The Transatlantic Search for Fit or the Grand Am Boogie

[doddsdad]

<p>The Transatlantic Search for Fit or the Grand Am Boogie</p>

<p>Of course the title is homage to Curmudgeon. I also considered the KYTNOHIN tour but I thought that was too confusing. For review and background: We live overseas in Germany. My wife and I work for the DoD schools on the military bases here. My S is a junior. His stats are pretty good, with a 1420 on the old SAT as a sophomore, and an ACT composite of 32. His weighted GPA is 3.8 (on a 4.0) and he’ll have 8 AP classes by the time he finishes high school. He’s a fairly laid back type of student who is bright, enjoys learning and likes getting good grades, but he’s often disorganized and doesn’t always keep up with a tough workload. He doesn’t have a bunch of EC’s but he has been heavily involved with Model United Nations and is the current president of the club. I’m giving his stats so you have some idea of how he might “match up” with the colleges we visited. </p>

<p>Our spring break visits will be S’s only opportunity to visit colleges with the students present before he has to complete applications in the fall. I decided that we’d try to visit as many schools as seemed reasonable, while allowing time on each campus. He asked that we only visit one college a day, and I met that request with the exception of one day. In the order of visitation, the schools were: Centre, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Oberlin, Kenyon, Denison, Earlham, and Hanover. It was a total of about 1800 miles in a mid-sized Pontiac Grand Am with one large adult male and one large almost adult male. Thelma and Louise we were not! </p>

<p>These reviews are kinda rambling, not always objective, based on my observations and my S’s reactions and comments, often anecdotal, and maybe not very consistent. They may get shorter as the list goes on. That is not intended to be a reflection on the colleges we visited. I didn’t think there was a loser in the bunch, and I would be happy for S to attend any of them. However, fatigue, repetition, and motivation became an issue about half way through the visits (and that applies to all this typing too). One tip I’ll share is that we carried a small cassette recorder to record our impressions as we were driving away. I wanted to have a record while our impressions were fresh.</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>Centre
I’ll start by admitting I’m not particularly objective about Centre. I’m a native Kentuckian, and I’m unabashedly proud to have a college of Centre’s caliber in my home state. (See, I told you I wasn’t objective!). With that very large caveat in mind…Centre has a very attractive campus. Georgian red-brick architecture (is that redundant?) Some of the buildings are more “modern,” such as the impressive new library, but designed to blend with the rest of the campus buildings. Many buildings on the national register of historic buildings. Everyone was very friendly. They seemed to be sincere and I think they want to be liked. I talked with everyone from the AC to the librarian, to the lady behind the counter at the coffee shop, to students to professors, and they were all friendly, took time to answer questions, and were positive about Centre. Not much racial or cultural diversity, which the AC acknowledged and said they are working to change. For example, they have started a program with the Boston school district to pay private school tuition for 10 inner city students a year, and provide them with a scholarship to attend Centre if they finish their schooling successfully. I don’t know why Boston, but maybe that also addresses geographical diversity as well. I definitely got the idea Centre would like to enhance its national image, but they appear to be happy and confident with whom they are. Apparently very good town-gown relationship. Danville is proud to have Centre at its well….center. The coffee shop lady said she loves the students and wants to send her children there. </p>

<p>Quite a few students wearing Greek “colors.” The spring carnival was scheduled that afternoon, so it could have been more Greek attire than usual, or maybe not. I talked with students who were Greek and not, and they said the groups mixed, and it didn’t seem to be an issue whether you were Greek or not. The dining facility seemed to have a nice mixture of jocks, Greeks, alternative quasi hippie types (not many and not too extreme), and predominately “regular” kids. Probably 30-35% of so of students with some type of Centre attire. Food was okay BTW. </p>

<p>It has been a recurring issue in the student paper that the faculty is more liberal than the students. I suspect this may be an issue at many college campuses because of the generational differences. A faculty member confirmed that many students believe the faculty is more liberal they are, but said it is not causing any significant problems. A student with a Kerry/Edwards button on her bag said the campus seemed to only slightly favor Bush/Cheney in the 04 election, and that the campus debate was respectful to differing opinions. This brings up an interesting point raised by a sociology professor. He said that students like discussions in class, but many do not like arguments, and they expect the professors to prevent discussions from becoming arguments. He said he was from the Northeast, and that where he comes from, an argument is the only way to be sure that you are communicating and is the “highest level of discourse” or words to that effect. He was somewhat bemused by the students’ aversion to this. However, he also said he has taught there for 15 years, is very happy working there, and said the students are high quality. He said he believed a faculty member looking for a babysitter could walk into the dining hall, choose any student at random, and end up with a good choice. </p>

