I actually did use the Lax Bro phrasing about our Wesleyan guide. He was a LaCrosse player and pretty passionate about it. But not a ‘dude-bro’ type at all… seemed also quite smart and passionate about his studies.
@washugrad it’s interesting you’re hearing the norm (except at CWRU) is 4 classes on semester systems and 3 at quarter system schools. My D17 goes to U Oregon which is quarter system but their norm is 4 classes per quarter, which are 4 credits each. And I have a friend whose son is at UC Santa Cruz where 3 classes per quarter is the norm but their classes are 5 credits each so I assume more classroom hours.
@Longhaul and @dadof2d Hi there! Reporting back from our visit to Stonehill yesterday. We had a 2:00 info session and tour and a 3:30 interview. We started out by grabbing some lunch. After a little research it looked like a place called Farmers Daughter would be a great lunch place. Unfortunately everyone in town had the same idea and there was an hour wait! We hadn’t scheduled in time for that, so got a quicker bite at Panera’s. With a few minutes left before our tour we drove through the campus a bit. My daughter thought from the looks of it it reminded her of a combination of Skidmore and Brandeis. Maybe a little bit I would say. A little smaller maybe, but it had a woodsy feel.
Our info session was quick as they were running a little late. About 20 minutes with your basic overview. Then they split the group into 2 tours. There were about 20 people on our tour- it was pretty big. Our tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly and really seemed to love their time at the school.
My daughter’s interview went well. She was interviewed by a student and they got along well. One question she had to take a minute to think about was: what is one thing you would want Stonehill to know about you. Just in case anyone is considering doing an interview.
In the end, my daughter took the school off the list. It just didn’t feel like a fit for her. She didn’t like the aesthetics of the campus and she said it just felt too small. It wasn’t a place she could see herself for 4 years. She thought the physics/astronomy program looked solid, but she wants to find somewhere with a solid program as well as a place she can see herself. She wasn’t a fan of the religious aspect of the school, but personally I thought it was fine- you could participate in it if you wanted, but there was no pressure to do so.
Some of the positives were that they are almost done building a building for business majors which looked great. I thought the dorm room size was much better than I had seen elsewhere. Freshman could have cars and there was covered parking. The chapel was really nice. There are plenty of restaurants and shopping plazas within a quick drive and they have a bus to take you to the Boston T and a shopping area. They are very involved in community service and have service trips planned on Spring break.
There is definitely a lot to like and I wouldn’t overlook the school. My neighbor is attending next year on a basketball scholarship. They seem very generous with merit aid.
Next we will be seeing Wheaton and Mt. Holyoke.
@travelfamily , we will be visiting Mt Holyoke soon too. I am interested in your family’s impression. I wonder if the interview will be with a student or staffmember? Enjoy your family time.
@silverpurple Will definitely report back although we pretty much know she will like it. We live right down the street but haven’t been on the official tour with this daughter. When my older daughter interviewed it was with a student. My D also loves Smith. I’d love to hear what you think too as sometimes it is hard to get perspective when you live so close! Have a great time!
@silverpurple All the recent MHC interviews I have heard about (including D20’s last month) are with current seniors.
I believe someone above had Connecticut College on their radar. We like the sound of that college too, but it is very costly for someone who wont get financial aid. From what i read on their web site even withthe most generous merit ($25k) we would have a 55k per year balance. Therefore, it is not making our list.
I am heading out tomorrow with my D20 (from California) for tours of: U Rochester, U Pittsburgh, Case Western, U Michigan and Northwestern - one a day starting Monday, but with Friday off (D has a friend who lives near Ann Arbor so taking an extra day so she can spend some time with her) and Northwestern on Saturday. Flying to Rochester, driving to the others and flying home from Chicago next Sunday. I’m exhausted already!
Starting Monday: Georgetown, UVA, University of Richmond, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest!
@silverpurple
We have finished our April break tours. Went to Stonehill and that was a no for my D. Just wasn’t feeling it.
We did Wheaton College in Ma. She loved it! It went high up on the list. She thought it was beautiful, she liked the people and everything she heard. I can give more details if anyone has specific questions.
Lastly was Mt. Holyoke college which she also loved. She kind of knew she would, but we were curious after visiting Smith which she also loved. Some people seem to have a strong preference of one over the other, but she could see herself at either. Her only hesitation with MHC is that it is in our town. But, we assured her that we would never just stop by, we would send her packages so she would have something to pick up, LOL, and she could still come home and snuggle her cat when needed! It really wouldn’t be that much different going to Smith as it is only 20 minutes away. She said she could see herself finding great people there. There was a lot of diversity. The library is stunning and the dining hall is the most beautiful I’ve seen. Dorms have a great deal of character as they are in old, historic looking buildings. Campus is beautiful and their STEM facilities look really good. The science building has many cool features. Tons of cozy nooks and crannies. It is a quiet town (I know, we live here!) but directly across the street is the Village Commons if you need to get off campus, and Northampton and Amherst are close by if you need a little more of the college town feel. Happy to answer any questions about any of our visits!
