<p>Is the U of Scranton worth it or is it a waste of money? Do the pros outweigh the cons?</p>
<p>I am a current student at Scranton, I have to say well worth the money. I love it, im going to be a sophomore this year and I cant wait to go back. Anyone i’ve talked to loved the school. I highly suggest going there.</p>
<p>The cost of attendance in our case is weighed against several items. Some of the more important issues are balance of academics and social life. My son has looked at many school already that include Marist, Providence, Loyola U-MD, Fordham, Holy Cross, Villanova and about 10 others. However, I/we keep coming back to Scranton. While it may not stack up against some schools in academic reputation, I am a firm believer that you get out of it what you put into it. While there are things that I would certainly like to change no school has been the perfect fit but U of S has already made several improvements in the past 18 months when the it came on our radar. New dorms, science center, student center, other improvements. Another factor is that at some of the schools my S would not receive any merit aid and I don’t think we will qualify for FA. That said, in most cases going to the right graduate program is more important and thus if we could save some money aside for later that would be a big help. Thus, attending U. of S for our S. would provide him with a quality undergrad education and hopefully a memorable experience. For us the school becomes affordable with good merit aid, won’t crush us taking out a second mortgage.<br>
So the question is Scranton worth it, is relative to your position and personal preferences.
For us the answer is yes.</p>
<p>I’m a Holy Cross graduate and the parent of one as well. I don’t know a lot about U of Scranton, but I do know one important thing: like Holy Cross, it’s a Jesuit school and it’s impossible to beat the Jesuits when it comes to colleges.</p>
<p>Check back with us in 4 years…the verdict is still out. ;)</p>
<p>As an FYI, Scranton offers very good merit aid and has an excellent reputation in some programs. (Nursing is one of them.)</p>
<p>With merit aid, it was cheaper for D to go there than her OOS State school options. Classes are smaller, more clinical time, etc.</p>
<p>Is it worth it? I hope so…:o</p>
<p>Have you visited the school yet? You could visit and decide if you want to include it in your list. I would suggest that you examine what the school has to offer in terms of non academic activities and real off campus activities. My friends’ son attended and transferred after his first year because he felt there was very little to do other than attend parties. If you want more than just a party atmosphere than you may want to examine some other schools. It also does not hurt to see what you are offered financially and compare Scranton to other schools both academically and socially.</p>
<p>The above poster who said that “everyone loves the school” is speaking from her own experience and not of all students. Many students as they mature get tired of the party atmosphere and seek schools that can offer more.</p>
<p>Ummmm… D is NOT a party animal by any stretch…</p>
<p>She has only been there a week. She has joined the band, is signing up for co-ed intramural sport team tomorrow, and has joined another student group. Went to the mall yesterday. Attended the Friday night non-alcoholic activities on Friday night. Has been to the gym every other day. Finds her classes challenging and teachers interesting so far.</p>
<p>She is looking forward to the Italian Festival in town next weekend. She loves music!