<p>One of the C students escorting the visiting prospectives was a senior young lady from Lexington, VA. I asked her about W & L and she said her father was a professor at W & L and her mother a professor at VMI. I asked “Why Centre?” She related that they had kept sending her information and she finally decided to visit and really liked it. She said she wanted to make her senior year simple and only applied to Centre. She was accepted and that was it. She said she now regrets not having applied to other schools “because I’d like to know where else I would have gotten in. But I really believe I still would have attended Centre.” She said she didn’t consider W & L because she had grown up “across the street” from there and everyone knew her there. She believes the academic level at Centre is definitely superior to VMI and equal to W & L. However, she said she thinks the students at Centre are more friendly and approachable than W & L. I’ll add that she is a chemistry major, is planning on medical school, and she was an impressive young lady. She and other students commented on how supportive and personal the faculty was with the students. If they missed a class, they are likely to get an email from the professor checking on them. If they miss three classes, the professor notifies the dean, who will check asking if they are sick, a problem, family emergency, etc. She even said she had been called at 7:50 by a chemistry professor because she wasn’t in class for the final. She had pulled an all-nighter and fallen asleep and overslept. </p>

<p>My S really likes Centre and felt very comfortable there. The AC indicated he would have a very good chance of admission (assuming no meltdowns) and he would probably receive merit aid. He has already received the Centre Fellows scholarship. However, she explained that any larger Centre scholarship would supplant, rather than supplement the Fellows. S attended two classes and enjoyed both. He said the students seemed bright, involved and prepared. He was allowed to contribute to the class discussions. His afternoon class was missing 8 students. The professor commented that it was opening day of the spring meet at the nearby Keeneland racetrack, and he assumed that was where they were. Taking that as a cue, we went to Keeneland racetrack after we left in the early afternoon. It was definitely worth missing an afternoon class. It was “College Day” at a beautiful racetrack in the middle of the bluegrass horse region. A student ID resulted in free admission. The place was nearly filled with young people dressed up for a day at the races. My S loved it and I wanted to be young again….</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>Vanderbilt
In the words of Curmudgeon, “Vandy is well, Vandy.” It is near the center of Nashville, on a 300 acre beautiful park of a campus. The campus is an arboretum and includes every variety of tree native to the state of TN. A huge portion of the total campus is the medical school, hospital, and related buildings. However, it didn’t sound like most of the undergrads had much to do with the medical buildings. Most of the buildings on the central campus are impressive, but varied. I don’t think there has been any effort made to develop a consistent architectural theme on the campus. We were there on a Saturday, so the students were mostly involved in leisure activities. The Vandy AC was friendly and made a good presentation at the info session. I felt the emphasis of the presentation was on the high caliber Vandy, the high caliber of Vandy students, and how difficult it is to get in. He was friendly, informative, funny, but he wasn’t exactly recruiting. I don’t think he has to do that, so he didn’t bother. High school students were visiting from all over the U.S. although S was the only one from overseas. They don’t interview prospective students. The AC’s funniest line was when he gave the squirrel to student ration at Vandy (3 to 1 but I’m not sure which number represents the students). Also, the record number of recommendation letters submitted by a student applicant was 27. He said the student didn’t get in, although I’m sure he would have lied if she had been accepted because it was a cautionary tale to only have a few recommendation letters from people who really know you, preferably teachers. There was a similar story at Notre Dame, but the record was 41 letters. </p>

<p>Maybe 20-25% Vandy attire on the students, but probably more Greek t-shirts, shorts, etc. I don’t know if there were any special activities that day. Our student guides were casually dressed and said that was their typical clothing at school. Our guide said that through the week during classes, most of the female students are dressed up and carefully groomed. However, for Saturday brunch (yes that is what they call it) they are likely to come in with sweat pants, t-shirts, and their hair pinned up. He said he wonders what happens to those “other girls” on the weekends. </p>

