<p>My D is applying to COW (fall in love with it after a visit and did not want to look at anything else). Her stats SAT I 660 V,590 M,760 W
ACT 27
GPA 3.9 </p>
<p>Need honest opinion about Wooster.
Is any current or former COW student here?</p>
<p>I've been browsing the CC forums for almost a year, but finally registered in order to respond to your query. So...thanks for motivating me.</p>
<p>I'm a Wooster graduate and my son is a student there. Your daughter's stats are above the average at Wooster, but there will be plenty of competitive students there. In other words, she will be challenged academically, if she's the type of student who enjoys a challenge.</p>
<p>Wooster is strong in chemistry/biology (pre-med), history, English. (There are other strong departments, too, I'm sure, but I've been out of the loop for a number of years.) There are also good programs for theater and music. The Independent Study program, the capstone of the Wooster experience, means it's a "writing intensive" school, good preparation for law school, etc. </p>
<p>In the end, though, it's the "people" aspect that makes Wooster special. I was in contact with my advisor at Wooster until his death a few years ago. At every turn of my life -- first job, second job, move to the big city -- my Wooster connection played a role.</p>
<p>All that being said, I'm surprised my son is at Wooster. We looked at at least a dozen schools and he applied to six. My hesitation about Wooster was size (my son had attended a large, well-regarded suburban school), that he's not a "writer" and that the department he was interested in at Wooster was pretty small, faculty-wise. In the end, Wooster made him a very nice financial offer. He did an overnight and came home with good feelings. He's doing fine academically at Wooster, though does complain somewhat about the social life. The town is small and conservative, so most of the social life is on campus. I do think kids spend a lot of time in their dorm rooms. I look at the Wooster website often, and there's plenty to do on campus, but you have to be willing to get out there and do it!</p>
<p>It's not a big Greek school. </p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thanks, it helped indeed. Yep, COW is pretty small but I think this is what my D liked about it (although I'm still amused at her choice). She is planning to study psychology and has a strong interest in music but probably not for a major. What about psychology department there? Any pros and cons for psychology at COW ?</p>
<p>Three of my friends from Wooster are practicing psychologists, though only one of them went the traditional route (that is, straight to graduate school). One got her graduate degree in social work first, and the other sold software (quite successfully) for 10 years. Part of the beauty of the liberal arts tradition is the preparation to adapt to a changing world. </p>
<p>You could go to the Wooster website and click on "faculty" and read about the psychology professors. Could get an idea of their interests, at least.</p>
<p>The Independent Study program offers a lot of room to pursue research at an undergraduate level that would be attractive to graduate schools. That was my experience. I would also think that the strong biology/chemistry program at Wooster would be attractive to a prospective psych major. </p>
<p>On the size of the student body, an additional comment. When I graduated, back in the day, I thought I knew everyone in my class. We lined up alphabetically, and I didn't know the people on either side of me! No matter where you are, you make a group of friends freshman year who are your buddies. After you declare a major, you expand that group to other folks in your major. I wish now, though, that I had tried harder to meet more people on campus. I've been active in alumni activities and have met so many interesting people over the years.</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your daughter.</p>