Also mentioned something about going to the movies in town next weekend.</p>
<p>Yes, there definitely are kids that party. But, I think you will find those types at most colleges. :o
(Trust me I know. S went to a top 10 college and most of his friends from high school attended top 10, Ivies, and lower Ivies like Cornell, etc.)</p>
<p>Stay tuned…</p>
<p>P.S. Not everyone is like momma-threes friend’s son…
D has found lots of kids that love Scranton, including her two upper class RA’s. She has certainly met more who enjoy everything that Scranton has to offer, than those sitting around complaining. So far, she has been VERY busy. Granted that could change, but so far so good.</p>
<p>wannabepreppy ~ We have had a relationship with Scranton since 2001 as we have one child who graduated from Scranton and another who is in their senior year, I would say Scranton has been worth every penny. That being said, I also feel they are fairly generous with merit aid, which is what made it affordable for us.</p>
<p>Now your title question was “U of Scranton too pricey?” Well, it is in the same range of similar colleges: St. Joseph’s, Fairfield and Quinnipiac all have a slightly higher price tag than Scranton for tuition, room & board. Ithaca is about $100 less and Marist is about $6700 less, but I have heard that Marist is not quite so generous with merit money.</p>
<p>Scranton is also ranked #3 on US News list for undergraduate teaching in the Master’s North category, where peer college administrators were asked to name colleges that showed an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.</p>
<p>kycrusader said it best:
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<p>!sokkermom… We are not going to agree with our perception of Scranton so lets just agree to disagree. I am giving a perspective that many young people may not realize when they first visit the school. Other than the movie theatre and the mall there are very few things to do off of that campus. This is a terrific school if you are more of an extrovert who loves to get out and party Wed through Sat and yes that is what goes on, especially once the semester gets going and the days and nights are cold. There is not a thing to do outside of that tiny campus.</p>
<p>The big difference between the schools that you mentioned and Scranton is that a student could actually be stimulated by more than alcohol on other campus’. I understand you are sensitive about someone saying something about the school your daughter attends…I am sensitive to some of your remarks (which are rediculus) as well. I just feel that this school really needs to do something to attract a higher caliber of academic students so the drinking and partying is not all they have to look forward to for four years.</p>
<p>As I said I have spent more time on that campus than you as a new parent has. I have been there at all times including midweek and weekend nights. I would imagine you have been there maybe three or four times if that. Talk to me in a year and let me know if your daughter is surrounded by kids who do more than drink.</p>
<p>I would also add when students move off campus the parties move to the apartments but again there is little more. </p>
<p>The nursing program is very good but if you are spending more at Scranton to attend a nursing program than you would at a good state program than you are paying way too much.</p>
<p>I am not going to get engaged in any further conversations at this time regarding the merits of any colleges with an anonymous stranger. </p>
<p>I am sorry you had such a bad experience with your friend’s kid and his drinking issues. Not all kids are like that. Many kids do find things to do. Maybe you just haven’t met those kids!</p>
<p>As for the “academic experience” at Scranton, and your comments regarding the “caliber” of students - the comments mean nothing. Maybe your friend’s kid wasn’t a serious student, or maybe he just wasn’t motivated to make the best of the education he could have received at Scranton. Hopefully he is happy wherever he landed.</p>
<p>As has been said many times on cc, not every school is a good fit for every kid. For that matter, some kids don’t really fit in any college.</p>
<p>As far as the “value” of Scranton, there are many experts in the field of education who feel differently than momma. …:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Suffice it to say that any further comments from someone without any first hand experience would be “rediculus” :D</p>
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<p>It is also a terrific school if you are not a party animal. As I have stated many times, neither of my kids is into the party scene and both found plenty to do both on and off campus. </p>
<p>Have you ever looked into their honors programs? Have you checked out SJLA? Do you have any idea what types of bright students they have in those programs? There are plenty of students there stimulated by things other than alcohol.</p>
<p>On 6/26/09 you posted:
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<p>I don’t know what happened between that post and January, 2010 when you started posting about your friend’s son who was unhappy there. You have said you are on campus a lot. Then why would you have recommended the school to your friend if you were aware of all these problems?</p>
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<p>Why do you seem to think that poster’s experience is the minority view? We have spoken with many, many students in our 8 years there. We have not spoken with a student that was unhappy. I’m sure they exist, but they are the minority. Good grief, you get kids that are unhappy at top schools too, for any number of reasons.</p>
<p>My D has had much success in getting professional positions for which she has applied. Much of that was due to her Scranton education - both the reputation of the university and the knowledge and confidence she gained there. You are right - it is a great school for the right student - one who wants to grow and learn and leave a better person than when they arrived.</p>
