The Gettysburg "Experience"!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Gettysburg College
1

<p>So far, from what I've seen, I think Gettysburg is probably the most wonderful place there is, simply magical! ************** says they're great.</p>

<p>************** - "Four years may seem like a long time to spend at one place, particularly a place as geographically and numerically small as Gettysburg College. And while it may at first seem simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming, Gettysburg has a way of growing on you. The key to getting the most out of Gettysburg is to understand what it is and what it isn’t, and to embrace the former and accept the latter. Gettysburg will never be a UNC or Ohio State in terms of diversity, class offerings, or athletics. Then again, you’ll never be in a class of 350 people, and you will never feel lost and or ostracized. The faculty is, for the most part, awesome. You have the chance to get to know your professors, as well as your classmates. The academics are challenging and rewarding. The more you put in, the more you get out. The study abroad, career development, and alumni services are incredibly useful, and they make what can normally be complicated and difficult processes exceedingly straightforward.</p>

<p>In the end, the two most important things you will take with you are your degree and your friends. Your degree is from a highly selective and challenging liberal arts college. It is not easy to earn, but it is not impossible either. It will get you a good job or into a good graduate school, and the education it represents will serve you well for the rest of your life. Your friends will be warm, caring, and intelligent people, with whom you share that intimate and unique bond that is only forged after years of youthful interaction away from home. You will experience things together that no one will ever quite understand. While there are certainly frustrating and even infuriating aspects of Gettysburg, it remains an institution that cares deeply about its students and their academic, emotional, and physical well-being. Its beautiful campus, challenging coursework, and comprehensive extracurricular system are what make Gettysburg College, overall, a great place to spend the best years of your life."</p>

<p>I would love to have some more insight on the college. Can anyone help me out on that!</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Fraternities dominate the social scene, very white & lacking in diversity, preppy, small--approx. 2,500 students--but manageable. One of my impressions of Gettysburg College is that it is like a large prep school comprised of similiar students who are very happy to be with others just like themselves. In many aspects, Gettysburg College is similiar to Bucknell, Lehigh, Lafayette and Washington & Lee, although W&L is making significant efforts to increase diversity. Gettysburg College is a great place for some to reaffirm their outlook on life without facing the growing pains of dealing with the real world for another four years. For the preppy, partying student willing to stay in their comfort zone for another four years , this is a great school to consider; for those seeking significant academic & social challenges & growth, this may not be the best choice.</p>

3

<p>Thanks. That was really helpful.</p>

4

<p>Hi talha_adnan.
I'm suprised by ColdWind's description of Gettysburg College. We know very little of the place first-hand, actually, as we have only visited twice, but what we have seen there is nothing like the way ColdWind describes it! I'm not saying ColdWind is wrong -- I'm just saying that it did not impress us to be that sort of school at all during our time there. Maybe we're wrong! If we didn't get accurate impressions of the place and ColdWind is right on the mark, then I am quite certain my son will not be happy there.</p>

<p>My son, his younger brother, and I have visited Gettysburg College twice -- once in the summer for 3 days (had the campus tour, information session, admissions interview, meeting with various faculty, etc.), and once in November for 2 days (for music conservatory auditions). We had a wholly different impression.</p>

<p>It could be that the music conservatory kids are different than a lot of the other students, and that's why our impression was so different than ColdWind's description. Or it could be that the majority of kids who stick around for the summer (our longest visit)are not representative of the whole student body. But I'm not so sure -- we saw and talked to lots of different students on both visits -- in the dining hall, at the "recreation center" sort of thingie, in the library, during the campus tours and information sessions, as well as within the conservatory. We didn't meet ONLY conservatory kids. In fact, when we met people around the campus while we were wandering on our own, most of them were NOT conservatory kids.</p>

<p>Right now, Gettysburg College is one of my son's top choices. He has been accepted to four of his seven schools so far. He has great stats and EC's that are akin to those who are writing in to this site to say they've been accepted at ivy leagues and other very well-known top colleges. So our opinions don't come from "sour grapes" or the fact that we're "have-nots" or anything. It's just the way he feels regarding the best fit for him.</p>

