So funny, and I agree my predictions don’t mean much either these days!
Hi SuntasticMom, My son got in tonight! I applied to join the Parent FB group; hopefully they will accept me soon.
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Did you apply test optional to the FB group? 
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Congratulations!! That is wonderful news! The parent FB group is very responsive and welcoming – will see you over there. If you ever have any questions I am happy to answer them too!
I posted there last night. They admitted me right away. Thanks!
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Thank you! My son was just admitted ED. This is great information. Why does the Fiske guide say “dorms are like palaces?” I assumed the housing was above average. My son has severe allergies. I wonder how they handle that. He’ll need AC because he often can’t keep the windows open.
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Hi. Don’t know but maybe Fiske saw the upperclassman housing. Juniors and seniors live in the apartments which are modern and super nice. It’s like living in a townhouse development very close to campus.
Some freshman dorms do have a/c! What I would do as the spring/summer approaches is get a note from his doctor and send that in to Residential Life services and ask them the procedure to get a dorm with a/c. If he can’t open windows at all that may be a case for getting a single too if he wants one. My sense is that if you have a medical reason they will accommodate that. Good luck and congratulations on his acceptance, I am sure it will work out!
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I suggest you contact the office of disability services. Find out what documentation is needed (likely a doctor’s note) and when it needs to be sent in by to be certain he gets placed in a room with air conditioning or that a window unit is put in his room.
Congrats on his admission to Skidmore!
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@regiarc Did you son decide to apply to Skidmore? 
Sorry for the delay in responding. Hadn’t been looking at this discussion lately, after he applied. Which answers your question. Applied RD, so will be a while.
Good luck! 
My son requested substance free but also requested other communities. and he did NOT get substance free. S is finding a lot of substance use that is more disturbing than marijuana.
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Hmmm. Interesting. But must wonder if that might not be the case at many, if not most, other schools as well. Ultimately, it will come down to individual susceptibility, I suppose. May I ask how your S feels about about the substance use to which you refer?
I am the OP. With it being several months since I originally posted I thought I’d give a bit of an update about my freshman daughter’s experiences at Skidmore.
The DORMS - So one of my D’s roommates moved out so her triple is now a double. (Once this happens Skidmore won’t put a 3rd student in the room, yay.) My D is much happier with it being a double… For a few years now there has been serious heating issues in the dorms. My D has not had a problem yet (her room can be too hot and this also is a common complaint) but is well known that some rooms the heat breaks down and Skidmore’s solution to this is to give those kids space heaters. I have no idea if that is safe to do or not. Eventually the heat gets fixed but the school does not seem to make the investment to overhaul the heating system in the older dorms. Again, all the dorms that freshman and sophomores live in are OLD and show it. The apts that juniors and seniors are in are newer and seem wonderful.
THE FOOD - Skidmore is known for good food but in the past 2 years it has gone down hill. One of my daughter’s complaints is there is not enough fresh fruit (they have oranges, apples and bananas and occasionally melon at breakfast only. No berries, No grapes) Also on the weekend there is a lot less selection. It’s been disappointing.
FRIENDS/SOCIAL LIFE - My daughter has made so many good friends. She loves her friends. She is happy in this respect. I think at times there could be more social activities but this could be due to Covid, I am not really sure. In this thread a few you have asked about drugs/alcohol. Yup, it’s definitely there. My D who really did not do any of this in high school is partaking at Skidmore. I try to encourage her to be careful, if going to use do so in moderation, look out for one another etc. I do not know if this is any more or any less than any other college campus.
CLASSES/ACADEMICS - Overall pretty good. Small class sizes. Profs for the most part seem to care about the students. Be prepared that freshman year you may have difficulty getting your first choice classes. My daughter was able to do research with a Chemistry prof in her second semester of freshman year and it was very easy to get. This prof seems great and she is learning a lot. This experience I totally love about Skidmore!
COVID - I’d say Skidmore manages Covid reasonably but on the cautious side. They follow the CDC guidelines. They look to see what other comparable colleges are doing. As of March '22, masking is no longer required unless a prof asks for masking in their classroom. Weekly required testing will end after Spring break. Vax and booster required.
TRANSPORTATION - We are from the Boston area. Be prepared that unless you give your kid a car it’s really not easy to take public transportation home but my D has done it. From Boston it’s a 5 hour train ride to Albany. From Albany you have to Uber (unless you can find a ride) 45 min to campus. I really wish the school would help more. Only at Thanksgiving did they provide a shuttle to the train station in Saratoga Springs and in Albany and that was very helpful. But not during any other breaks… The city bus around town works but is not entirely convenient especially getting back to campus and doesnt make as many stops at different stores. I am beginning to think my daughter is going to need a car at some point.
Overall, my D is happy with her decision to attend Skidmore. If there were 2 things she would improve upon that would be the dorms and the food.
Good luck with your decision and college search! Feel free to ask me any questions!
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Sounds like your daughter is finding great experiences and taking advantage of all she can! I think that is what we all hope for in the schools our children ultimately attend.
You’ve very generously shared a lot of information about Skidmore, especially helpful hearing about the logistics of getting to and from campus at breaks.
I hope the food situation improves next year…but my big question is how did the art course go? Was it as good as she had hoped?
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What an awesome report! Thank you so much.
My kids have experienced triples with no serious consequences, but they’re not a good idea. I wonder if the decision makers who select that option have never heard the saying, “Two’s company, there’s a crowd.” By definition there will always be an odd man out in a triple.
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years in Saratoga and the surrounding area. A car makes a big difference. But I always worry about them with adolescents. Several kids chattering away in a car is distraction enough, but add some kind of substance to the intake and I get scared. You have a tough balancing act. Colleges could certainly enhance safety by providing van transport services. Some do.
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Hi @beebee3 Yes, the art class is good! Thanks for asking!
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@Bill_Marsh Yes, good points about the car and I have similar concerns. On the triple, for my D it was mostly a space constraint. Just too crowded in the room with 3, she is much happier now.
I’m glad your D is making friends and enjoying herself. Just wanted to say that my sophomore D lives in Wiecking and has had a good experience. One of the reasons she and her roommate and other friends chose it is because she likes that each room has its own thermostat, unlike the other dorms. She took a car this year and it’s next to the parking lot so that’s convenient. Your D might want to check it out as an option for room selection next year.
As for the fruit situation, I can relate! My D doesn’t eat melon and I guess they have that often, or at least they did last year. She usually makes a weekly Target run for apples and other fruit. It’s probably easier and more economical for the school to serve certain types of fruit (she told me she’s seen tiktoks about fruit at different colleges and how it’s all the same) but more variety would be good. Hopefully it will improve.
Best of luck to your D as she finishes her first year! It all goes by so fast!
Hi @Driverof3 Good to know about Wiecking. I think if I have it right that is the one dorm that is not suite style? If so, does your daughter mind that? Mine is in Howes-Rounds and it does have a thermostat but not sure it really works much especially controlling the heat, her room always seems hot. I do think it might have done a better job with the a/c, and really nice that it had a/c. Actually compared to the other dorms, I think Howe-Rounds really has some benefits including the rooms aren’t so long and narrow and have 1 less bedroom sharing the bathroom in the suite. My D doesnt like that it’s substance free (she didnt ask for sub free) but I say too bad, haha! I just think all the dorms need some sprucing. But I guess you pay your dues the first 2 years and then you get the nice apts.
When my D came home from Spring break all she wanted for dinner that night was a big bowl of fruit!