<p>And yes, sokkermom, Italian Festival is next weekend! We will probably go visit son one day of the weekend and go to the Festival. We have gone the last three years. Great food, love to walk the square, just a fun time! Will probably get hit up taking him and the roomies out for dinner later, but that’s ok, they are great guys and fun to be with and talk to.</p>
<p>Yes I am very upset at the experience that my Godchild had at Scranton. As I said he was a non drinker and I am not going to keep repeating that. He did however enjoy getting out and the only way of doing that was by going to parties. When the parties started to get busted up by the police it became very unsettling to him and every student on that campus. The police were using unnecessary means to catch the underage drinkers and according to him and his roommate the police were using tazors to ensure that running kids could not run. This is absolutely horrendous behavior on a college campus whose main goal, outside of the academics, should be to keep students safe. There were weekends when there were close to 100 underage citations issued according to him. Students were getting randomly breathalized on their way back to dorms and the overall feeling on the campus was miserable. There were dogs brought in to go through the freshman dorms to sniff out drugs and this too added to the overall feeling of things being out of control. He felt that students were just plain bored.</p>
<p>All my Godson wanted was a campus like any other, that included good academics and enough activities to keep him happy. He was only one of many kids that I spoke to while on the campus, and the attitude was that there was just nothing in terms of a town and the school was a big disappointment. He is very happy now, attending Boston college his dream school. He should have attended Boston right out of highschool but he did not think he could handle the challenge when decision time came around. </p>
<p>As far as not having first hand experience as 1sokkermom has suggested I had plenty of experience and my attitude changed drasticlly about the school after seeing what I saw. The school appears to have a wonderful environment and I too was fooled and then after three weekend trips with my friend we saw for ourselves what the problems are there. As I said I probably spent more time on that campus than either of the above parents have. I do not need to disclose who I am or what my reasons for being there were, but much of my time there was combining business and personal time. It was not until I learned about how unhappy he was that my trips included weekends. When parents arrive on campus for visits they are seeing only the day hours of what seems like a peaceful little campus. Try getting in your car and visit on a Wed through Saturday night and you will be surprised by seeing the ammount of free time these students have to do nothing but party for a good part of the week.</p>
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He didn’t try very hard to find other things to do. </p>
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Again, not our experience at all.</p>
<p>It sounds like you only started to get involved and visit the campus when your friend’s son became upset. Our family has been visiting and hearing about life on campus for almost 8 years! (minus the one year after first graduated and second began, although we did visit the campus several times that year as well.) Your experience is based on one student who was there. And of course if you talked to the students he hung out with it’s very possible their complaints feed off each other. How many of those students left? In one of the other threads, sokkermom posted the retention rates which are about 90%, which I consider to be very good. And if they do lose some, as all colleges do, there are plenty of others who transfer in. </p>
<p>I am sorry your godson did not have a good experience. But that doesn’t make the school a bad choice for everyone else. In fact, it has been the perfect choice for many of the kids that we know. </p>
<p>Was your godson in SJLA or any of the honors programs? If you talk to those kids, you will get a much different view and you will meet some fantastic and amazing young people.</p>
<p>Kitty, I am sure there are many happy students at the school. I in fact had prior experience with the school since my nephew attended (sisters’ son). It does have a long standing reputation for having very little to do outside of the parties and the few activities that are on campus. I would not recommend a college that does not have a nice off campus vibe to anyone, as a result of what I saw with my Godson. I think college age kids need to have more than just a campus and parties.</p>
<p>My opinion of state schools have changed alot since this experience. At a state school there are so many opportunities to become as involved as you want to be in a huge ammount of ECs or activities. As far as private schools are concerned there is something very important about having a college town to go to. IMHO</p>
<p>The City of Scranton is having an Italian Festival this weekend. It sounds like a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Just found out that “Legally Blonde” Broadway show is playing the weekend before Thanksgiving in Scranton. Awesome. D will be psyched.</p>
<p>Indoor Soccer Tournaments, Jazz festivals, ski area, music venues, art exhibits, Hockey and baseball minor league teams not far away. In addition to two malls, restaurants. etc.</p>
<p>D is very excited about club sign-ups tonight. She couldn’t believe what the school has to offer. Her concern is that she doesn’t have time for everything. </p>
<p>She is also very excited about community service at nearby hospitals. Her classes are demanding and she will be studying more than expected too. ;)</p>
<p>I feel badly for the kids who can not find anything to do but party in a place like Scranton? I wonder why ? I am not sure it is the fault of the school.