<p>Over the past year, we visited several schools that we had heard and read great things about. When we got there, we ended up thinking they were too preppy, or too greek, or too "cookie-cutter" in ways like ColdWind described. Some were prestigious schools that have great reputations with names that everybody would recognize. My son didn't like them for some of the reasons that ColdWind mentioned. They did not make his list, and he did not apply to them, even though several of them had better, more widely-repected reputations than the ones he did apply to -- because he didn't want that type of school. Nothing was really wrong with those schools, my son just didn't think they fit him well. In some cases, I loved them, but it didn't matter because my son didn't think they were a good fit.</p>

<p>Let me tell you what we saw in Gettysburg that we LIKED...</p>

<p>Super friendly, very down-to-earth, very academically inquisitive, kind-hearted people everywhere we went! I'm talking about faculty, administrations staff, and students. We LIKED those people ... A LOT. We met very impressive alums who were involved with admissions. I don't mean impressive in any sort of pretentious, boastful way -- they didn't seem to know how impressive they were! The people we met at Gettysburg College were very smart, well-read, well-spoken, super-competent in what we saw from them, friendly, and so humble! They were the kind of smart that I think of in the truest sense of the word -- like they seem to love to learn, they seem to put others first, they seem to understand their small role in the universe (by that I mean that they seemed to be intrinsically interested in life and people and learning and to recognize that other people could be and would be the same way -- that they're not the center of the universe -- they seemed unimpressed with "pedigrees" and "materialism" and "one-up-manship.") I'm having a hard time describing what it is that really struck us about the people there, but there was something very personal, and genuine, and heartfelt about the people we met. There wasn't any showiness, nothing fake. Simple and wholesome and cozy.</p>

<p>We also liked the buildings and the small campus. It's beautiful. The buildings themselves are somehow utterly cozy. There are new buildings and really old buildings and just old enough to not be very attractive buildings. We liked them all. They never did show us a very nice dorm. I think they said there were some nice ones but that they always showed this particular one because it's more representative of the worst the kids will get and more typical of what a freshman will get. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't really nice like some other campus's dorms that we've visited. But still, there was even something cozy and welcoming about it!</p>

<p>The college is very small and very personal. People would meet us and then a few days later still seem to know us and remember details about us. I had the feeling they know all their students quite well. They were very, very organized and timely with all the visitor stuff. They were also quite personal, unlike some of the other colleges we visited.</p>

<p>The academic halls we saw were so inviting! I wanted to go back to college after seeing them! My son really liked what he saw. Several of the classrooms were set up in big squares -- with 12 or 14 chairs around big square tables in a small, cozy classroom. Others had just 10 or so chairs in a small, personal room. That's just the way my son likes to learn, because he likes interacting with the teacher and the other students about the subject matter. It was like a little-known ivy league sort of environment, without any preppy feel to it -- to us. It seemed to really be focusing on educating and enthralling the students with new things to learn. It really struck us that way. It did not at all seem like a place where those who are comfortable with themselves will not grow and learn. On the contrary. I don't know if it's in that book, "Colleges that Change Lives," but it might be -- it struck us the same way as some others we visited that ARE in that book. (I haven't read or bought the book, I have just perused it in a few waiting areas of other colleges.)</p>

<p>The town is quite small and a tourist town (and we really don't like tourist-y things), so we were initially worried the first day we pulled in to town this past summer. We thought, "Ick. It's crawling with tourists. There seems to be little to do that's not touristy. There's nothing around." But then we began our campus tour and info session, etc. We learned that the social calendar there is huge! There are forays into Baltimore, Washington, and even New York (much further). But there are also all sorts of things that the kids do right there in town or on campus. It just depends on your interests. My son likes non-partying type, kind of clean-cut-type activities. And there were lots of things going on when we were there. And the kids there said there always are lots of things like that going on. We saw very few preppy-looking, greek-looking, partying-looking students while we were there.</p>