Halfway through Spring Break college tours. My kid is finally figuring out she likes the big state schools. Important must haves include a walkable campus, sports, and that “college town street”.
UNC, UVA, and UGA topping her list. Also really liked Penn as well.
We were disappointed to find that Duke Freshman basically live on a separate campus about 1.5 miles away from everyone else, including classes. Otherwise it is very pretty.
Saw Marist this past weekend and definetly moves up on the list. Great location only 90 minutes from midtown NYC by train. The campus itself is beautiful, well kept and manicured. Many newer buildings and new Athletic Center under construction. Very safe, non-intimidating campus feel. Students and staff were all friendly. The campus had a lot of activity going on for early Sunday.
1200-1350 SAT and the school is also TEST Optional. Freshman dorms were your typical doubles. Floors/Wing separated by sex. Laundry is free. Freshman must have the unlimited swipe plan. Sophs, Juniors and Seniors all live in apt style or townhouses with kitchens. Housing is NOT guaranteed all 4 years and works on a priority points system. In past 8 years, no one who wanted housing was denied. There are also several condo/townhome complexes just off campus that many students rent. Several Starbucks on campus.Cafeteria was large and clean. Another few smaller places on campus to grab a sandwich, salad ect…
They pushed the Study Abroad program hard. Nearly 60% of students go abroad during their 4 years. 80 countries to choose from. School spirit around campus was evident. 80 plus clubs available to join. Greek life is 5% of population.
Everyone of the 15 guides either had a double major or major/minor. Credits are able to double count. Library was nice, well used. Free printing on campus. Free WIFI on entire campus.
Social life seems to be OK, many area bars and parties on campus.
Ratio of females 60% to males 40%. The school has many trips to NYC for $25 you get round trip transportation and ticket to Broadway Play. $60 ski trip to Hunter Mountain includes transportation, ski rental and lift pass. $5 movie tickets to local theaters just to name a few.
Cost of tuition, fees, housing $55,000 per year. Merit Aid ranged from 5-$20,000. Many on campus jobs available.
Again, Marist will probably make the short list
We have seen UPenn, UVA, Georgetown, Villanova, UGA, and NC State previously. She crossed Georgetown and Villanova off the list. This week we saw UNC, Duke, and UTK. She liked all of them. We had absolutely gorgeous weather at all three!
We toured the University of Alabama today and really wanted D20 to like it (because of the merit money). But unfortunately she didn’t get a good vibe from the campus (it was raining) It was a great experience though as we visited through the honors college. They set up a one on one lunch with a student and it was by far the best college visit experience I have had. They also gave a tour via golf cart, but I get the feeling that this is what tuned my daughter off. It seemed very rushed compared to a walking tour and you could feel the campus vibe at all. We also had a nursing tour and that too was a disappointment since the tour guide hadn’t actually been in the nursing program. While the tour itself was fine we missed the nuggets of info an actual student would have provided.
I have convinced her to leave it on the list and we will take another tour next year to see if the vibe is different.
Monmouth University was a pleasant surprise. The location is amazing as it is a half mile from the beach and has housing options oceanfront. The campus is well manicured with a nice mix of old world charm and newer modern buildings and facilities. The on campus arena is brand new and houses D1 basketball games, concerts, student gym, indoor track. Many newer academic buildings with state of the art equipment/labs. There are numerous dining options thruout campus. It’s a Dunkin’ Donuts campus, lol. Asked numerous students about social scene as it’s a dry campus. Was assured by all “we are college kids”, plenty of bars, restaurants, clubs in area. Many upperclassman live off campus as there are hundreds of options in area, thus a robust social scene. 85% of first year students live on campus. Sophs live in apt style on campus units. The upper classmen live in school housing in beachfront apartments. Amazing location to say the least. Cars are allowed on campus from freshman year on. Seemed like an abundance of parking. 20+ sports teams all play on campus, 80+ clubs,10% of student body in Greek life. PNC arts center is 15 minutes away. NYC is 1 hour by car, 90 minutes by train ($32 r/t) 57% female to 43% male
MU is $52,000 per year tuition,fees housing. Merit aid ranges from 8-25k, AP classes with scores of 3 or higher get accepted, seemed easy to transfer credits in from other schools/community colleges. Large selection of summer/winter classes available. Seemed easy to double major or major/minor as there’s a minimal core required. Study abroad available to 10+ countries, including shorter summer option. Internship fairs and job fairs on campus Fall/Spring. Career services very active. Bruce Springsteen archives are housed on campus, strong music program, strong nursing, business school was certified, Bloomberg terminals, real estate school.
Acceptance rate is 70%, bulk of student body is from NJ, upstate NY, Long Island but 30 states represented.
Bottom line, Monmouth University has a great location, beautiful campus, 4500 student body, D1 sports, 85% white student body. It deserves a good look from B students with 1000-1200 SATs, is a serious safety school that I’m sure wouldn’t be a disappointment. Only thing we couldn’t figure out is the rigors of academics.
