<p>Hey guys, thought you might be able to help me out. I talked with my GC about safety schools (we are both rather concerned!) and Wheaton came up. I just checked out the website, and it seems very nice - a good fit for me - 1500 students, outside of Boston, etc.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about this generally unrecognized school? Also, do I have a shot at merit scholarships??</p>
<p>Thanks to all.</p>
<p>Not really unrecognized - they are a formerly all female school that went co-ed about 15 years ago. Strong science and humanities programs, good overall academics, pretty campus. Someone recently wrote a trip report on Wheaton here in the parents section - do a search for it. They are still trying to boost their male ratio so I suspect it would not only be a good safety for you but yes, you might get some nice merit money from them.</p>
<p>Isn't this a very strongly Evangelical school? I don't say that to pass any kind of judgment - it's just something one should know if one is concerned with fit (if one is Evangelical, it may be good; if one is not, he or she might feel uncomfortable. Or not!) I know they have a "Billy Graham Center".......</p>
<p>That would be Wheaton in Illinois:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wheaton.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.wheaton.edu/</a> </p>
<p>as opposed to the one in Ma:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wheatonma.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.wheatonma.edu/</a></p>
<p>Thanks Xiggi --- I had completely forgotten, if I ever knew, that there was one in Mass.!</p>
<p>Is Joan Bean (?) still the Pres? I knew a few girls that were happy to attend Wheaton, one had her own horse. Carolyn, do they have a riding team? Anyway, pretty campus, nurturing environment.</p>
<p>I did a trip report about Wheaton in the past month in the Parents section-just go back a few pages.</p>
<p>Oh yes, found it bxian. I only searched the archives, didn't think anyone would have mentioned it recently.</p>
<p>Hmm, I shall apply. Though I don't like schools that are "run-down" in any way, shape or form. Did the school remind you of Vassar at all, because I hated Vassar - another recently co-ed college.</p>
<p>Ilcapo235.
Here is a highly unscientific survey of one family. We didn't care for Wheaton (tour guide couldn't have been less engaging, campus run down, didn't show us insides of many places, trying to be impressive) though we liked the depth of internships; and we really didn't like Vassar (obnoxious adcom, uptight tourguide, unwelcoming interactions all around). However, these were reactions in summer 2003, for what that is worth. For a school comparable to Wheaton (admissions selectivity wise and formerly all female but making a reasonable transition) we preferred Goucher- campus very nice, adcom very positive, great merit money, lots of internship options, etc.. There have been several other postings about Goucher on this board.</p>
<p>Sorry Bxian - I should have remembered it was you - I did remember you went to Union but Wheaton slipped my mind. That's been happening far too often.....lately.</p>
<p>As for Goucher, my daughter has it as her first choice school for most of the reasons that Robrym has already mentioned. I think in her mind it's going to be hard to top. We haven't visited Wheaton but she did watch one of the collegiate choice video's and wasn't moved to visit. My sense, however, is that the academics at Wheaton may be just a tad better. Goucher is small (1300) but has major plans to increase its size to about 1500/1600 students over the next few years - they are building new dorms and a new student union to accomodate the growth. They are also anxious to attract higher level students and are extremely generous with merit aid, at least in terms of freshman year. The opportunity to take classes at Johns Hopkins is a plus.</p>
<p>Carolyn - son is applying to Goucher...I enouraged him after reading about it onthis board...maybe they'll be classmates!</p>
<p>Ckr - That's great - is he a senior this year? My daughter will definitely be applying next year unless we find out some awful hidden news about Goucher. She's talked to several current students she's met online and so far, the negatives seem pretty minor (the usual complaints about professors, one or two departments not having enough classes, etc.).</p>
<p>Yes - he's a senior - NMSF but may not make finalist due to a slump last year - still I've learned Goucher is looking for males and his SAT's are well above their aveage...
He'll have to have merit aid to go...we haven't visted - I told him to apply EA and, if he's accepted, we'll visit.</p>
<p>I'm a Wheaton alum......was sorry to hear about the dorms being a bit rundown but who goes to college for that?.....Wheaton is well located, has very good mentor and internship programs and is in the Twelve College Exchange program with Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Williams, Wellesley, etc...If Wheaton students weren't up to par they wouldn't be allowed to participate.....Wheaton opened alot of doors for me......internships at Mobil Oil and Citibank got me my first job at Chase in NYC........when I moved to Manhattan and said I'd just graduated from Wheaton everyone knew where it was and either had a mother, sister or first cousin who'd gone there, too......someone asked about Joan Bean......she was a Dean there in the 70's....never was President.....a new President started in Sept......African American Ph.D ..educated at Harvard......Leslie Stahl, Christie Todd Whitman and MaryAnne Marsh (CNN political commentator) are Wheaton grads.....they also have a great music department.....acapella groups sing with Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Harvard groups.....can't say enough good things about Wheaton......now my classmates' kids are going there!</p>
<p>Dke-I am glad you had a great experience with Wheaton-there were parts of campus that were lovely, but they were not highlighted in the tour-sounds like maybe their tour protocol needs some sprucing up!~I agree that dorms are not the be all and end all-but since a dorm will be "home" for at least the first couple of years at college, it is something that kids and parents key into.</p>
<p>We went to a junior open house at Wheaton last spring. Rather than promoting what they do well, they seemed defensive and kept claiming to be better at everything than we probably thought. Students on the panel were also not particularly impressive--they seemed to be kids who were pleased to be big fish in a relatively small pond and not especially creative or independent thinkers, but rather to need a certain amount of supportive "hand holding" rather than challenge.</p>