<p>Good work dadof1!!! We are so behind! No apps submitted yet. </p>
<p>At Sewanee right now. This place is incredible! If it was me, I would pick this school for the aesthetics alone! But D also loved Agnes Scott and the Decatur area. She is doing an overnight at Sewanee tonight, can’t wait to hear what she thinks. She nixed Oxford of Emory (bad food, depressing crowd when we were there, nondescript area and campus). Emory itself is of course very impressive, but not in the cards admission and $$$ -wise. </p>
<p>What are the 7 more your D is working on? </p>
<p>We are trying so hard to cut down the list! Glad to have Emory off the list. On the way to the South, before getting on a plane in Denver, we went to CU Boulder. Totally not for D. Huge, not special, even though its in a great town. She also crossed off Lewis & Clark in the PNW, but kept Puget Sound. Still really likes Westminster, but its tough to compare to a place like Sewanee. Or even Agnes Scott. </p>
<p>We still have Centre, UNC Asheville, and Guilford to go. </p>
<p>Also, this probably is irrelevant, totally anecdotal and just one person’s opinion, but I saw my eye doctor last week. She went to a small LAC in NC, can’t even remember the name. Something Hill. Then she went to Memphis for her Optometry graduate degree. She said she hated Memphis and would never go back. Lived 2 houses away from a police station and got broken into. Her take on the city is that there are not really “good” and “bad” areas…the bad seeps into everything. Obviously, just one person’s opinion! But she did live and go to school there for 4 years. </p>
<p>Also, my H reminded me of a friend of a friend who was living in Memphis and got shot in the chest as part of a drive by. </p>
<p>Not to be Debbie Downer or anything! But I think Sewanee may be the safest campus on Earth…Though potentially the most boring and fewest opportunities for the very same reason – because it is so isolated? Its a huge trade off no matter how you look at it. </p>
<p>Hey 4kids4college! I thought Sewanee was awesome too… D and I spent the summer morning on Stirling’s coffeehouse porch, sipping lattes and coffee. Pretty remote though. We will be very interested in your D’s thoughts after the overnight.</p>
<p>D doesn’t want to attend an all women’s college or Agnes Scott might be on the top of her list as well. Nice location in a large city, yet a small LAC. Not too many of those in the South.</p>
<p>D recently applied to Wofford and Centre. The remaining colleges are Hendrix, Wake Forest, Furman, Univ of Richmond.</p>
<p>4kids4college, I wish I’d known your D was at Sewanee tonight! Mine is studying for a mid-term tomorrow, but I’m sure she would be glad to answer any questions. She absolutely loves the school. Also, please feel free to PM me if there’s anything I can answer or assist you with. While you’re at Sewanee, have lunch at Julia’s. Great little cafe. </p>
<p>@dadof1 - your D has a great list! I wish her the best of luck!</p>
<p>4kids4college, interesting anecdotes about Memphis. As in any city, there are some seedy places. When I was going to college in Providence, RI, I had my car broken into three times over the span of 4 years (the car was a beater too) and had a car window smashed in while waiting at a stoplight. Still, I’d send my D to Brown if that was her choice. </p>
<p>I know @dadof1, its true many of the best colleges are in “bad” areas. We lived in Philly for many years and had the same experience. I’m sure Rhodes is fine, my H is just on a mission to keep it off the list. Because she’s his baby, his first daughter!</p>
<p>In any event, we have many great other choices! I had a feeling the overnight would do the trick. After texting her for hours asking her what she thinks, she texted back that she loves it and it is now #1. What an incredible place Sewanee is! </p>
<p>Thanks @Overtheedge. Sounds like her overnight host is great and she texted she is having a blast! I’m sure I will PM you with questions! What year is your D?</p>
<p>@sally305 Very true about only a few choices needed. My D does have her preferences but nothing that makes the any other college on her list a no-go. The final choice will likely be made next April, when all of the college admit decisions have been received, COA is known, and final visits to a select handful have been made. Still a long way off, but D is keeping all options open at this point.</p>
<p>@4kids4college - my D is a freshman. The school is isolated, but D doesn’t seem the least bit bored. They have a lot of activities on campus. If anything, she’s been doing too much - she got mono so she’s having to scale back a bit. D also has a car and went into Chattanooga with some friends one Saturday. She’s even managed to find a nearby pedicure place (I was hoping she’d have to give up some of her urban vices in rural TN - lol). </p>
<p>@dadof1 - it’s nice when they’re not married to a single choice if merit aid is a factor. </p>
<p>Ah nice dadof1 and overtheedge! We eliminated Wake because of lack of merit. My H went to school with a few people who got grad degrees there and LOVE it but with 4 kids and almost no merit, its not happening. </p>
