Anyone familiar with these schools? Are there things you like and don’t like about any of them? D is looking for great academics (engaging professors), a friendly/welcoming vibe, lots to do , a vibrant social scene including Greek life and a beautiful campus with decent dorms and good food. Thanks.
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Do you think her stats would fit with Dickinson? Close by, and a great choice as well.
@intparent Hi! We have already toured Dickinson. She liked the campus and what she heard about the academics/class sizes/professors, but she thought it might be too quiet for her. Her tour guide was a serious STEM student who told her she went to bed early each night. To give you an idea of what she liked in PA: she really loved Bucknell and liked Lafayette. I think she wants a very social school. Do you think Dickinson would fit the bill? It’s hard to know from a tour.
I don’t see the others on your list as that different. Maybe more partying at Gettysburg (but you can definitely find a party at D’son – that sounds like one tour student who wasn’t super social). But Dickinson is stronger academically without being overwhelming. STEM students work hard everywhere, too (you might get the same comment from a serious STEM major at any school).
@intparent Thanks so much. Might need to look into Dickinson again. D doesn’t smoke and occasionally will sip at a drink, but wants a lively party scene. Go figure.
My kid at D’son had an active social life, but not much drinking. Those parties were there if she wanted them. She was active with the swing dance club (I think they went to a local bar sometimes to dance) and had a lot of friends to hang out with. They went to campus events or out to eat or to movies.
We toured all three, and daughter applied to Gettysburg and F&M (as well as DIckinson and Lafayette). All of those should be a match for what she’s looking for. Not sure about the food but would assume all are decent. D’s pretty much written off Gettysburg due to its big party reputation (she’s not averse to partying and will likely do her share, but their reputation seems markedly worse than most schools-not sure if that’s true or not) Muhlenberg seemed very small and quiet when we were there so she never applied. Heard they have great merit though. F&M high on her list, but it’s more of a reach than the other schools. Not sure it’ll be an option since it’s FA only and we probably won’t qualify. Laf also high on D’s list. Did you look at Lehigh? Very similar to the others on your list.
Of the schools you listed Gettysburg and F&M seem closest to what she wants. I’d suggest Lafayette, Lehigh and Bucknell as well if she has the stats.
@citymama9 Muhlenberg checks all the boxes except a large Greek scene. Gettysburg and F&M both have more Greek centered social scenes. Muhlenberg has more of a theater scene. Muhlenberg is closer to a small city, Allentown and larger cities Philadelphia and New York. Similar schools but with slightly different vibes. It is definitely worth a visit to all three to experience the schools first hand. Best of luck to you!
Thanks everyone! Good feedback! We saw Lehigh (walked and drove around the campus, but no tour) and she didn’t like the layout of the campus. She’s really into quads, lol. And those hills and woods by the fraternity houses didn’t appeal.
We looked at a few of the schools on your list and here are my D’s very subjective comments:
F&M - Was in my D’s top group of schools she liked. Nice campus, seemed like a good, balanced social life. A friend of hers did attend and really had a good experience.
Muhlenberg – Fell off our list after the tour. But I’d chalk it up more to a terrible tour guide than the school itself. The school is supposed to be strong in STEM but when she asked to see a lab the guide showed her a room that looked like a HS lab (I’m guessing there are others) and the guide talked constantly about Jewish life on campus which was not her interest. They are known for good merit aid.
Dickinson - She liked the school but didn’t feel it was STEM oriented enough for her (despite a new science center) and she hated that a road went through campus. Again, she knows a HS classmate who attended and was very happy there.
Lehigh - We toured by my D wanted a LAC and this is a mid-size university so this was in her “no” column from the start. And the very heavy Greek Life (and big hil)l were a turn offs. Many people do like the school.
Bucknell – Again, felt it was too Greek for her and didn’t love the location (a bit isolated feeling for her).
Lafayette - Where she ultimately attended. Had a fantastic experience there. It was a good fit for her – strong in both STEM and humanities, good fit socially (have Greek Life but not overwhelming) etc. I will say that a number of the dorms are just OK. If you are going to Muhlenberg, I’d strongly suggest stopping by Lafayette as well as they are probably a half hour or so apart. If you have any questions about Lafayette feel free to PM me.
I have a sophomore at Bucknell and he was also accepted to Franklin and Marshall - loved both schools, but ultimately went with Bucknell due to sports recruiting. Franklin and Marshall has a unique house system that really appealed to me and our son. Food is a big issue to my son since he is an athlete and the Bucknell food get very high marks and the F&M food we sampled was very good, too. Good luck!
@happy1 Thanks for the post!! We have been to Lafayette twice now. Once just looking around and more recently we went on a tour. It’s on her list of schools to apply to as of now.
I live within an hour of F&M, Gettysburg, and Dickinson.
F&M: Great school. Solid academics. Good location right in Lancaster. The area around the college has built up over the past ten years or so with a lot of nice restaurants and bars. Doesn’t offer merit scholarships. Only need-based. So if that is an issue, something to consider. My S19 would love F&M but we won’t qualify for enough need-based and can’t afford to send him there without merit.
Gettysburg: First school we visited. Gorgeous campus. Academics are great. Food is good. First-year experience is cool with intriguing topics. My son really liked that. It is in a small town not near anything. Active greek scene. My S19 is not a greek scene kid so it went off the list for him. But for the right-minded student, would be a great match.
Dickinson: Similar in setting to Gettysburg. In a small town not near anything else. We have a visit scheduled next month.
A note about small Pennsylvania college towns, they can really be isolated. Which is totally cool for some kids. But not for others. I would call F&M suburban because of easy access to Lancaster and Amtrak. Gettysburg has a lot of tourism (naturally!) but is not part of a larger suburban area. Same with Dickinson.
Wanted to point that out because of your screen name @citymama9 . 
I’d also check out Union College, Trinity College, Allegheny College, Ursinus College, and St. Lawrence University.
@InfiniteWaves Thanks! Surprisingly, my city kid wants a rural or suburban campus, and has no desire to be in or near a big city. I guess she feels like she will have all that entails when she comes home on breaks.
@Jared1123 Thank you. Union is on our list to tour. We walked around the campus once when school wasn’t in session, and it was lovely. Can you tell me about St. Lawrence? Also if you or anyone else has anything positive to say about Trinity that would be helpful. I kind of ruled that out, because I have read that the neighborhood is bad, the students are snobby, and there’s a big drug culture. If I’m mistaken, please let me know,.
Union is another school with a fairly heavy party reputation.
@citymama9 what you’ve read really does describe Trinity. We are close, and dd is there daily in the fall for swim team. The campus is beautiful and the school seems academically well regarded, but the area is the pits and they have a bad reputation for drugs/drinking. You might look at Conn College and the other NESCAC schools and Hobart & William Smith.
Seems like you have a lot of the same schools on your list as my D:
Trinity - We did tour Trinity and my D nixed it right away. We didn’t love the surrounding area (and my S went to Fordham in the Bronx), we didn’t feel the campus looked well-maintained, and the kids just seemed too preppy for my D. I did walk away thinking one could get a very good education there, but it wasn’t the right fit.
Union - I agree that Union could be a good school to see as well. Union was a top choice of my D. Ultimately she felt it may have been a bit too STEM oriented (wonderful science/engineering facilities) when she wanted a balance between STEM and humanities offerings (that was just her gut feeling) and she didn’t love the trimester system.
St. Lawrence - No first hand information but I have two friends with kids who went there and loved it.