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<p>Anybody familiar with this school?? My son visited and we were all impressed with the beautiful campus and the academic opportunities availiable. I would like to know how this school is respected as compared to other LACs. Thanks</p>
<p>I answered on the other thread you began, but I’ll gladly cut and paste:</p>
<p>Well USNews ranks it as 106 among LACs. We also visited this school with our older son, but he matriculated elsewhere. We were very impressed with the professors and a dean that we met. We received such personal attention. I felt that they did the best job in explaining their programs to my son and to us, and I have been to quite a few campuses. </p>
<p>We all felt that the big downside was its location, and a lack of public transit. Still we were happy to send our son to this school because it has so much to offer. Our son chose something else.</p>
<p>My former roommate’s sister went to this school. This was many years ago. She was not accepted to any of her colleges, and had to do an 11th hour re do of the app process. She ended up at Susquehana, loved it there, graduated in 4 years, found a great job and married a classmate who is also doing well. I had the school on my son’s list along with St Lawrence and Ursinus. I know several very nice, successful people who went to those schools.</p>
<p>Susquehanna is a very nice school. Our high school has sent kids there, they like it and do well. It has a great reputation in E PA.</p>
<p>I visited Susquehanna with my daughter. We both liked the campus and were impressed with the admissions staff and the very nice student who took us on a tour. However, when it came time to apply, my daughter chose not to apply there because she didn’t like the location or the town it was in. Frankly, I think it was because we visited in the summer and she couldn’t get a feel for the college itself, minus the kids. </p>
<p>I know kids from our HS that go there and really like it.</p>
<p>Kathie, we all had the same reaction to the location, but only because you cannot seem to get a bus, a taxi, or a train. You really are left with needing to have a car. My H and I figured that extra cost into our budget if we agreed to pay for this school. This really adds on an extra expense onto one’s efc. Perhaps they changed since, but several years ago Susquehanna offered a shuttle to the local stores (Walmart I believe), but only for the first 2 weeks. After that students need to drive of find a ride from other students. Many schools offer shuttle transportion to a local mall, some restaurants, a bus/train station, or other places of interest to students. We were told that Susquehanna did not offer that.</p>
<p>There’s a debate in the Susquehanna community about a possible contamination of the groundwater near some student housing. </p>
<p>After a quick google, I found this article from March, 2007. [Newspaper</a> Finds Possible Cancer Cluster Near Pennsylvania University](<a href=“http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003553589]Newspaper”>http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003553589) Newer info is probably available somewhere, like from the school itself.</p>
<p>The school looks great and was on Son’s preliminary list until I read about the possible cancer cluster. Now we’ve crossed it off. Irrational? Maybe. But there are so many good colleges out there, we’ve decided not to consider one that’s at the center of a student health controversy.</p>
<p>DougBetsy, we had the school on our list before we found out about the cancer cluster. I was relieved that my son did not choose SU when we found out about it. Studies have been done, and SU has cooperated. The outcomes were posted on SU’s website, and the school seems safe (my understanding from what I read). That said, we also would not send our children there. I feel the same way as you do. There are so many choices in schools. If our son were to become ill, we would never forgive ourselves if he attended this school. Perhaps we are irrational, but that is how we feel. In othere words, why take chances. The parent of a child who died from cancer posted on cc a few years ago. I don’t think that she would find our decision irrational. My heart goes out to her.</p>
<p>My son is headed there next week. I believe that the school has been thorough in its response to this issue, which is documented at [Selinsgrove</a> Environmental Information](<a href=“http://www.susqu.edu/news/environmental/]Selinsgrove”>http://www.susqu.edu/news/environmental/) As I understand it, the alleged cluster was strongly correlated with a single off-campus housing site not even owned by the school. Investigations conducted by the DEP and the PA Dept. of Health suggest that there is currently no increased risk in that area. In fact, the Dept. of Health found that, overall, Selinsgrove had a cancer rate 10% below the state average.</p>
<p>He will be about three hours away from home and will not have a car his freshman year. He will be attending the business school, joining the ultimate frisbee club and the SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) team, and possibly working at the coffeehouse. That should keep him busy enough not to need very many trips off campus. Most of what he needs he will bring with him or be able to buy at the campus center. We will take him to the mall on drop-off day for anything large that he needs and he will also be able to mail order stuff via the internet using his debit card. If he cannot work out a ride home for break periods, we are willing to go pick him up. By next year, I expect that he will have a few friends who have cars for those times when you just have to get out of town.</p>
<p>We visited the school this summer along with other LACs in PA. It seems to have a lot going for it, particularly their business program. Their athletic facilities were impressive on the plus side and the dorms balanced them out on the down side. But the remoteness wasn’t quite right for D.</p>
<p>Our daughter was accepted last year with a very nice scholarship but decided not to attend. If I remember correctly they were going to start running a bus to some large shopping mall (King of Prussia?) once a month but had nothing to the strip malls that are about 3 miles away. We were told that there were plenty of students with cars so getting to Target, etc was not a problem. We thought the dorm closest to the athletic bldg was very nice, at least compared to daughter’s current school dorms, but they also said they force triple many freshman for the first semester. At least they were honest about it.</p>