Beautiful oceanfront dining 1/2 mile away, plenty of options in immediate area
Plenty of parking on campus, local shuttles runs all day from campus to train station, shopping ect…
@travelfamily I’d love to hear more about your visit to Wheaton. It’s a school that recently came on our radar. The campus does look beautiful! Were you there on a weekday and did your D get to meet students? Can you talk about what jumped out to your D that helped it rise on her list? Thank you!
@Driverof3 Hello! Sure, I can expand! My daughter is looking for physics and astronomy and that was one school that had both, so we thought we would give it a chance. Also, my older daughter had applied and they were very generous with merit aid for her, and my younger daughters stats are similar, so we liked that it would most likely be affordable for us. My older daughter didn’t end up there, but we were able use her merit package to get more money from the school she enrolled at.
My D loved the campus- she thought it was really pretty with a mix of old and new buildings.
We were there on a Monday and went to an Admissions discussion where 4 current students answered questions and told us about their experiences. All seemed very nice and intelligent.
Outer tour guide was just eh, but she was a freshman and seemed really nervous.
My daughter mostly just wanted to try and get a feel for the people- and she liked what she saw. Lots of kids were out and about. The dining hall was pretty nice. It’s fairly new and seemed to have a decent variety.
The science center is also new and very nice.
I think my daughter liked that she saw a lot of posters around emphasizing women’s rights/feminism/activism- which are all things she values.
They give all students the opportunity to apply for a stipend if they do an unpaid internship or study abroad or something like that. My daughter isn’t interested in studying abroad for a full semester, but they offer many teacher led trips over spring/summer/winter breaks that are only 1-3 weeks that she seemed interested in.
The dorm was just ok that we saw, but they are building a brand new freshman dorm for those lucky enough to get in and had a variety of theme houses that appealed to my D.
The town isn’t a “college town” by any means. But Boston and Providence would be easy day trips on the weekends.
My daughter also had an interview with a student. Overall, she just got a good vibe there as she did at Smith and Mt. Holyoke. I think we will encourage her to do a sleepover if she is admitted. They have early action which is nice, so she could find out early. If you have any additional questions feel free to PM me or ask here!
Thank you @travelfamily! It sounds like a place my D might like. And she loves new science buildings, lol. I really wish we could figure out a visit before school is out because it makes such a difference to her. From the website it seems like they have two programs my D is interested in. She’s added herself to the info list so hopefully we can learn more about it. And I may PM you! Thanks again.
Sacred Heart gets a thumbs down:
From the view of a non nursing major, the Sacred Heart was a disappointment. The open house/information session was well organized and had hundreds of student ambassadors on hand to assist. They were over the top friendly. Admissions presentation was geared toward the nursing major and the success they have had over the past 10 years. 100% of nursing students pass there certification tests and 98.6% have job placement. That was pretty much the extent of any selling points the Admissions presentation went over. Campus tour lasted about 45 mins. Freshman dorm we saw was a male triple. Extremely tight, why that room was chosen was beyond me. Laundry and printing included, WIFI and cable ready dorms. The school is 65% female and was very apparent.
The main academic building was where first and second year students take the majority of classes. I know theres an extensive core from my research, but it was never mentioned during any part of the day. The ambassadors answer was “like a math, religion and science class”
Apparently there are several academic buildings on the old GE headquarters that were recently renovated. They are located a half mile from campus and students have to take a shuttle to them. They weren’t part of the tour. There is a campus shuttle that goes to downtown Fairfield, supermarket, mall and off campus academic buildings.
A new Athletic Center is under construction and I’m sure it will be nice. It will house student gym, rock wall, bowling alley. They have D1 sports but there was no mention of them and there was no tour of any of the sports facilities.
New upperclassman dorms are also under construction. No additional information was given on them as to if they were going to be apartment style.
The freshman meal plan consists of 150 swipes and $850 in SHU money per semester. There are 2 cafeterias and 2 Starbucks on campus. There is also a new Diner on campus but wasn’t part of the tour. The cafeteria was pretty empty. In fact the campus was pretty dead other then the open house participants.
Not once during the entire day did anyone mention the cost of tuition, fees, room and board. I tried to figure it out on website and only guesstimate its between $55-60k per year. Nothing was mentioned with regards to merit aid during any presentation, however I was able get info out of an admissions employee that it ranges from $8-17k per year.
The school is test optional, average SAT score for class of 2023 was 1215 average, ACT 26
11,500 applicants with 57% acceptance rate, 1500 freshman class
TEST OPTIONAL, got 2 different answers on % of students who utilize 25 and 40%, so I’m guessing somewhere in the middle of that.
They use the Common App and CSS profile
Not sure about Study Abroad
Not sure what average class size is
Not sure what Facutly:Student ratio is
Not sure about internship opportunities
Left with more questions then answers
Apologies to any SHU folks for any negativity. It’s a popular school from our neck of the woods.
Just didn’t feel it
@BmacNJ I am so glad I circled back and read your review of Monmouth University. We had not heard of it before but it looks like it has so much of what D20 is looking for! Thank you!