<p>The student guide said the workload was tough but doable with good time management and steady work. He said he had lost a scholarship due to poor grades one semester (goofing off too much), but he was able to get it back somehow. He also commented that the international students in his classes were more serious, more studious, and more focused than most “regular students like me.” At one point, the student guide commented something like, “Some other schools have coops for students and things like that. We don’t have that here. If you want that, then you need to go somewhere else.” His mother happened to be on the tour with his younger brother. She said it was a strong statement. He responded that Vandy has a bunch of applicants to choose from and a student doesn’t have to apply if the school doesn’t have what they want. They definitely don’t need to recruit. </p>

<p>Overall, our impression was that Vandy has more than a touch of arrogance. The attitude is probably justified, but it was a bit off-putting, especially after having visited tiny nurturing Centre the day before. If a student is highly confident, strives to excel, and wants to feel he/she is an “elite” then this could be a great school for them. In our case, my S was somewhat intimidated by the emphasis on their superior students, and didn’t care for the arrogance. I think he would do well at Vandy and he would get a great education, but he doesn’t plan on applying.</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>Notre Dame
Approximately 8 hours north of Nashville is another elite university located in South Bend. I’ll paraphrase Curmudgeon and say “ND is very definitely ND.’ It has a very nice campus with attractive buildings consistently reflecting what I think is called “collegiate Gothic.” The yellow color of the buildings started with the yellow brick used to build some of the original buildings on campus. The clay to make those bricks was dredged from the lake on campus so ND was built from the soil on which it is founded, or something dramatic like that. The three tallest buildings are the church, the admin building (complete with golden dome), and the library, which our guide said represents the three pillars of Notre Dame: Church, Family, and Learning. She said ND would never build any building taller than those three. </p>

<p>The admin building was renovated in the mid 90s and is very impressive. The floors vary from ceramic mosaics, to old wooden floors, to thick carpets. On the walls of the main entrance are murals painted in the 1890s that depict the story of Columbus’ “discovery” of America. In the middle of the hall is a stand with information about the murals, which begins with a disclaimer: “The University of Notre Dame recognizes that the Columbus murals…reflect the 19th century white European views of race, gender, and ethnicity which may be offensive to some individuals. An interdepartmental faculty committee was appointed in 1997 to develop the following interpretation for today’s audience of the artistic, historical, and social content of the murals.” It goes on to emphasize that the murals should be viewed in the historical context of the late 19th century. It describes Columbus as having been regarded as a heroic figure for Catholic immigrants in a country that often discriminated against them as they arrived in the U.S. in large numbers in the 19th century. I’m not trying to give a history lesson, but I think this is a good example of how ND regards itself. My impression is that ND considers itself first and foremost the leading “Catholic University” in the U.S. and history and tradition is very important there. It’s the mortar that holds the place together. I’d paraphrase the pamphlet as saying, “We know that the murals are inaccurate, but we want you to view them in their historical context and with perspective. We know they may offend some people so we offer a sincere apology, but they are part of our history and they’ll stay up.”</p>

<p>Despite being a Catholic U, the AC said that being catholic will not have any impact on being admitted. He said about 84% of student applicants identify themselves as Catholic, even though most students do not attend the church services at the school. Our tour guide was a senior who is not catholic and she said it had never been a problem for her. She did say that many students, catholic or not, will light candles in the Grotto during finals week. She said it must work because they graduate 95% of their entering students. I’d also caution any ND applicants to avoid application essays that include references to the movie “Rudy” or their own triumphant return from a sports injury to make the winning shot. He said he can’t believe there are so many injured students in America who come back to score the touchdown or make the winning shot. Now if you have a good personal essay about getting injuring while watching Rudy, but you manage to reach the remote anyway, that might work….</p>

<p>At the time we were visiting, there was scaffolding all over the golden dome. The guide explained that every few years, they scrape the real gold gilding off the dome and re-gild it. The salvaged gold gild is then powdered and put in the paint for the ND football helmets. The helmets are painted before every game by the managers. Our guide sacrilegiously commented that the gold gilding and gold helmets may explain why ND tuition is so expensive. Even though we were standing in the God Quad as she said this, she was not struck with lightning. God must have a sense of humor….</p>

<p>Of course you can’t talk about ND without talking about football. I expected it to be downplayed by admissions, but I was naïve. We were introduced to touchdown Jesus. Everyone talks about football at ND. The fall semester revolves around the home games and the team. The AC talked about the great academic programs offered by ND and the difficulty in getting accepted, but you never stray too far from football. The home games completely dominate the weekends. A student told my S that they had three consecutive home games last fall and he barely made it through the three weeks. He seemed sincerely concerned about surviving the 5 consecutive home games they have this fall. My SIL attended ND about 20 years ago and I attended a couple of games. I don’t see how a student could get work done on those weekends. The parking lots are full, parties all the time, tailgating, alumni and visitors all over campus, in dorms, etc…This probably starts on Friday and goes through Sunday. </p>