<p>I just wanted to put in our two cents ... not that we have any particular agenda for doing so. My son's still in high school, and we're talking about a school that is just one of seven on his list. We don't live on the east coast, and we had never even heard of Gettysburg College until it came up on the collegeboard web site in his searches. He was/is looking for a small campus, a strong liberal arts education, and an good, personal conservatory music education that offers a Bachelor of Music (versus a Bachelor of Arts in Music) degree. There were quite a few of schools on his list when he started visiting colleges -- but like I said, many of them did not feel like a good fit to him (some that I LOVED), because he felt they weren't kind of "quirky" or "independent-minded" or "individual" enough for his tastes. So it's ironic to us that ColdWind should describe it the way he/she did. My son, his brother, and I all got the impression that Gettysburg College is all about growing in life -- both personally and academically. I hope we're not wrong!</p>

<p>Good luck with your college searches! It's a trying, worrisome process, isn't it?</p>

5

<p>^^^Rats. Sorry that was so danged long! I copied it into Word to check the length, made LOTS of cuts because it was way too long, and then Selected All and copied and pasted to CC. All to avoid this ridiculous length! Unfortunately, I must have done something wrong ... I think I should have SAVED it after making the changes, even though it was all still showing on Word with the revisions I made -- I accidentally, SOMEHOW, posted the original thing, not the revision. My apologies!!! :-(</p>

6

<p>SimpleLife, I think that was a great analysis of Gettysburg. I absolutley love the school more than anything, and I really hope to attend college there next year, I just still have to try and get in. Thanks again, and I wish your son good luck with the whole college process!</p>

7

<p>My impression of Gettysburg College is not intended to be negative, although I belive it to be fairly accurate. It is & it may be a wonderful experience for a certain type of student, while for others the experience might be a bit suffocating. It is important, in my opinion, to "fit in" with the vast majority of the other students at Gettysburg College in order to enjoy a wonderful four years of learning in an almost country club atmosphere. I am not suggesting that the students are unfriendly, just that they tend to be of similiar backgrounds. To some, that is heaven, to others, it may be too stifling. Much of one's evaluation of Gettysburg College depends upon where one has been & what one is seeking. The short version is that it is best to visit & decide for yourself whether or not this is the school for you.
One no longer published college guidebook wrote in its 2003 edition "If you liked the social scene at prep school, you'll love Gettysburg College", I still believe that this assessment is accurate--although my last visit was two to three years ago. Another guidebook snippet" the administration is fervently trying to curb drinking, especially at frat houses, where much of the student body parties." To some, this is what college is supposed to be socially speaking, to others, it is an aspect wished to be left as high school memories. It just depends upon what one is looking for in a college. A bit similiar to Denison University.</p>

8

<p>I really appreciate the responses I'm getting here. </p>

<p>Fraternities kind of give me a wrong impression about the social scene at a college. I'd rather look for a more "fun" social activity. Maybe its because, for me, getting drunk and wasted isn't exactly fun.</p>

<p>I guess you both really know a great deal about the college and this topic is really turnign out to be helpful, honestly. As an International Student, I'm also curious weather I would stand out from the rest of the crowd at Gettysburg and more importantly, would I feel uncomfortable and unwelcome? Would my "non-alcoholic" habits hinder my chances of fitting in? I really like the college, considering its reputation and the experience students have there. I really put it high on my colleges list.</p>

<p>Thank you guys, this is really answering alot of my questions about Gettysburg!</p>

9

<p>I too was very surprised by ColdWinds summary of Gettysburg College</p>

<p>I have visted Gettysburg twice with my daughter and never felt the students were
prep school type happy to be with people like themselves. On the contrary. They
were very friendly and open to answer any questions we had.</p>

<p>My daughter was accepted ED for the fall and I am very comfortable with her choice.</p>

<p>Good luck to all!</p>

10

<p>pineapple10, I hope you get into Gettysburg. It sounds like you really love the place, as we did. I wish you the best in your college search over the next few months!</p>

