<p>I've seen some contradictory opinions about Skidmore in these threads. Could any current students and parents post what they love and don't love about Skidmore? We were not able to visit the campus and would like to have more information about the school and students.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi FrogMom, I just responded to you over at the Bennington thread, too. I know a little about Skidmore as we considered it and some of my daughter’s friends go there. It is quite similar to Bennington, but maybe a little more conventional. I believe there is a core curriculum and they give letter grades. I’m sure you’ll get responses from others who know better. The campus is not as attractive as Bennington, but Saratoga Springs is a lovely town with many great restaurants.</p>
<p>I have a son who is a freshman at Skidmore and is having the time of his life. He enjoys (and does well in) all his classes - the small classes/close relationship with the professors is great for him, as he is relatively shy and this has allowed him to shine. Students are encouraged to call professors by their first names, which was a big suprise for him and turns out to actually be kind of a big deal in terms of relationship building. He’s a smart kid, easily in the top 25% of the freshman class stat-wise, in the honors program, etc, and he has found the classes to be academically challenging and interesting to him.</p>
<p>He is also very busy and actively involved in campus - he has joined a bunch of clubs and music ensembles, as well as finding a job on campus as a tour guide. His biggest complaint whenever I speak to him is that he is too busy, but it’s a happy complaint, “appropriately stressed” if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful if you appreciate the combination of woodsiness and mid-century modern architecture. The town is gorgeous whatever your standard is. My kid is kind of an indy/artsy/outdoorsy non-jock guy who is studying math and science but wants his artistic side to be developed and stimulated as well. Skidmore really has turned out to be a perfect fit.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Carmen, thank you very much for your feedback. That close contact with professors is a real plus. Do you feel that the advising system is supportive and helpful?</p>
<p>From my perspective the freshman advising was very supportive with a lot of hand holding - and this is from the point of view of a mother of a typically non-communicative boy. Immediately after enrolling he was assigned a temporary advisor who was in charge of helping him pick his first semester schedule. This advisor scheduled a telephone conference to get to know him and discuss various possibilities, and then walked him through the process of registering for classes. There were also a bunch of placement tests to be taken online to ensure that he started coursework at the optimal level. All of this was communicated to him via a big enrollment packet and his newly opened Skidmore email account, but frequent postcards were sent home so we could see what was supposed to be happening and when, and ask him about his progress.</p>
<p>Part of the First Year Experience is choosing a Scribner Seminar - an intimate class with a maximum of 16 students, taught in a roundtable format with a participation and relationship building focus. All freshman then have their Scribner Seminar professors as their advisor until they either choose a major or pick someone else on their own - so they are guaranteed an advisor who actually knows them well.</p>
<p>I think perhaps because of Skidmore’s history as a women’s college I found the advising to be much more evident, ongoing, and supportive than at my other child’s LAC. The best part from my perspective was the way they leave it to the student but send home those oh-so-helpful postcards!</p>
<p>That sounds terrific, both for student and for parents! My son is coming from a rigorous but unsupportive and negative education system, so he really would benefit from an American liberal arts experience. Thanks so much for your observations.</p>