<p>ND does not have a Greek system, but they substitute dorm identity for Greek life. Most students remain in the same dorm their whole time there and the rivalries between dorms can be fierce. It’s interesting because there’s no rush or rejections from the dorms like with the Greek system. Students identify with the dorms, but it reinforces their relationship with the school too. The admin even closed two dorms and made them into offices because they were too large to develop the kind of camaraderie they wanted from the dorms. They built new dorms rather than let the situation continue. Most, if not all the dorms have a resident priest. In addition, the school president lives in a dorm room in Sorin Hall, and that is apparently traditional for the priests who have been ND presidents. I think they get singles though.</p>

<p>Intramural sports at ND are HUGE! There are multiple sports and leagues. I couldn’t believe it, but the boys have football leagues with full pads and helmets. I guess this is a jock school where everyone is a jock. </p>

<p>One more story, probably apocryphal but fun. The guide told us that Fr. Hesburgh was the president of ND for 35 years. Not too long after he started, he contacted the president of Princeton and told him he wanted Notre Dame to climb into the top tier of American universities, and asked how he could accomplish that goal. The Princeton president him he would have to eliminate ND football, or admit women. Shortly thereafter, ND began admitting women. A mom on our tour asked, “So you’re saying that women raised Notre Dame to the next level?” Of course!</p>

<p>Son thought he would like to attend ND. He liked it because he thought it would be a fun place to spend four years. I’d have to agree, and he would get an exceptional education, but you’d definitely have to like football and sports in general.</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>Oberlin </p>

<p>According to Carolyn’s Maxim: You can’t like both Notre Dame and Oberlin. Her maxim held true for my S, but maybe not for me. Oberlin was definitely different than the first three schools. This was no surprise. In the first 15 minutes, we saw more students in black clothes with brightly colored hair and multiple piercings than we had seen at the three previous schools combined. However, they all looked reasonably alert (even in the morning) clean, bright, and interesting. A student was creating some kind of string art sculpture among the trees as we approach campus through a large quad. I didn’t ask him what he was doing because he seemed quite intent on his project. Another student was creating a wire sculpture in a shrub so it may have been a class assignment. However, this was art and I didn’t see any anarchist graffiti spray painted on the buildings. Over the course of the day, I noticed that there was a low percentage of Oberlin attire, probably less than 5%, and there appeared to be plenty of “regular” students, students in dancer chic, jock dress, etc. But Oberlin students are about being themselves, not fitting a mold. </p>

<p>I think Oberlin is mostly about the individual. The “cover question” on their recruitment material is: “Do you believe one person can change the world?” They answer, “We do to.” I don’t think my S answered yes to the question, or he was afraid it was a trick question. However, if your student isn’t worried about being mainstream and believes one person can change the world, (and probably has a responsibility to try), then Oberlin may fit well. Even as a visiting “prospie,” you are expected to do a lot for yourself. They offer tours, but if you want to visit a class, they’ll provide you with a schedule to identify a class that interests you during a suitable time period. You are then given a map and told to get to the class a few minutes early and ask the professor if you can sit in. My S said he didn’t feel comfortable there, but he admitted he entered with some preconceived notions that he wouldn’t fit in. </p>

<p>The AC interviewer was positive and good with S. He asked S what he wanted to get out of college. S answered him honestly that he wanted college to be challenging and interesting, provide an opportunity to learn, but he also thought it should be fun. The interviewer complimented him on his honesty and said most students say they only want to attend to study and learn. Of course, he was probably writing a big “Reject” on the form as he talked. S wasn’t overly impressed with the students or the professors for the two classes he attended. However, he acknowledged that he didn’t really like Oberlin from the beginning, and the material wasn’t very interesting in the classes. </p>

