I heard today that the announcement has been made that Sweet Briar is closing for good at the end of this academic year. Sad news, if accurate. If so, what does that do to students already accepted/planning on attending fall of '16?
@jcc, several nearby schools (Mary Baldwin College and Hollins University, both women’s colleges, as well as Randolph College and Lynchburg College; there may be more) have offered to take in accepted and current SBC students and work with them to help them graduate on time.
That’s great news. Emory and Henry did the same when Virginia Intermont closed last year. I can’t help but think that they’ll have a hard time replicating the Sweet Briar experience though.
Indeed. It must be devastating for the current students, especially this year’s junior class. And there must be admitted applicants who turned down other offers of admission elsewhere. Very, very sad for all.
I didn’t go to Sweet Briar but I went to a nearby college and knew a lot of Sweet Briar students, visited there often, etc… It was a very vibrant college in my day. Sad to see it closing. And sad to see the lack of chatter about it on a site like this. But I guess that’s reflective of the reasons for closure.
It is true. We know a girl who goes there . She is a sophomore and very unhappy.
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_105c880d-25d1-5305-be18-8d5f08c50776.html#.VPX-jrsyIqw.facebook
My heart goes out to all the girls at Sweet Briar. My DD looked at it, and every interaction with the staff was personal and thoughtful. She ultimately decided not to apply, mainly because of the all-girls class and rural location, two factors that I’m sure made it a harder sell for some prospective students, but that obviously made it a great fit for many students.
This is very sad.
D’s English teacher, whose sister is a Sweet Briar grad, had encouraged D to consider applying for next year. D decided not to–too rural, too small, and she didn’t want a single sex campus. These are all issues that the school cited in its decision to close.
A former neighbor of ours was a graduate of Eisenhower College, another LAC that closed. He used to say that as an EC alum, he always felt kind of lost because his school no longer existed (technically, it was taken over by RIT).
My heart goes out to the current students, faculty and the thousands of Sweet Briar alums. Hoping that they find a way to remain connected, and proud of all that SBC stood for.
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_105c880d-25d1-5305-be18-8d5f08c50776.html
More info over at the Parents Forum.