Western New England or Springfield College?

<p>I know these aren't schools that are usually discussed on this forum, but any insights you could provide (pos or neg) about these colleges would be greatly appreciated. I know it is ususal to post stats and interests when asking for suggestions, but we really just want to get a feel for these two schools before scheduling a visit. Thanks for any info you can offer....</p>

<p>What are you looking for in a college experience?</p>

<p>i can help you out with springfield (my future sister-in-law is an admissions counselor)- what do you want to know?</p>

<p>My sister went to Springfield and I visited her a lot when I was in college. I got the sense it was a good school with lots of school spirit, etc. Particularly strong in phys ed.,recreation and like majors. She really enjoyed all four years there. I'm sure huskem55 can help more but thought I would throw my two cents in..</p>

<p>D is not sure of major at this point, but leaning towards business or psychology. GC had suggested looking into WNE, which is a business school. Springfield College is close by, although I had never heard of it, so I thought I would ask impressions. At this point her options are limited as we are not expecting good SAT's although her grades are good and show an upward trend. We will have her Sat scores soon and will have a better handle on where to look this summer. We are looking into Sat optional schools as well. </p>

<p>She would like a school that is small to medium sized that is not in a rural area. Since she is so unsure of her major at this point, I would like to see her in a school that won't limit her options, so I'm not sure either of these schools is a good fit, but are under consideration. </p>

<p>We are Catholic and are looking at many of the small Catholic colleges in the NE, but again, the SAT / or ACT scores will be a concern. We will have her tutored over the summer...</p>

<p>springfield is funny in the sense that while the school overall doesnt have the best rep for strong academics, yet there are several programs that are extremely competitive (SATs well over 1300)- i know the physical therapy program is one of them, and the sports management department is also very strong. springfield usually competes with schools like quinnipiac and ithaca for students. students usually stay on campus on the weekends, so there is a nice sense of community and school spirit. there are some very good sports teams too. from what i've heard, they are in the process of rennovating a lot of the buildings, working hard to improve their academic reputation, and increasing the number and quality of student activities on campus.
i hope this is somewhat helpful, if you want more specifics on anything i'll be happy to ask the admissions officer.</p>

<p>She might be interested in Sacred Heart in CT. We toured recently and got the impression that they really look at the whole student, not just the numbers. Assumption in MA is another possibility. Good luck.</p>

<p>I know several grads. Nice school, nice campus, lousy section of town. I mean STAY on campus unless you travel in numbers. Generous with aid money. Average students would have no trouble being admitted and can expect some merit to be tossed thier way. I might consider St Michaels, Fairfield, St Anselm's, or Assumption first though.</p>

<p>Thanks very much for posting everyone. I will check out each of your suggestions.
We had visited Assumption with my son over two years ago and he did not even want to get out of the car. The appearance of the campus left a lot to be desired. This was a real turn off. Perhaps they were renovating or building at that time and we should give it a chance for my d.</p>

<p>Hi Chocolate- My days are numbered on these boards and you're in for busy times ahead. So I just want to pass on some info which might be helpful to parents of B students with not so great SAT's/ACT's.
Two resources that I recently came across (after my d's application process was done) is a website --<a href="http://www.collegesofdistinction.com--"&gt;www.collegesofdistinction.com--&lt;/a>
It lists many schools that might be geared more to your average HS student. It included our alma mater Oswego as well as my d's new "home" SUNY Cortland. It also did have Assumption and Western NE College. So it really may lead you to other schools which may meet your needs. Another recent book on the market is "America's Best Colleges for B students" by Tamara B. Orr. The publishers website is <a href="http://www.supercollege.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.supercollege.com&lt;/a>. I got it out of the library and I thought it had a good mix of schools. We also did see Eastern Connec college (part of Conn state university system) in Willimantic Conn. I actually got this "lead" from college conf. One of the posters had mentioned it as having a beautiful campus and it was near my kids summer camp, so we did take a look. It was an extremely nice campus and may be worth your while to check out. It is only about 15 minutes from UConn. My hunch is that it might be a commuter type school but it might be worth a look anyway.<br>
Also just want to give hope to all the parents of B students. My d was extremely more successful in the college admission process than I thought she would be. Her SAT's were about 950 but her ACT was 23. (1060 equivalent). Some kids just do better on one test than the other. She also had a strong senior year curriculum. She took 5th year language- 4 years math-4 years science (not physics but 2 science electives-forensics and marine biology). I think the extra math, science, language helped alot. Even though she had no AP's or Honors it shows a kid who is willing to push herself to the best of her ability. I think that goes a long way with college admission staff. Good luck. We'll be in touch.</p>

<p>Marny, thanks for posting with great suggestions, as always. I'm sure I speak for many B student parents when I say your advice will be missed. I will check out the website as well as the book.</p>

<p>Springfield College is an outstanding school. Just do your home work many outstanding graduates in their fields. I’m a neurologist, went to Springfield and majored in Physical Education, but decided after completing my biology and chemistry course work that I wanted to study medicine. Outstanding, programs in Physical Education, Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine Athletic Training, Physiology of Exercise, etc. Just really do your home work and research the outstanding contributions of Springfield’s Alumni, you will be impressed. Come visit me at Vanderbilt Medical School and ask me any questions you may have. Come visit my advanced neurology practice. Take care</p>