<p>There were two professors in admissions that were there to talk with accepted senior students visiting. None of the students were around at that time, so we spent a lot of time talking. One professor was a graduate of Oberlin with a double major in math and music theory. She taught music theory in the Conservatory. The other professor was a chemistry professor with undergraduate at Lawrence and Ph.D. at Stanford. They were both friendly and helpful and great representatives for their college. I said I had read that Oberlin tends to be an intense place. They both immediately agreed, and the Oberlin alum commented that it is academically intense, “but students are also finding themselves, and that can also be a very intense experience; and sometimes painful to watch.” She didn’t explain but it made sense. BTW, the professors all have doctorates, but they are traditionally called by Mr. or Ms. The professors I talked with didn’t know why, but it has always been that way. </p>

<p>The students were helpful when approached, but they didn’t seem to extend themselves, or invite interaction. Of all the schools we visited, I think there were more students here who were looking at books, notes, papers as they were eating, or studying between classes. </p>

<p>The Conservatory has only 7-800 students, but their presence seems to be very important at Oberlin. There are multiple concerts and musical offerings every week according to the bulletin boards. The musical experience for the Conservatory students must be outstanding, and they are all undergraduates. I believe there are around 3000 students in the arts and sciences schools. The AC doing the info session said Oberlin is a big “small school.” Because of the numbers of students and the schools resources, Oberlin is able to offer more majors, classes, and options than most LACs. </p>

<p>The wonderful bulletin boards are everywhere and they are covered with everything from protest posters, to merengue lesson announcements, to tutors needed, to artist recital concerts with a world-famous organist, to multiple readings, discussion groups and presentations. My favorite poster must have been a leftover April Fools joke. It was advocating a protest march on Victoria’s Secrets because they use nonrecycled paper for their catalogs. The poster explained that forests were clear cut to create the paper for the catalogs, so they suggested that the protesters should dress up in lingerie and protest outside the store carrying chainsaws symbolizing the razing of the virgin forests. </p>

<p>Of course, Oberlin is liberal, often radical. Rumor has it that the students will protest anything. For example, they don’t sell Coca-cola products on campus because of something about coke’s hiring practices. Also, in one of the student newspapers I read a story about what happened a year or two ago when some students tried to start a Republican club. The campus Socialists heard about the organizational meeting and attended since the meeting was open to all. Since they outnumbered the Republicans, they voted themselves into the leadership positions and effectively disbanded the club. I thought it was amusing since it’s probably the only time the Socialists have achieved a political victory over the Republicans. However, my S thought it was mean spirited and even the Democratic club is concerned. Consequently, one of the Democratic club leaders is attempting to revive the Republican club so their voice can also be heard. </p>

<p>I’ll mention two things unique to Oberlin on our visits. First, they have the Experimental College, Exco. Anyone can offer a course in Exco, whether they are a student, a retired professor, or someone from the community. I think anyone can also attend the class. If the teacher provides a syllabus, teach the lessons, etc. students may even earn credit for attending. The professors told me a freshman student with a dancing talent offered Samba lessons and 200 people wanted in the class. </p>

<p>The second unique program is the opportunity for student to rent works of art from the college art museum. The art museum is on campus and the size of its collection is exceeded by only Harvard and Yale. They said they have so many pieces of art, that it takes 11 years to rotate them through the museum for exhibits. Rather than let them sit in storage, 400 pieces are rented to students for $5 a semester every year. It is first-come first-served, so students camp out to be first in line. And the pieces have included works by Picasso, Degas, and a bunch of other famous artists whose name you would probably recognize if I could remember them. The AC doing the info session said their insurance company refuses to insure the pieces being loaned out, so it requires a tremendous commitment and trust from the college to share the art with the students. He said they’ve been doing this for over 50 years, and haven’t lost anything for 36 years. I don’t know what happened then. </p>

<p>My favorite Oberlin quote was from a student who was placing flyers for an author’s presentation one evening. As he put the flyers on the table, he commented that there were so many “extra” things to attend that he had to learn to restrict himself or he didn’t leave time to get work done or attend his classes. He said Oberlin has “the largest concentration of noncompetitive overachieving people I’ve ever seen anywhere.”</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>Wow! These reviews are way too long. It didn't intend to write a book, but I kept adding information once after I started. That's going to have to be it for tonight. If I'm not cyber-lynched for using excessive bandwidth, I'll add the other colleges tomorrow.</p>

[ampersand]

<p>They may be long, but they're helpful too. Thanks for the information!</p>

[jmmom]

<p>
[quote]
I’d also caution any ND applicants to avoid application essays that include references to the movie “Rudy” or their own triumphant return from a sports injury to make the winning shot. He said he can’t believe there are so many injured students in America who come back to score the touchdown or make the winning shot. Now if you have a good personal essay about getting injuring while watching Rudy, but you manage to reach the remote anyway, that might work….