<p>ColdWind, thanks for expounding. I think I do understand where you were coming from in your description. You weren't trying to bash the place. You were just describing Gettysburg as you see it. That's totally fair. One's impression of a place absolutely depends on "where one has been & what one is seeking," as you said. So it's completely understandable that two different people would have two different impressions. I just wanted to share our impression with talha_adnan, since it was so different from your own.</p>

<p>Congrats, JVP1, to your daughter (and you)! It must be awfully nice to have the whole college app process behind you!</p>

<p>talha_adnan, my son feels the same way as you do when it comes to his idea of fun. He doesn't like the idea of drinking. He likes to hang out and socialize in pretty simple ways. We met lots of students at Gettysburg that seemed to share the same kinds of ideas for fun. While we were there, he was invited to go out to dinner with a group, he was invited by another group to go see the student body's showing of West Side Story that night at the local historic theater, and he was invited to watch a student recital on campus -- jazz music, classical piano and strings, and a quartet of wind instruments. He didn't know any of the kids who invited him -- they were just current conservatory students that we met.</p>

<p>I don't know how big the fraternities are on campus, percentage-wise. I'm certain, though, that there are lots of non-greek students, because we met a bunch.</p>

<p>Regarding your international status, I really don't know what to tell you about whether or not you'd stand out or feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. I sure hope not! I do specifically remember during the different information sessions we attended that they "bragged" (in the nicest of ways) about having students from "x" number of countries and nationalities. They were clearly proud of the wide range of student backgrounds and clearly wanted to continue recruiting internationally. Couldn't you simply call the admissions office, or email them, and ask what their specific stats are on international diversity? I can only say that the people we met were very, very nice and it would surprise me to see the people we met socially exclude anybody because of their nationality or race. I will also be very honest and say that I can not now remember, sitting here months later, seeing many people of color on campus. That's not to say they weren't there -- it just wasn't in my crosscheck at the time. I wasn't taking mental notes on that one way or another, and I wouldn't. I can certainly see why it would be an important criterion for you and would be in your crosscheck, as it would be in mine if I were visiting your country and looking for a college. I hope you find that you will fit in just about anywhere you go here in the U.S.</p>

<p>I wish you the best in your college search!</p>

11

<p>Thanks SimpleLife. You can't imagine how helpful all these reviews are turning out for me. Its a crucial decision to make when you're going to different country and you're totally unsure about the environment you will have to face there. And when you guys tell me about your first-hand experiences, I can somewhat imagine myself being there.</p>

<p>So far, from what I've read, I think getting in Gettysburg will be a wonderful experience for me. I really hope I get the offer...:)</p>

12

<p>My two cents...</p>

<p>My daughter is a second year student at Gettysburg. She's considering a transfer.</p>

<p>The social scene is exclusive to the frats because the Campus Activities Board isn't nearly as creative or active as they want you to believe. The college knows this and they look the other way.</p>

<p>But all that aside the biggest problem so far is with academics...in her three semesters she has had two visiting professors and two adjuncts all of whom were horrible. (1/3 of her classes) Gettysburg may not have grad students or TA's but they hire grad students from Maryland to teach classes. The two visiting profs...both awful. Boring, uninspired and this year the bio professor had to be removed. The class, which was required for her major, had a total of four professors. When one finally settled into the position, he never learned any of the student's names.</p>

<p>The campus is beautiful, but the dorms are not. The rooms are freezing or deathly hot...screens are often broken, paint peeling and some of the freshmen dorms don't have communal kitchens. School spirit is not what they want you to believe. Servo's food is tolerable, but boring. She does love breakfast, but dinner often lacks. Parts of the town are beautiful, but they do have problems with townies. In fact, student cars are vandalized/robbed on campus with regularity. (One was set on fire last year)</p>

<p>What we appreciate? They gave her excellent financial aid, people who work there are genuinely nice and there are some little things like the microfridges and cable being included in the room that are nice perks. The library has a very good collection and is very easy to use. (It's open all the time) The campus isn't tiny, but it isn't so big that it takes you forever to get places. Nothing is more than a ten minute walk. However, she wishes she'd known more before attending. I'm not saying it's not a good choice for some, but she's rethinking her decision.</p>

