<p>Although I have been aware of this fact for a while, I just don't seem to be able to understand why the school is poor. Its alumni base seems to be very strong. If you look at "List of Sarah Lawrence College people", you'd see lots of names, especially in the entertainment industry, who should be able to give back to their school. Does the school just not bother with fundraising?</p>
<p>How does the small endowment affect the students? Are there opportunities for summer funding? Summer research? It's amazing, however, that the school is able to spend slightly over $20m in financial aid every year.</p>
<p>Wow I didnt know SLC was really poor. Does this affect how the school is run? I actually applied there as a transfer student recently but I’m really nervous about going.</p>
<p>You should do your research on it. SLC does a great job with the little money it has, but the lack of summer opportunities (and opportunities generally) could be a potential drawback. I don’t know if Fordham could offer more opportunities than SLC, however, so look into it.</p>
<p>I’m an active SLC alum. Sarah Lawrence could definitely use a bigger endowment, but it gets by just fine and is becoming more active in development. If you really like the school, the endowment shouldn’t be a major concern.</p>
<p>Based on my experience, Fordham had a pretty good amount of opportunities…there were quite an array of extra-curricular activities to choose from. Does SLC have a lot of good clubs? I really love cultural clubs and was wondering if there were any I could join if I were to transfer. And it’s awesome that they can still do so much with so little. </p>
<p>Going back to the endowment question, one of my friends just explained it to me the other day. They have a very low faculty to student ratio, 7:1 and the majority of their funding goes towards that. They have what is known as the conference system, where there is a significant amount of interaction between professors and students, much more so than the other schools, which brings costs up. In addition, many of the alumni that graduate go off to become artists, writers, and positions that may not pay very highly, but they enjoy. Similarily, another theory was that it was a women’s college until 1960, and statistically speaking, women were paid less than men for a long time. I can’t speak about clubs in particular but I can contact my friends if you like</p>
<p>The women’s college theory fails to hold water because Smith, Vassar and Wellesley exist. Sarah Lawrence used to be considered an alternative to Radcliffe. </p>
I’m an SLC alum and I never found the resources lacking. The suburban New York location and the educational model are expensive. I agree that the women’s college legacy is a relatively small part of the problem. The larger part is that SLC was a tiny school for most of its history. The early classes were just a few dozen, and up until the 80’s, class sizes were usually under 200. It seems to be improving more recently. It’s a concern, but I wouldn’t let it keep you away from a fantastic school.
Also, choosing Fordham over SLC? They are very different schools! I wouldn’t just randomly choose Fordham or SLC. Do you want one-on-one education? Choose SLC. Do you want Big School Feel and Vibe with Traditional FB Team? Choose Fordham. Want a school that questions the very foundations of religion and delves into how does one develop morality at all and maybe or maybe not relate that to physics? Choose SLC. Want a school that finds its foundation and moral standing on a specific religion? Choose Fordham. Big classes so you may or may not do your reading this time? Choose Fordham. Want to wear lots of black and blend right in? Choose SLC. Both schools are in or around NYC–close enough to give you ample access to internships in the City.
SLC’s alumni are hard at work building an endowment. They just haven’t been working at it as long as some of the other schools in the area. It takes time. I think that the size of the endowment is probably irrelevant to the quality of the education received at SLC. I’ve been watching the campus for about 2 decades now and I wouldn’t worry about the financial health of this school. Focus on whether or not its a good “fit” for you.
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While I didn’t enrol, what I found is that SLC wanted me to take far more loans than wealthier universities. It also suggested a PLUS loan. Columbia offered only grants and Michigan gave me loans but all were subsidised.