[/quote]
ROFALOL
Are you SURE you're not curmudgeon under another screenname? I am adding you to my list of "faves." I'm all through with the college hunt (S and gS off to their respective choices in the fall), but I'm really enjoying your creative writing.. er.. college visit reviews. Keep 'em coming.</p>

[dstark]

<p>doddsdad, keep going. I don't even have a kid interested in these schools and I think your reviews are great. You get a distinctive flavor of each school from your reviews. They should be made permanent in the individual college section of CC.</p>

[cangel]

<p>The ND review is a true classic! I liked the Oberlin as well, in that your son was honest enough to see that his prior thoughts colored his experience. Keep 'em coming!</p>

<p>The ND one is good, too, because it is a school that gets little press here, but I know it has lots of applicants - probably because kids are born knowing they will go there! But for the student trying to decide if s/he will fit in and is not of the ND family - it is helpful.</p>

[mchs]

<p>i, too, love your reviews. great to read the perspective of someone who can find value in such diverse places. am currently looking at colleges for daughter, second child, and am casting a wide net.</p>

[curmudgeon]

<p>O.K. let's crank up the bandwidth brother . Pedal faster. LOL. As we say down where cangel lives, "I haven't been this excited since the hogs ate my little brother." I can't wait for your thoughts on Kenyon, Denison and Hanover. Again, I'll stress to all of you who do the "raise the one eyebrow" thing at the mention of Centre, it's an excellent school doing a excellent job.</p>

[pattykk]

<p>doddsdad: You were born to boogie, man. Trying to absorb all this Texas boogie and Grand Am boogie. It's too much.</p>

[mizsic]

<p>Kenyon, please. We are going there tomorrow.</p>

[carolyn]

<p>Doddsdad: More! More! These are great reviews. I particularly loved the ND one and it confirmed my thoughts that it might be a fit for my football-loving son in a few years. I also liked the Centre one - that is a school that doesn't get much attention here (or elsewhere either) and it strikes me as a great place. I'm particularly interested to hear if your son also scratched Earlham as being too similar to Oberlin. And Kenyon! I want to know what you thought about Kenyon!</p>

[jamimom]

<p>Doddsdad, what great posts! I'm a DOD kid myself--Frankfurt Germany, Americans now gone from there. Came from the Giessen area, understand that is still open. In my day, we applied to schools blindly from Germany. Did not see my college till I moved into the dorm. And most kids applied to 1-3 schools, usually state/local schools from their home state. It's great that you are providing this variety on the tours. I'm going to really enjoy reading the rest of your write ups. Welcome aboard!</p>

[fireflyscout]

<p>Centre has been getting a lot of discussion here lately. Perhaps it's time for it to get a board in the college forum? It is ranked #45 on the US News list and many others below it have boards.</p>

<p>My daughter and I were especially impressed with the quality of offerings at the Norton Center. And Dead Fred.</p>

[curmudgeon]

<p>fireflyscout, actually in 2005 Centre moved to #42 on the USNWR rankings. Tied with Occidental, and higher than other fine schools like Gettysburg, Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore, Denison, Beloit, Lawrence, Pitzer, St. Lawrence or Muhlenberg (among lots of others). Together with Rhodes, and Southwestern U.-these schools are "blowing up" right now in popularity and admissions apps are up at all three as are their stats.</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>“Gosh!” (He says blushing, as he thinks, “They like me! They really like me!) </p>

<p>Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement. I’ll work on getting the other reviews out ASAP. I’ll give a quick preview on Kenyon: It was my S’s favorite and I liked it too.</p>

[doddsdad]

<p>Curmudgeon and Fireflyscout: I guess it’s obvious that I agree Centre is a great school. We were also very impressed with the Norton Center and what they offered in their schedule. As our trip progressed I became increasingly impressed with the Centre Commitment. They guarantee that students will be offered an opportunity to study abroad, to have an internship, and to graduate in four years. If the student has met their commitment to the school and doesn’t get those opportunities, Centre will pay for another year of school for them. Initially, I thought of it as a marketing gimmick, until I realized that none of the other schools offered the same combination. All of the schools offer those opportunities, but not in combination, and no guarantees. For example, at ND the study abroad programs are competitive. Not everyone gets to go.</p>