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<p>I don’t know if you were referring to me, but my kids grew up spending time on a lot of different college campuses as my husband is a college professor and I worked at a university. They also had activities that had them spend time on many additional college campuses. Some were rural, some urban, some suburban. No one was more surprised than I was when my first one LOVED Scranton from the minute we first visited over 9 years ago. I didn’t think she would like the city. But we all found it to be great. We were impressed with the revitalization downtown. The courthouse and surrounding area has undergone great renovations. The buildings and architecture in the city are amazing. My second started at another college and immediately wanted to transfer - talk about nothing to do! So their college experience is not limited to one school - far from it.</p>
<p>Is Scranton perfect? No - no college is. But in our case the benefits FAR outweigh any deficit. I encourage people to visit and make their own determination. I have told people that Scranton will not hold your hand. The student must ask for help when needed and the student is actually expected to work at it. Nothing is handed to them. Both my kids have had to advocate for themselves at certain points. What a great real-life experience! Offices don’t want parents calling. They want the student to take charge and learn to solve their problems.</p>
<p>And, no, I don’t think that students are doing EC’s on Thurs., Fri., Sat. and Sun. nights. But sometimes out of those EC’s comes social events. Many of the clubs do fundraisers so they can do things of interest to the club. One of my kids was in a club that also went out together socially a couple of times a month, plus they had events on weekends. There were upperclassmen who would give rides to those without cars. Clubs also have community service requirements and many of those are done on weekends. One kid’s group of friends did pizza and cards nights on weekends. Another had video game nights with kids playing against each other. AND, if a student is involved in EC’s during the week, the weekends provide a great opportunity to get their coursework done. I realize that is not the popular thing, but the good students do that. </p>
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<p>They do. They also have theater and musical performances, art exhibits, a big concert in the spring, comedians, etc. </p>
<p>I’m sorry your friend’s son is not happy. But he made the choice to go to the parties where by state law, it is illegal for people under 21 to be around alcohol. So he chose to take his chances. Maybe if he could get involved with some of the on-campus clubs he would find people with similar interests that would give him things to do on the weekends. </p>
<p>I’m sorry the students with whom you speak seem to be unhappy. But I guess they are not leaving. 1sokkermom posted the retention rates which seem pretty darn good. And yes, that is a statistic we took into consideration also.</p>
<p>And US News seems to like Scranton just fine. They are ranked 3rd in the master’s north category for best undergraduate teaching ahead of both Villanova and Loyola-Maryland. In overall ranking, they are ranked 7th, tied with Ithaca and ahead of such colleges as RIT, St. Joe’s and Marist, and are also ranked 10th as a Best Value. Scranton’s cost is certainly in the same range as the private colleges above and below it.</p>
<p>My kids have gotten great opportunities within the city of Scranton as well. One did an internship at the Federal court building and the other is gainfully employed downtown, making more an hour in a part time job than I do! Life isn’t so bad if you have direction, are willing to work hard and not spend your life in a keg of beer. But again, THAT IS A CHOICE!!</p>
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