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<p>There are buses that transport kids (without cars) to various locations in town
and buses that go to the Shoppes at Montage.</p>
<p>Not to be a “Cheerleader” for the school, but it is really important for any prospective students to hear both sides, not just the constant bashing.</p>
<p>There are things to do. There really are. :rolleyes:</p>
<p><a href=“http://matrix.scranton.edu/admissions/location.shtml[/url]”>http://matrix.scranton.edu/admissions/location.shtml</a></p>
<p>Shame on those who can’t find anything to do but drink.</p>
<p>You mention many things that require a car. How is a freshman getting to the places you mention? You have talked about skiing and there is no weekend bus that goes to the slopes. You have talked about trips to the city…those trips are rare and leave at a very early hour on the weekend. What is there to do? There are no cafes, restaurants, clubs, trendy stores etc… I do not know too many college kids that find the mall or the movie theatre stimulating. I have not been on the campus for the past three months so unless the neighborhood has changed and regentrified in that period I would consider it to be one of the dullest towns that happen to have a college. The environment is just not conducive to a stimulating college experience. There are many colleges in towns such as Scranton but they may at least have a college town that the students could gravitate to. I still think the college has an obligation to provide enough stimulation outside of classrooms if they want to charge the private school fees. </p>
<p>To answer the OPs question…Look at the merit and/or the financial aid packages of all the schools you have been accepted to and if Scranton should happen to provide more than the others consider if it is a place that will keep you happy as you grow and mature.</p>
<p>You have the right to recommend or not recommend a college based on your experience. I have done that as well. But if I don’t recommend a school, I will give my reasons and move on. But you seem to keep hammering at the same points, even though sokkermom and I cite example after example that are counter to your points. You seem to have a personal grudge against the school perhaps because of your godson’s experience.</p>
<p>In one of your threads you criticized the ADP program and its students. One student who is in the program took offense at your generalizations. Apparently that is another student who is not into the party scene and is certainly putting forth the effort to achieve a quality education.</p>
<p>One of the primary factors in selecting a college for our kids was the rigor of the academics. Scranton certainly filled that requirement. Even sokkermom’s D is finding she needs to study even more than she may have thought. Yes, we considered the activities offered. Actually, that was one of the reasons my first one chose Scranton - it had a major activity that she had been doing since she was 5. She took part in the overnight visit and her hosts told her of other activities in which she was interested. She became a tour guide, she did community service, she did her activity which required time during the week and some weekends, she hung out with friends, she STUDIED (a lot, lol!). Her major activity required transportation. Ya know what? The upperclass students doing that activity arranged carpools so that the freshmen could get there. So if you sign up for intramural skiing or snowboarding you can probably arrange a ride with others. If you leave it to the students, they will work it out.</p>
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That is only your opinion. It has been great for my kids, and as I mentioned in a previous thread, they have been on many college campuses - public and private- as they were growing up. They have loved their time there, have made many wonderful friends, had some awesome professors, and have had some great opportunities as a direct result of their education at Scranton. They grew and matured into wonderful, caring, compassionate adults as a result of the Jesuit influence. That certainly strikes me as a stimulating college experience.</p>
<p>"The environment is just not conducive to a stimulating college experience. "</p>
<p>Wow. That certainly doesn’t hold true for D so far. She gave me a quick ten minute call between classes to tell me how excited she was at lunch today. She has been so busy with everything.</p>
<p>Already has (non-party) plans for the weekend. She is going to the Friday night activities, and will probably go to Italian Festival with some new friends on Sat., loves the Band, goes to the gym because it is really convenient, has been invited to play raquetball (which she has never done), has formed a chemistry study group, is meeting to decide which hospital to do the required community service for intro nursing class later today, has to do some research for psych class, will sign up for co-ed volleyball on Wed., has figured out how to do laundry (with the cute boy on the first floor ;)),…etc., etc.</p>
<p>So far she has found both the campus and City of Scranton to be “Electrifying”…
</p>
<p>Hope it stays that way.</p>