<p>We are in the same boat as dadof1. (Well, except we are parentsof4. Bad planning, I guess). We will wait till acceptances come in and COA is known. The 2 major areas we will likely not be able to visit ahead of time are Austin (Southwestern U), Trinity (san antonio), u of redlands (redlands, ca) and a couple outstanding schools in the Midwest -= Beloit and Cornell College, couple others. </p>
<p>I always thought I would “make” my D apply to Bryn Mawr and Mt Holyoke. Not so sure now. Agnes Scott is way more real world. This came as a shock, but diversity and harmonious campus life is better at ASC than the Seven Sisters at this moment. I think.</p>
<p>And, my whole women’s college agenda was likely just obliterated by signing her up for an ovenight at
sewanee. D just texted this is now her # 1 choice. Time to start praying to the Sewanee admissions gods/goddesses?</p>
<p>Is she preppy enough or will she be alienated/annoyed by that aspect? How much do I have to invest in Hunter Boots (because we have no rain in CO but everyone wears them here) ?</p>
<p>@4kidsforcollege - haha, yes, we bought the obligatory pair of Hunter rain boots. However, Sewanee isn’t as hard-core preppy as one might initially think. Sure they have their Lily faithful, but they also have a lot of earthy types attracted to the outdoor opportunities. The mountain influence combines with the preppy to form what my D refers to as hippy preppy (think vineyard vines meets Birkenstocks). The school also has a certain quirkiness. My D commented over break that even the guys who look like “frat bros” on the outside usually don’t fit that stereotype in terms of personality. The student body is very tolerant, accepting and inclusive. One doesn’t have to conform to be welcomed. </p>
<p>Our son is a freshman at Sewanee and he was definitely not outdoorsy when he went there. He has joined the crew team and been all over the region doing that. While Sewanee is quite isolated, this is more than made up for by the fact that Sewanee has a huge endowment, which means that there is funding available for those internships in the summer, junior years abroad, spring and winter break trips outside of the region, etc. </p>
<p>And also the best internships are not always the ones performed in large urban areas – students with an interest in education have had interesting internships in the local schools, students with an interest in the sciences have had great research experiences with professors, etc. </p>
<p>I teach in a graduate school and many of my students aspire to government service and I have noticed over the years that people interested in elections can learn as much if not more working on a local or state election as they can working on a federal election; If my kid wanted to work for Homeland Security, my sense is that joining the Sewanee fire department would probably teach him as much about emergency management as an internship would anyway, etc. </p>
<p>I had a lot of semi-bad internships on The Hill in Washington when I was in college – where I was asked to answer the phone, file papers, etc. and I am firmly convinced that the most prestigious internship is not always the one where you learn the most. (And don’t even get me started on White House internships – which may be particularly glamorous without being substantive). </p>
<p>PS I have a friend that graduated from ASC and several friends that went to Wake. All had great experiences. My S looked at Wake. My D nixed it because she needed merit (and was unlikely to get it at Wake) and it didn’t “speak to her” on some level. I tried in vain to get her to consider Furman and Wofford too - both excellent schools IMO, and Wofford especially would have been very affordable for us. D’s aunt is a Furman alum. Greenville is a nice little city. I think Furman is different now than it was a decade or so ago, but it has a lingering stereotype in our area that didn’t appeal to D. Wofford just has too many kids that D knows, 55% from SC, and she wanted a more diverse geographical experience. I don’t think one can go wrong with any of these schools. It just depends on what the student is looking for and the particular “fit.”</p>
<p>@SlackerMomMD - As I mentioned, Furman has changed considerably in the past decade or so since it severed ties to the Baptist Church in 1992 and recruited an increasingly large out of state student body. Stereotypes are just that, and often they are not are true (which is why I urged D to consider applying to Furman). I post frequently trying to dispel the stereotypes often associated with Sewanee because I have found them to be at odds in many ways with the vibe and environment of the school. Plus, it really only matters whether the school is a good fit for the particular student. So, I am going to beg out of responding to your question:). </p>
<p>Thanks for all the info! Just rolled into Centre College area. School looks nice. (Sewanee is a tough act to follow)! It feels very deep south here! Reserving judgment till tour tomorrow morning. </p>
<p>Sorry to hijack this thread, I need to post on my own thread! </p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. The more the merrier to learn about Southern LACs.</p>
<p>@4kids4college No need to worry about hijacking the thread… your family is in the same boat as us! Looking forward to more impressions of your college visits, whether in this thread or the one you started.</p>