13

<p>Wow, I read my post and I realized I really wasn't totally fair. Here's the deal...</p>

<p>She is not happy about the idea of transfering. She wants to stay and will make an appointment to talk to a dean about the issues. The administration is available and receptive. However, they don't tell you the whole truth during recruitment. There are a lot of rich, preppy kids on campus but also a lot of middle class kids who are getting aid. </p>

<p>But I cannot tell you enough the frats dominate the social scene. The open houses and visiting days are engineered events and do not reflect regular campus life. It could be the perfect place for you, but every student needs to go in with their eyes open.</p>

14

<p>librarymom123, I am SO glad you wrote of your daughter's experience. Your summary of her academic experience alone is enough to make me consider further research with my son. My son's number one interest in any college is the quality of the individual classroom experience -- where the professor and quality of teaching are very important! The frat situation you say dominates the social scene is likewise alarming. If your daughter's assessment is correct, I would say that our visits were indeed well-engineered, because we did not see much of that at all. It's quite disheartening to hear. But then again, my son has apps in to 6 other colleges and it's not too late for him to gather more "data." If Gettysburg comes through with an exceptional financial package, we'll be sure we're armed with a host of other opinions on campus and academic life at Gettysburg prior to accepting. Thanks so much for your honesty!</p>

<p>Can anybody else out there weigh in on their Gettysburg experience?</p>

15

<p>Simple Life, the idea is to go in armed with information. Admissions people are salespeople and that is not exclusive to Gettyburg...it's everywhere, so ask lots and lots of questions where ever you are looking.</p>

<p>I should have mentioned that the good news about campus is that the full time faculty members she has had have been wonderful. The hype about full-time profs is true. They are at the top of their game. The adjuncts and visitings were awful. But when you are being sold the liberal arts experience, they tout the full-time, caring professors, not grad students from Maryland or Penn State.</p>

<p>Apparently, the frats are fun freshman year. Then it gets old. Beyond that there isn't much to do. Percentages are deceiving because since first years aren't allowed to pledge, they aren't involved in Greek life, but the college counts them when determining the percentage of kids in frats or sororities. I'm guessing more than half of eligible men are in frats and a little less than half of the eligible women are in sororities. You said your son is a musician..that may give him a different "core" group of friends and he may not be in the same situation as my daughter. </p>

<p>Even with everything that's happened, she wants to stay, but is keeping the door open this time. If my post helped your son make a good decision, I'm glad. If he chooses Gettysburg even knowing the negatives, he'll probably be very happy. No college is perfect, part of this is deciding what flaws you can live with.</p>

16

<p>I am a sophomore at Gettysburg and although I am generally happy, I have to agree with the many people who have criticized Gettysburg in this forum. Greek life dominates the social scene; most of the students are rich and spoiled with no concept of the real world; there is no diversity at the school and the atmosphere can be very stifling if you don't fit the rich, white, prep-school "cookie cutter" mold of Gettysburg. I noticed that most of the people who defended Gettysburg were people who had not actually attended the school. They had only visited a few times. Visiting simply does not give an accurate picture of life at Gettysburg. </p>

<p>All of that having been said...Gettysburg is not all bad. The faculty are wonderful, attentive, and accessible. There are many opportunities for student leadership, volunteer work, internships, study abroad programs, etc. There is a small portion of the student body that appreciates and takes advantage of these opportunities. This portion of the population is caring, compassionate, and thoughtful--these are the people I am friends with. This group, as a whole, tends to be disillusioned by and frustrated with the privileged students that make up the rest of the student body and do not appreciate all of the opportunities that a school like Gettysburg offers. </p>

<p>So, I guess what I am getting at is this: Gettysburg is a wonderful place with caring faculty members and many opportunities to excel academically and make a difference through volunteer work. If you are one of the people who comes to Gettysburg for these reasons (not to party or simply because you can afford tuition), then you may find yourself frustrated with the majority of the population in Gettysburg. That having been said, you CAN find a niche for yourself at Gettysburg even if you don't fit the mold.</p>

