Lipscomb is south west of downtown near 12 ave south/green hills. The campus is very defined/contained.
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To be fair, I havenât been to Delaware since I was in college (visiting friends, who were oos students there) so canât really fairly comment on the current environment there. It is a popular choice among some of my childâs friends who are looking for a medium size state school that is neither too far or close to home.
Loyola is right next door to the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and within a mile of Hopkins (on the same street, believe or not). Goucher and Towson University are only a few miles away. Iâm not familiar with the ability to cross enroll for classes, but it would be very doable based on proximity.
The college is about 15 minute drive from downtown Baltimore and maybe ten minutes from Towson so there is plenty of access to culture, sports teams, restaurants and shops, etc. . .
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Might be too late but what about Rollins College in FL? Weather is warm and school is small but you have all of Orlando just a train ride away. And a cute town right off of campus. It just sounds like what she is describing she wants.
Iâve visited Delaware & lLoyola with my kids. Delaware is a pretty campus and it has a cute college town attached the campus. Everything seemed very walkable. I really liked it. Friendâs daughter goes there and has a great social life. She did find it a bit hard at first as there were lots of kids from NJ and NY who all seemed to have friends there. It is a âsmallerâ state flagship but it is still a big school. And if she doesnât want big, it doesnât seem like this is the school for her.
Loyola is a pretty campus but it definitely felt more suburban than urban to us. Campus is sort of long and narrow. Dorms on one end, then academic buildings in the middle and then more dorms on the other end. D did not like the layout. Tour guide said that they go downtown a lot to party at the bars but they always take Ubers. She said there werenât really other options to get into the city. Baltimore itself is pretty âmehâ. Husband and I spent a night there last year in a nice hotel in the harbor. We did not feel very safe walking around at night. I grew up in Boston and spend a lot of time there and in NYC so I am familiar with city living and we just did not have a great feeling in Baltimore.
I know nothing about Trinity but recently had a friend move to Dallas from the northeast. She has lived all over the country but said TX is the biggest culture shock she has ever experienced.
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I can understand being disappointed with the Inner harbor area, but it long ago ceased to be the the it neighborhood in Baltimore. In fact, harborplace is in receivership and the city is in the process of redeveloping it. Basing your view of the city on that area of the city is akin to judging Boston on government center or the North End during the Big Dig.
The neighborhoods that are popular with young professionals and college students are Harbor East, Fellâs Point, Hampden and Federal Hill. All are teeming with people in the evening, amd quite charming and quirky.
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Dallas and San Antonio are very different cities with very different cultures.
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Hi! My son is at Loyola, is a D1 athlete and LOVES it! I went there for my M.Ed. It is a wonderful school! Campus is beautiful and they have so many activities and clubs. Many club sports. A club called Options where each week they can sign up to take fun trips like bowling, movie, go-karts, Orioles, Ravens games, etc. Also their OAE (Outdoor Adventure Experience) is active and they go on backpacking, hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, rock climbing trips/weekends etc. Greyhound Superfans hold many events before basketball, lacrosse and soccer games and give the first couple hundred fans free Greyhound t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, scarves, blankets. Heâs gotten tons of gear! There have been so many nice little touches too. Free dozen doughnuts the morning of finals, free Midnight breakfasts once a month, Lessons and Carols Christmas service in the chapel. My other son loves Loyola too, but heâs looking to go to UD because they have a marine science major there and heâs super excited. I am happy to answer any questions! 
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Thank you so much! I had no idea about all the extra ways Loyola makes to help students feel connected. My nephews go to UDel and they love it. I need to add Rhodes and UNC-CH into the mix now that sheâs been accepted to those schools as well. I signed up for accepted student events with UDel and Loyola. I am excited to go and seee thee schools.
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Welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions. The Messina program at Loyola for freshman was nice too.
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I am so thankful for all the helpful posts. I am not sure if anyone will check back on this thread but now we have added Furman, UNC-CH (OOS) and Rhodes into the mix after receiving those acceptances. UNC-CH is definitely not like the others but our daughter has connections with NC and it feels like home to her which she is drawn to since we live overseas. But, I am struggling to come to terms with paying OOS tuition and reading the parent boards I am sure the education at a smaller LAC will be more personalized. Any thoughts?
There are advantages and disadvantages. UNC offers size, an in town walkable location, and reputation. Just because itâs public doesnât mean you canât winnow it down to a personal feel.
The others may be less with merit - Iâll assume they will be given you got into UNC.
Neither is in a town - Rhodes is in Memphis but you donât walk outside and Furman is on the outskirts of Greenville, to the North. Yes, theyâre smaller and can provide great relationships but doesnât mean they will. And yes with merit, they can be less.
These are really diverse choices - even between Rhodes and Furman.
