<p>I had a nice trip to Allegheny and enjoyed it, though I feel as if I need to get a better feel for the student body. I know a few people that have gone here though and loved it. Anyway, here is my report.
Location: Meadeville, PA. It is a pretty small town. There are some cute victorian houses and a few neat shops, though basically all of the other stores and restaurants around are chains.
Campus: It is pretty, with a lot of trees. It isn't flat, and seems to be broken off into two parts separated by a street. There are some pretty older buildings and then some modern ones. Out of all the colleges I've visited, this one had me the most confused as to where I was direction wise, but I figured it out, and the campus itself isn't huge. The classrooms and labs looked really nice, and the library seemed OK, though it was pretty bland.
The Dorms: I got the impression that the dorms are nice. The room I saw was maybe the 2nd or 3rd biggest I've seen so far and there were big windows. There is a lounge on each floor, though it seemed pretty small.
Student Life: I didn't hear a whole lot about this. There are some local hangouts, and then there is a lot brought to campus which is voted on by the student body, like bands, magicians, etc. There are also movies shown everyother week. When my mom asked about partying, the tour guide didn't really answer it. She said that this wasn't the kind of school to come to if you are going to slack off, but she didn't really talk about the party scene. I don't know anything about it, though I think that there is a large Greek scene. However, this is not a "suitcase" school.
Academics: Basically it works that in the 3 areas of education, (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences I think) you major in one and minor in another and then take classes in the 3rd. I could be wrong about this though. I heard it is really easy to take electives. You take several seminars that are required. The first seminar is on a random topic and that professor becomes your advisor for the 1st two years. You can only declare your major at the end of your sophomore year, no earlier, since Allegheny really encourages exploring different areas. Your senior year you do a really big project. Class sizes seem really small and include a lot of discussions. Professors also teach all the classes.
Music: It is very easy to just take lessons and participate in ensembles for credit. Ensembles also don't take up a lot of time, I think only one practice a week. My tour guide said that the piano teacher was very good, though she didn't know about the other teachers. She also said a lot of people start new instruments for fun.
So, I liked Allegheny. I feel as if I do have to go back and weigh factors from all of my visits before I can determine if I have a favorite. I feel as if Allegheny and Wooster are kind of along the same lines, though my mom said that she felt as if Allegheny may be a little stronger in letting me explore different fields and letting me get involved. Here are my other visit report links:
Case Western, Oberlin, and Wooster: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=84258%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=84258</a>
CMU, Pitt, and Harvard: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76241%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76241</a></p>
<p>Great report! Thanks!</p>
<p>Here are some things I forgot to add:
I heard that the food in the one cafeteria is very good and a la carte. There is also a buffet dining room that is very pretty but I guess not quite as good. Also, there are many tutoring services around campus. The music practice rooms were not as nice as some I've seen.</p>
<p>Great report! Thanks so much for this and for your links!</p>
<p>Nice review, thanks</p>
<p>estar - How does the major thing work if students take Junior Year abroad. Can they fit all requirements for their major into the Senior Year? Or are they looking at a fifth year to complete their degree?</p>
<p>I'm not sure. I know you get credits with your study abroads though, so I think you just work on your requirements overseas.</p>