddenly the hot school in your D's class? I think that since my son is OOS, he would have a better chance at getting into some of the SUNYs that are looking for that OOS student. I know someone who got into Bing from OOS, and I doubt she would have gotten in from instate bc her SAT scores were low for Bing. She did have a high gpa, but she came from an atypical parochial school with 30 people in the graduating class!</p>
<p>I don't have standardized test scores yet, but my guess is that my son would be above the midrange for Utica, even though he is not a good standardized test taker. Also, if the graduates of this school look up to, and/or are envious of Syracuse U. I don't want to bother. My son might be able to get into Syracuse on his own merits (probably a match school), but the school is just not a great for him and I my gut feeling is that the package would not be good. Kids with similar and lower stats than my son got into Syracuse from our hs. I just looked up the merit aid at Utica and on the CB it says it is, on average, about 10k which brought the cost down to around 26k (those numbers are from 2 years ago). That does not thrill me at all for Utica College, but that is just my opinion, and perhaps others find that a good deal.</p>
<p>Northeastmom: I was going to suggest you check the "SUNY General" page, but I see you have already been there! Too bad your trip was not this weekend- I was in Oswego for a couple days and it was absolutely gorgeous! Of your SUNY possibilities, I would recommend Oswego. My S is a junior, and was fortunate enough to receive a Presidential Scholarship (which thrilled me, because he was slightly under the stated SAT and grade requirements the year he applied). He has had a wonderful experience there and has close mentor-like relationships with a couple of the faculty in his department. I believe there are 2 options for an English major, "regular" English or Creative Writing. I don't know much about the History dept., except for knowing a couple history teacher grads who seem to know their stuff. As to the party scene, it is everywhere, so kids just need to find some like-minded friends. And the winter weather is a challenge, I have to admit, but the kids get through it and I think it helps create a sense of "community" and some bonding! They are refurbishing some of the buildings and the new Campus Center is quite beautiful. Sunsets are great. If you have other questions, let me know! Agree with what someone said about Cortland and phys. ed, Brockport has similar rep.</p>
<p>musmom, did your son and his friends have any trouble keeping the 3.0 required to keep the scholarships? Thank you for your feedback about Oswego. We have a relative who is an alum, but that was years ago, and he first spent 2 years at a CC, so he only attended Oswego for 2 years. How long ago did your son graduate, or is he still a student there?</p>
<p>S is a jr. He is a fairly serious student and making the 3.0 has not been a problem for him. Not sure about other kids, guess I never asked him. He is also in the Honors program and likes it. I thought he might drop Honors after freshman year, but he has stuck with it. It is only one course per semester. Random thought, they had a wonderful summer student/parent orientation.</p>
<p>Okay, thank you for the information. As an OOS student, losing a merit award would be very expensive!</p>
<p>i was a student at elmira but transferred out. if you have any specific questions, ill be glad to answer them.</p>