All three are great names but one stands out if that matters (UNC).
good luck.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insight. We havenât visited Furman, (or Trinity, Berry, or Loyola, MD). I think the ones she is drawn to are Trinity, Rhodes and UNC. Maybe if we could visit the decision would be more clear. Having not been to Furman, in what way is Furman and Rhodes different? The location? or the education? She really liked her visit to Rhodes (but we didnât get a feel of the city of Memphis). I think she sees Trinity as being similar to Rhodes but then again she hasnât been. I saw her face and demeanor change when we were at Rhodes. Sheâs the third and I can just see when a college clicks into place when we are on a visit. Yes, UNC will be the most as OOS. She refused to meet with AO at UNC when we visited last summer, and was irritable walking around the campus so I thought she wasnât interested. When she got in (which was a huge surprise to us all) she was so happy. When I asked her why because she seemed to show no interest when we were there she said it was because she didnât think it was an option at all. So, although I saw things click with Rhodes, I know they grow and change and may start to want a different college makeup than when they first toured. That said, the parent board is making me anxiousâŠdifficulty getting into classes, majors, programs, sexual assults, lack of guidance, controversy over the plan to create the new School of Civic Life and Leadership, housing issues, the cs dept fiasco, etc. Parents having one kid at UNC and one at NCSU or Charlotte and consistently saying the other uniâs provide more student support and guidance. It seems really disorganized. She is smart and driven but not laser focused. I donât know if that makes UNC more or less fitting for her.
Is UNC out-of-state affordable for your family? If not, then it can be eliminated.
If it is within budget, has your daughter attended any online events at the colleges under consideration? Spoken to any current students? Done a 4-year plan for what the coursework would be like at each school (i.e. too many classes sheâs not looking forward to, not enough time to take all the classes she wants, etc.)? Looked at the different clubs and extracurriculars to see which ones has a number of which sheâd like to join, or hardly any? Are there particular professors that she would like to work with based on their research interests? Are there particular study abroad options that she likes better at one school vs. another (and that can include whether she can take classes in her major while abroad or only electives)? Are there living learning communities (LLC) at UNC that appeal to her? How hard would it be to get a placement in one of them? (I call out UNC by name, as the other schools are so much smaller that it may feel more like an LLC already.)
If thereâs a significant price difference, but all contenders are within budget, does your daughter have any plans for grad school? If so, would your family be willing to use any of the âsavingsâ between the most expensive options and the less expensive ones for grad school? Or a car or a down payment or a start-up fund for her own business? If your family is willing to entertain any of those options, then mention it to her and see how she feels and whether that sways her thoughts.
All of the schools youâre mentioning are good schools, all have happy students and alumni, and all will give her a quality education. They all are different, however. Has she joined any accepted student groups online? Seeing what the accepted students are talking about might sway her opinion as to which school(s) are right/less right for her, too.
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Thank you for your insightful comments. The cost with all will be ok. But, since UNC is OOS and a state school I am having a hard time justifying the expense when compared to private university that appear to be more personalized and cheaper. I mean even if we can pay, should we?
She has looked closely at them all. We really examined and re-examined the list before she sent applications. After the list was done, and the applications completed, I felt really good. I knew she would be happy at any of them. And, that was important to me since we wonât be in the US if anything goes sideways. But, since we donât live in the US (although we are US citizens) we havenât had the opportunity to visit all the schools in personâŠwe havenât visited Trinity, Furman and Berry. But, specifics about each of the schools stood out to her. Weâve done online tours, emailed, connected with former students, etc. but unfortunately we havenât been on campus. The decision might be clearer if we had. She is the third, and has been drug to a lot of campus tours and seen the schools her siblings are at so was able to focus on what she wanted for a college experience.
She is on the social media. It is helping her somewhat. But, she says everyone seems nice⊠Sheâs made connections with individuals and some have asked to room together if she attends.
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Trinity as in San Antonio ? A fine school too.
If you could visit yes the decision would be more clear. Can you take on line tours - not through the school but student done ones on YouTube etc.
If she showed no interest in UNC and I get it - she was not wanting to be disappointed but if she clicked at Rhodes, thatâs great. Trinity is in the city so thatâs nice. You donât walk around Rhodes. You do at UNC. I mean itâs right downtown. You do at Trinity.
In the end, it may be she can be happy at all. Thereâs not necessarily just one school. At the same time thereâs no assurance.
Will Rhodes be big enough ? You can make a big school smaller but not vice versa.
She can get whatever she wants at any school but she will need focus. At the same time without focus she may miss what she needs. Students need to take ownership of their lives no matter where you are.
As for $$ thatâs an individual decision. I get it. I could afford but did I want to ?
You seem to believe a private school is worth more money than not and youâre allowed to do so.
Either way - make a decision and go. The outside of school environments are vastly different. Which is right for her?
Congratulations on UNC! Is that her current preference or just one of the top few? If she is worried about being on a campus with not that much going on, UNC seems like the opposite of that. The fact that she already has found some potential roommates suggests she would be able to make her way at a larger school. So many good options for her.
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Thank you! I donât think she has decided yet. She really likes all the schools!
Yes, Trinity University. I know Trinity College is more well known. She really didnât want any schools in the north. You have made a good point about being happy at more than 1 place. I truly think she can be happy at any of the schools. We have moved around a lot and she says she knows she can find at least a few people at each school that she clicks with.
Iâd much rather go to San Antonioâs Trinity than Hartfordâs any day of the week.
Personal opinion of course - but you have the city vs. being in not a nice city.
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This has been my Daughterâs progression as well! You outlined it so well!
This is an awkward period right now - poised on narrowing it down to 2 or 3 and making a final choice - April will be here in a hot minute!
If she got into UNC Chapel Hill, youâre right - itâs not like the others, because itâs a much more selective institution. They wouldnât have taken her if she didnât belong there. Assuming that you can swing the cost at OOS tuition, this is probably her best option. The students that she meets there will be other high achieving students, like her.
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