Deciding between Wesleyan University, Whitman College, Oberlin College and the University of Rochester. Economics with public policy focus. Non-music major, but want to play Jazz saxophone preferably in a big band. Want politically engaged, collaborative student culture. Want outdoor backpacking, camping, other outdoor activities possible.
Finances an issue? Rochester is the outlier as it’s not an LAC so if they are too small that’s your go to.
Do you care CT, OH, or West coast? Obviously Wesleyan is elite, Rochester and Oberlin are both well known…can’t say the same for Whitman…so I’m assuming it’s much cheaper?
Where do you live?
California so Whitman College is the West Coast option. Price similar to Oberlin. Wesleyan most expensive as no merit aid, but fine if worth it.
Among your LAC options, Wesleyan merits strong consideration based on your interest in economics: Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc.
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Whitman is possibly more outdoorsy than Wesleyan, but @Bill_Marsh gives an in-depth list of the opportunities in and around Middletown in this thread:
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DS loves to kayak camp so thanks for sharing. Whitman College Outdoor program hard to beat and DS worried Wesleyan students not into backpacking, kayaking, etc;
There are such students at Wesleyan. Click on “Wesleyan Outing Club” in this link:
https://www.wesleyan.edu/sustainability/involved/students/groups.html
Note that among Wesleyan’s undergraduate colleges, there is the College of the Environment. And the Appalachian Trail, which passes through CT for about 50 miles, is great for long distance backpacking/hiking/camping trips and drive is just a 1.5 hour drive from campus to multiple access points. Much state forest land is available for day hikes closer to campus.
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Thank you! The link provided a great description. There are not many posts on Facebook page. Do you know of any other links? COVID has made it hard to judge outdoor activities. Did read Wes has a program house for outdoor interest, but at least at one point, house was shared with another program of students that love to cook.
No, I don’t. I think that’s a question for an Admissions Officer at Wes. And perhaps she puts you in touch with faculty or students from that club. Everything is sooo different this year.
Have you visited Whitman or attended their Admitted Student Saturdays? My son just committed to Whitman last week. We visited last month and attended their Admitted Student Saturday. We were very impressed and their huge Outdoor Program is a huge part of the school and culture. My son is a rock climber and they have a ton of climbing kids for such a small school (both a climbing club and comp team). They have so many classes you can take in outdoor stuff like kayaking, whitewater, mountain biking, backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, etc and outdoor trips every single weekend. In the winter/spring they have a school shuttle that takes students to the nearby Blue Mountains (1 hr) to ski/snowboard all the way into May. Every student is given $150 each year to use exclusively on outdoor trips, which is usually enough for 2-4 trips. We are also in CA and my son wanted to be in the Pacific Northwest. Students aren’t competive, lots of collaboration, all seem very happy, and Whitman is a Colleges That Change Lives schools. Have you joined the Whitman Parents Facebook group? Everyone is super nice and questions are answered immediately. There’s also an admitted students FB group and Instagram to check out, although my son isn’t on social media so hasn’t seen them. I follow the Instagram page and most of the students all proclaim their love for outdoor activities.
Also, we appealed our merit aid after our visit and they ended up more than doubling my son’s initial offer! That sealed the deal.
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I agree that Rochester is different from the rest…do you want a bigger school? U Roch is strong in economics, even though most people know them for their strength in STEM.
Have you looked at all the schools for music opportunities for non-majors? At some schools, it can be difficult to play in orchestras/bands and/or get practice space if you aren’t a music major.
Regarding cost…for the more expensive option(s), will you have to take out loans/additional loans? If so, how much?
I love Wes but the higher cost and the outdoor focus at Whitman that Essence629 would swing me toward Whitman if it were my decision.
He has decided he prefers an LAC. He is concerned the nonEcon social science courses at Rochester may not be as good as at a LAC. Location is not his prefernce either. You are right. It is hard to really understand how much Jazz opportunity there is for a nonmusic major at a school with a conservatory, but smaller schools may not have enough students to draw from to have a good Jazz ensemble. Whitman had two great Jazz ensembles in 2019, but hard to know now.
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I’d join the Whitman Parents FB page and ask about the music opportunities and jazz ensembles.
Wesleyan’s Jazz bona fides are pretty solid. But, I am more curious about the Econ/public policy piece which no one has discussed yet. The Wesleyan alumni network is pretty extensive: two US Senators; the publisher of Politico magazine; a Federal Reserve governor and a former FDA commissioner, all active and frequently in the news. In addition, there is the on-campus Allbritton Public Policy Center which serves as a clearinghouse for all things civic and academic having to do with the commonweal: Students, Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life - Wesleyan University
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Would love more detail on Wesleyan’s Jazz program
Wesleyan’s Jazz program is one part of a ground-breaking approach to Ethnomusicology, probably one of the university’s most widely respected academic specialties. It is taught within the context of the uniquely African-American contribution to World Music. Other branches include, Western classical music; new and experimental music; Indonesian, Indian and European and American music outside the art tradition.
Majors are encouraged to experiment with performance across the whole array of ensembles and orchestras; each one essentially designs their own course of study. The department is chaired by Jay Hoggard, the world-renowned vibraphonist and Wesleyan alum.
The music scene at Wesleyan is pretty free-wheeling and constantly attracts visitors and talented students. Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, and Grammy award winning jazz pianist, Bill Cunliffe, were students before finishing their studies at larger universities. In February, there was a story about a “Connecticut prodigy” and NYU student, who plays on the Wesleyan Gamelan Orchestra just for the heck of it:
And lastly, with 3,000 students to choose from, it is incredibly easy for fellow musicians to find each other for pick-up bands, ensembles and choral groups outside the classroom.
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Wesleyan has a highly regarded Economics major. There would be no problem doing this major with a public policy focus at Wesleyan. There is a long list of Economics courses to choose from with this focus as well as courses from other departments: Government, International Relations, Civic Engagement, and Environmental Studies, as well as from the Center on Public Life and the Public Affairs Center.
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Not to mention live music of all kinds including jazz off campus at the Buttonwood Tree down on Main Street.
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University of Rochester has several musical ensemble groups (including one specifically for jazz) for UR students only that are NOT open Eastman students. That jazz group is small (20 students) so auditions are competitive. (Depending on instrument played, competition can be intense.)
UR offers River campus students free music lessons with an Eastman grad student, but getting the lessons depends on an audition and instructor availability. For example, D was a jazz saxophonist and she auditioned for jazz sax lessons. She was ranked 4th out of 7 jazz sax students during her audition, but only the top 3 ranked students received free lessons due to instructor availability.
UR has an outdoor activity club and a ski club. D went canoeing in Canada with the outdoor group over a fall break one year. The ski club organizes 3-4 ski trips to local resorts every winter.
UR sponsors UR Foot-- 3 day overnight wilderness treks for incoming freshmen as part of the university’s freshman orientation.
UR is located on the Genesee River and a large city(county?) park immediately across the river offers canoe and kayak rental and ice skating in the winter. The Genesee River Trail begins on the UR campus, crosses the river on a dedicated foot bridge and offer walking/trekking and off road cycling opportunities.