17

<p>After lurking on CC for about two years, I guess it's time for my first post.</p>

<p>My daughter is currently a sophomore at Gettysburg. She was drawn to the small size of the student body, the low student/faculty ratio, EC opportunities (orchestra, clubs, etc.), and, as shallow as it may sound, the attractiveness of the campus (all things being equal, there's nothing wrong with being happy with your surroundings, IMO.) After an initial period of homesickness, she quickly felt that she was in the right place. She’s happy with the academics and she’s found a great group of friends – two elements that will determine your happiness at almost any school.</p>

<p>Talha_Adnan, I see that you are an international applicant. I don’t know how familiar you are with American colleges. From your other posts, I see that you are also interested in Bates, Bowdoin, and Brigham Young. I don’t think that you’re going to find great diversity in those places, either. As an international student, you will almost certainly go through a cultural adjustment at any of these schools. If you want a diverse, cosmopolitan atmosphere, you’ll have to look at more urban schools.</p>

<p>Please note that the comment in Coldwind’s post about frats and homogeneity of the student body could apply to almost any LAC in the top 50. Yes, it is true that most people at Gettysburg are white. But that does not mean that they are all similar or “preppy” (whatever that means – the label seems to apply to anyone who wears a polo shirt). My daughter’s friends are “normal”, fun-loving, studious kids. None of them went to prep schools, but all were excellent students in their high schools and are continuing that trend in college. One is pre-med, one is pre-pharmacy, one is planning on dental school, and another on law school. My daughter is from Pennsylvania, but her best friends are from New Hampshire, Delaware, Arizona, and Queens, NY. She’s also made friends with kids from the Philippines, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic (although the international population is very small - only about 2% of the student body.) Most of her friends plan to study abroad next year (over 50% of the student body does so, at no additional cost above the normal tuition/dorm fees).</p>

<p>And now, to address the frats: yes, they are the main focus of the party scene. But is a party at a frat any worse than a party at an apartment or a dorm or a club? And, college students being college students, they do like to party. My daughter likes to dance, but she won’t be 21 until her senior year, so dance clubs are not an option for her (even if there were any clubs in town!), and there are dance parties at the frats every weekend. And with the campus being so small, it’s easy to walk everywhere (as a parent, I find it reassuring that no one will be driving after having a few beers.) </p>

<p>My two points with the frats: </p>

<p>1) why does everyone assume you have to get trashed simply because you go to a frat party? My daughter admits to having a couple of beers but goes mainly to dance and because she has friends there. A couple of her friends do not drink at all (one girl knew someone who was killed by a drunk driver so she’s completely opposed to alcohol), but they still go and dance and have fun.</p>

<p>2) no one is forced to go to these things. Instead, you can simply hang out with your friends in the dorms, go to the movies, or participate in the myriad sports/community service/music/drama/outdoor adventure clubs on campus - when you’re not studying, that is. </p>

<p>My daughter and her clan spend a considerable amount of time in the library. She also works part-time in an office on campus, and next semester will also have a second paid job as a teaching assistant in the foreign language department (helping beginning students, leading discussions, etc.– a great opportunity for a sophomore that may not be available at a larger school). BTW, this not a TA position in the normal sense (i.e., grad students who teach, grade, etc.) It’s simply a peer-based help session outside of class for anyone who wants it. You can certainly go to the professor for extra help, as well. My daughter has gotten extra help from her Econ professor and from the Econ peer helper, and has been happy with both.</p>

<p>As far as the bad instructors, Librarymom, that is truly a shame. My daughter has been very happy with the professors and classes, most of which are small and discussion-based. She did mention the one exception was her intro Biology class that was mostly lecture, but she didn’t find that unusual because it’s hard to have discussions in basic Bio.</p>

