UW GPA:3.85ish
Curriculum: Have taken 7 college courses local community college One AP class for US Govt (Our school only has 1 AP class)
ACT 31 (32 superscore)
SAT Subject Test: American History:800 World History 800 AP: US Govt 5
SAT: Just took today
School Rank: 22/155
Extracurricular Stuff: National Honor Society, Student Council (Last 2 Years), Chess Club (All years) Science Club (Past 2 Years), 4 Years of Football (May plan on walking on a college team), 4* Years of Track (Planning on joining Senior year again) 400 hours of community service/mission work
Awards: Been Scholar Athlete for past 3 years in both sports; 1st at a local Lifting Competition for my Weight Class; Boy’s State Attender…
Hi, I’m trying to decide between these 3 colleges due to their merit scholarships, size, and proximity($30000 budget, less than 5000 undergrad size, and less than 12-hour drive). I’m looking to major in Political Science/Business/Economics(one of these or 2 of them combined) and probably minor in history. I’ve visited Wooster and I think I would fit in pretty well there. I won’t be able to visit the rest of these schools, however, so I was just looking at insight to how their campuses and culture are like compared to Wooster. Also, which would be the best of the 3 for preparing me for into law school/getting an mba.
If you want to discuss any other pros, cons, or random peculiarities, I’m all for it.
Personally, I’d be reluctant to pass up St. Lawrence. In terms of a traditional Northeastern campus, the school has the power to impress. That said, you liked your visit to Wooster, it would make sense that you attach significant weight to your impressions.
I will apply to all 3 schools to compare finances. I doubt I will make the decision based solely on the price due how close the 3 will probably be. The other intangibles are what I want to discuss.
I didnt think Gustavus was ingrained too heavily in its Lutheren affiliation. From what I read, they dont require you to take part in religious activities. I can handle a couple religious classes for requirements as well as a student body that’s moderate. If its too conservative, I should reconsider… but so far I haven’t found anything to suggest that it is.
I am very familiar with Gustavus. I have known many students, and they all seem to love it. There is something about the welcoming atmosphere. They are also known to have excellent placement services. Students get jobs. My daughter has applied and will be going to Scholarship day soon.
They are all good choices. Given the distance between Gustavus and St. Lawrence, I assume you live closer to Wooster. Maybe there are benefits to living less than 12 hours away.
My kid visited both Wooster and St Lawrence as a prospective athletic recruit, so spent a fair amount of time on both campuses. St Lawrence is in a gorgeous location – for students who love outdoor activities, it is a haven, with hiking, cross country and downhill skiing etc. and an Adirondacks semester where students live in the wilderness – great for environmental and sustainability studies. St L has greek life but is about 10% participation, I believe, so is not a dominant part of campus life. Athletic facilities are gorgeous, with beautiful renovation of the undergrad (as opposed to Varsity training) facilities. Strong school spirit, especially with D1 Men’s Hockey but also for other sports. Campus felt very warm and homey, from the library to the student center. The faculty and coaches my kid met with were very responsive and engaged. The village/town is right there, 2 blocks from campus, with a movie theater, coffee place, pizza etc., and a wonderful farmer’s market in summer months. St L has a Washington semester and a NYC semester, as well as the traditional study abroad options. St L seems to do a good job with career planning and placement, at least, I was impressed as a parent reading about their programs and resources.
Wooster has more of a mid-western feel and mid-western student body. As a a parent, I was impressed with the organization of the APEX center, clustering advising, career planning etc. resources together. The IS of course is a big organizing principle for the student experience at Wooster. There is greek life, I believe more like 25+% participation, but I think I am right in remembering they are not affiliated with nationals so that the experience is not the traditional experience. I liked that the school owned several small houses around campus which were available for small groups as residential housing options – many schools have that kind of “training wheels for adult life” where students live in college owned apartments. The town of Wooster is not much, especially the area down the street from student center etc., though there are some great restaurants and a real revival going on further on downtown.
Law school is largely a gpa and LSAT score game, so specific undergrad is not a big factor. I gather anecdotally that MBA application emphasizes experience more than just stats, which would mean summer internships leading to post-grad experience.
Wooster and St L would both be terrific experiences, different, but good!
Good to know that St Lawrence has great facilities for undergrads since lifting is a hobby of mine. Wooster also has a nice weight room as well.
Would you say Wooster lacks in school spirit at all? I am interested in going to the varsity sporting events so I’m wondering if the support is there to make for a good experience. Probably will get involved with intramurals as well. Also, how would you say the student’s social lives compare at the campuses? Are students more reserved at one school in particular? Or are both friendly and outgoing?
Wooster’s Marching Band that marches out for football games has bag pipes and they wear Scottish dress. It’s pretty cool. I don’t know how to compare spirit or student body personality really – Wooster football, I think, was highly ranked this year so I’m guessing had good student support. St Lawrence hockey is supposed to be huge, and the Men’s Soccer team is almost always strong, with good student turnout. The student center at St L looks and feels like a swiss chalet, really beautiful space. Then again, Wooster student center has open fireplaces on the ground floor. Wooster has EA, St L only has RD or ED, so my advise is wait until spring and then visit St L once you have acceptances to compare.