<p>I know a couple of people who attend Lawrence, and they tell me it's a great place. I am just beginning my college search, and wonder what it's like.
Thanks.</p>
<p>Hello firedog -- I have been watching this thread and hoped that one or more of the LU students would be on and could respond to your query. My D recently finished her freshman year (and absolutely loves it) at LU so I'm familiar with the school. Do you have specific questions? It's a bit easier to respond to those -- are you asking about the atmosphere, academics, aesthetics?</p>
<p>I think there are a couple of reports under College Visits that might be helpful, too if you haven't already looked at them.</p>
<p>The campus is lovely, overlooking the Fox River. The grounds are well-maintained and the buildings are a nice combination of older and newer architecture.</p>
<p>The academic atmosphere is rigorous but not super stressful. D had to study and go to class to do well. The faculty I've met are top notch (and my standards are pretty high because I'm a university professor myself). The faculty are both very demanding and very encouraging and engaging. </p>
<p>The students (I've met about 25 thus far) are very bright, well-mannered, and relaxed, for the most part. The tend to be high achievers but not extremely intense to the exlusion of a social life. The campus leans a little left (at least the students) but is not prone to extremes, I don't think. </p>
<p>In additional to the nationally-known music conservatory, the school is very strong in sciences and their Freshman Studies program is a model for other institutions across the country. </p>
<p>The food is C+ or B- but a new student center is under constsruction and promises to raise that bar more than a little.</p>
<p>Do spend some time on the website and visit if you can. Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>Second everything musicmom just said. I just finished my freshman year. Classes are challenging, but the profs I've had have been amazing and go out of their way to help. </p>
<p>I'm really glad I ended up at LU, and it wasn't my first choice, if that helps at all</p>
<p>Lawrence seems like a nice school.</p>
<p>A day doesn't go by that I am not thankful that my son chose this school two years ago.</p>
<p>my daughter will be starting in the fall. Lawrence is not well known (actually not at all known) in our neck of the woods, but my daughter loved her visit there last spring, and is excited about joining the class of '11. Overseas, what is it specifically that suits your son so well?</p>
<p>I only see him a couple of times a year. He is growing and developing in many positive ways and always seems to be busy with some project and involved in school life. I never worry about him. The school seems to take a personal interest in their students. It works for me.</p>
<p>We visited Lawrence last year, as well as several highly-ranked USNWR colleges from California to New York. While my daughter ultimately settled on Carleton as her top choice, Lawrence was only about an inch behind it in the final analysis. ... Appleton is charming and it has a brand new performing arts center that any city in America would be proud of. The campus is lovely, the view of the Fox River is stunning, several coffee shops are within easy walking distance of campus, the food in the main dining hall was quite good (in my humble opinion) and the students/administrators we met were all friendly and helpful. Lawrence is also quite generous with its financial aid and merit money. For all of the above reasons, I regretted just a bit that my daughter would not be a part of this special academic community next fall. Take a good look at Lawrence, Firedog.</p>