<p>It is definitely true that Gettysburg (the college and the town) is not a worldly place. It’s a small place surrounded by miles of farmland. But that’s true for most liberal arts schools in the country. And also, if you do go to college in a more cosmopolitan locale, in order to take advantage of the cultural opportunities (such as museums, concerts, theater, restaurants) – you need money! And my daughter doesn’t have a lot of it. For my daughter, who’s on the quiet side, the “smallness” of Gettysburg has proven to be nurturing. For a more outgoing person, this smallness could provide an opportunity to shine and become a leader, something that could be more difficult at a larger school.</p>

<p>In conclusion, no school is perfect and some disillusionment is almost to be expected after an exhaustive search for the ideal college. Talha_Adnan, in your first post, you use the term “a magical place”. I sincerely wish you find that place, but honestly, I don’t think it exists. It’s not possible for any school to fulfill everyone’s dreams. But for the great majority of students who have an open mind and make an effort to take advantage of the offerings, almost any college can come pretty close.</p>

18

<p>horsfeathers, that was really nice of you. :)</p>

<p>The reason why I don't look for urban schools is, I don't like the urban environment. I prefer an atmosphere that is peaceful, quite, relaxing and so on... Although I live in a city, but still its not like US cities. The part of city I live in, that is the residential side, is a lot more peaceful than the usual "city". My picture of an ideal place is one that is small, as it lets people make good friends, socialize better; provides students good education, including all the related stuff (Classes, professors, courses... everything!); ECs, athletics and everything outdoors. In other words, it has to be a college that once you graduate from, you look back at those "long" four years and all you can say is,"It wasn't really THAT long, was it?". I mean it turns out to be a wonderful experience</p>

<p>P.S. for me, urban cities mean money, and thats the point we're all aware of.</p>

19

<p>talha_adnan, I sure am glad you started this thread. It's been enlightening for my son and me!</p>

<p>ruttra01 and horsefeathers, those were excellent, informative, descriptive posts. The "insider" perspective is so helpful. This is just the kind of stuff we were looking for when we began checking out CC.</p>

20

<p>For the people who have had positive experiences at Gettysburg, that's wonderful. My daughter is not as happy. This was a kid who was so excited to go to Gettysburg she cried when her acceptance letter came. She was super involved in high school, had tons of friends, and was never at a loss for something to do. Her first two weeks were rocky, but she seemed to settle in. She was in that "worst room" they show on the tour, but she managed. The academic problems with all the adjuncts/visiting were terrible, but socially this can be a tough campus.</p>

<p>She changed roomates this year, as her roommate from last year decided to live with a teammate (not a problem--they got along fine) and she thought the situation with her new roommate, a close friend, would be even better. Not so much. Two weeks into the school year, my daughter's roommate decide to shut her out and there was no real reason. She barely spoke to her, one time the girl even turned the light off on my daughter when leaving the room. The girl is never wrong, so discussing things with her is impossible. It's been tough. My daughter is polite, friendly and considerate. She'll ask her roommate to go to lunch, she says no, she's not hungry and then makes plans with someone else. They were close friends and the girl has totally ditched my daughter.</p>

<p>There were new girls on the floor and she made friends, but they are a group unto themselves from last year, so she always feels on the fringe. Many of her friends from last year pledged a sorority and are now involved with that. My daughter had her hopes pinned on one particular activity (something she'd done for a long time at home) that admissions raved about and turned out to be a "step child" activity on campus and a non-starter.</p>

<p>I think part of being happy at Gettysburg is finding your niche early--making that tight group of friends early and that largely depends on where you live. Most of my daughter's hallmates last year were guys. She's still in touch with them, but it's not the same. If you are on a team or go Greek, you are set, but that's not for everyone. If you or your child found a moderate to low/no drinking group that still likes to go out...that's luck--and I wish my daughter had been so lucky. My daughter's friends "pre-game" and get trashed before they go out. She's not a heavy drinker (she drinks some), so she ends up babysitting them or not going.</p>

<p>What my daughter has found is that things are really cliquey at Gettysburg. The athletic teams form one group, the Greek organizations another. The clubs are populated by all the same kids. Making new friends is hard. I'm hoping now that she is moving into some upper level courses in her major she will meet people more easily. Otherwise, I don't see this lasting.</p>