St Lawrence University... what's the scoop?

<p>Tim, some kids like the snow!!! Tell us a bit about winter activities and or festivals on SLU campus.</p>

<p>dke… Sewanee is also high on my S’s list… for the obvious reason… 10,000 acres of an outdoor playland… and they have this great EMT program there where you actually work in the city of Sewanee and everyone at the school that works as an EMT or firefighter live together on campus… also, meets 100% need and has great merit aid… and EA… what’s not to love.</p>

<p>Tim… thanks for the info. Sounds like an amazing school. My S loves the snow… but he also likes sleeping on the ground with no showers for a month. He can pretty much adapt to anything. He would be the kid making sure people were having fun even if it snowed for days on end. You just have to be more imaginative. LOL!! My S WILL want to bring his car so that’s a plus that they are allowed.</p>

<p>“colorado_mom, I did not state there was transportation available” - I know. I just wanted to emphasize the Syracuse was easily reached from Potsdam and possibly Canton too. I was going add now that in these days of internet etc, it might be easy to arrange a ride… but StLawrenceU added even better news about Transportation. That’s awesome. </p>

<p>Although it is not for everyone, I definitely liked going to school in a small “college town”. (The rumor was that the county has more cows than people. Not sure if true.) I never wanted for city life since I liked staying on campus doing the student thing.</p>

<p>I have always told students I meet that size and location are two of the largest factors when determining fit for a school. Colorado_mom is right, SLU is not for everyone, just like NYU or UCLA is not for everyone.</p>

<p>As far as what to do in the winter? Well you can always check [SLU</a> Today | SLUWire](<a href=“http://sluwire.stlawu.edu%5DSLU”>http://sluwire.stlawu.edu), it is an up to date list of events happening on campus and is a student run website. Things might seem a little empty on the wire right now as today is the first day of class and students are still settling in for the semester. Our Outdoor Program (OP) has a lot of great winter activities as well including clinics on tele skiing, back country skiing, avalanche safety courses, ice climbing, and more ([Mission</a> Statement | The Outdoor Program](<a href=“http://www.stlawu.edu/outdoor/]Mission”>Outdoor Program | St. Lawrence University)).</p>

<p>We have a lot of great skiing areas in the area. Titus mountain is a tad smaller however has night skiing and cheap lift tickets (~$10 for a thursday night lift ticket). Big Tupper has reopened as well! Lake Placid is roughly 2 hours away in the winter and has an enormous amount of winter fun from driving bobsleds to watching SLU vs Clarkson hockey games at Herb Brooks Arena, the location of the famous USA victory at the 1980 Olympics.</p>

<p>Tim… don’t know if you can answer this but, do you know what SLU’s med school admission rate is? I know they have an early assurance to SUNY for rural medicine… something that my S is VERY interested in, but he doesn’t know if he would want to go that route, as far as the early admit. Also, is there a hospital close by for my S to do some volunteering or internships? He will be pursuing his EMT next year as he already has his WFR. Is there places he can volunteer as an EMT or fireman?</p>

<p>5boys- I do not have the med school admit rate off hand. Our early assurance program with SUNY Upstate and University of Buffalo is a non-binding agreement and very popular for our students to enter. Additionally we have the Rural Medicine Program (R-Med) with Upstate Medical which is a dual enrollment program with SLU and Upstate. R-Med has some further requirements and not all students qualify for it. If you want I can get you in touch with the advisor of our pre-health program. </p>

<p>We have a few hospitals in the area, the largest being Canton-Potsdam Hospital where students can do internships and observational hours with doctors. Many students will continue EMT training at SUNY-Canton, our students can take one cross-registration course a semester there. Additionally we have a student run EMT program on campus giving students a great deal of experience. Many students will go further and join the towns Fire & Rescue department.</p>

<p>For those not very familiar with the school, let me add a few thoughts. My son has applied to SLU for the Class of 2015. He currently attends a large urban school in the South. Neither he nor I were aware of SLU when we started the process but few things to note:
Pros

  1. It is the “warmest” environment of any school he has visited. Everyone he has met, without exception, was friendly and intelligent. This includes the admission personnel, the coaches, a couple of teachers and several students. He has visted the school twice, once in the summer and an overnight in the Fall. Tough to get to, but well worth the effort. On his second visit he went to a party and had several good conversations with a variety of people.
  2. The school is small without being claustrophopic. Clubby without seeming cliquey. Comfortable without being country clubish.
  3. Lots of athletes, although most seem of the kids (and coaches) seem to have a study before athletics approach.<br>
  4. It is in a visually beautiful area. It is very close to Canada and the school makes good use of this international dynamic. It is a 2 hour drive to Montreal, which in my view is one of the World’s more interesting cities.
  5. A very nice new science building and amazing athletic facilities.
  6. By all accounts, a tremendous leader in President Fox.
  7. And, according to my son, the “hottest coeds” he has seen.
    Cons:
  8. It is not easy to get to unless you already live in the North Country.
  9. Pricey, but no more so than similar LACs.
  10. Reputation is not as high as some other LACs, although those that know the school think very highly of it.
    Overall, a wonderful place that I would be happy and very comfortable sending my son.</p>

<p>WOW!! Thanks SO much for all of that info Kiltdad… btw… love the username… I have to laugh every time I see it because my S is a proud occasional kilt wearer. Must be that Irish/scottish blood that is running through him. SLU just seems to me… and we have not visited yet, a perfect place for the my DS. He is outdoorsy and unpretentious but can be a little on the conservative side, but he is definitely open to all ideas and beliefs. He loves a small school environment where everyone is happy just hanging out and being together. He is totally turned off by the whole Ivy league mentality. He is a kind of " follow the path least taken" kind of guy. He really just wants a school where he can discuss ideas, and be able to follow his passions with the environment, medicine and the outdoors. If he can develop some relationships with his fellow students and professors that would be ideal.</p>

<p>Tim… Thanks for the info… The EMT student run program is just what he is looking for. Like the non-binding early assurance program too. I did read that the rural medicine had some requirements like preferring students that have come from a rural environment, so will just have to wait and see. My S volunteers up in our RURAL local mountains on their search and rescue team. He LOVES it. His goal would be to get his medial degree as an ER Dr. than work in the wilderness or small towns or even countries that need medical help.</p>

<p>I did look on the website for med school acceptance rate but couldn’t find it. I’m sure it is high based on what I have read about SLU. My S actually wants to major in Humanities/ Philosophy, but then take the required science classes for med school.</p>

<p>My son and I toured SLU last year and loved it. For a rural school they have done a lot of new construction, so I left there wondering if the new buildings have been paid for or they are carrying a lot of debt. That was my only reservation. Otherwise great school, great kids, great alums.</p>

<p>According to the reports I have seen, including the state of the endowment, the school is on solid financial footing. As SLU is now my son’s first choice, the financial stability of the school is just one more positive in a long list.</p>