A "is this a good college" thread for all college searchers...

[punkin]

Originally Posted by krcit

Thanks!! We haven't visited yet Lot going on around here and we got sidetracked. She has until May 1st to decide so we are getting ready to start visiting. Next weekend going to Binghamton and Lemoyne. Then in a few weeks off to Siena and Albany.

If you will be around Albany, take a look at Skidmore in Saratoga Springs too. My DD really liked it.

[Lisa D]

Originally Posted by marcyinPA

My DS's girlfriend is going to West Chester. Her sister is graduating from there this year. They both LOVE IT.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the PA state schools. I went to Millersville and had a terrific experience. My DS was accepted at both Kutztown and East Stroudsburg, and then at a small private college- Messiah College. His first choice is Messiah, but Kutztown is a close second. He loved the campus and it had a lot to offer.

We have heard that Kutztown is a party school- and my DS is not into that scene AT ALL. He is a follow the rules kind of kid. His first order of business if he doesn't go to Messiah, which is a Christian school, is to find a group such as Intervaristy Christian Fellowship. I think a group like that will be really good for him- give him a friend base of kids who hopefully value what he values. I'm sure he will have to deal with parties, but he has already said that he is not afraid to tell people he doesn't drink, and if they don't respect him- too bad.

Kutztown is a huge party school. The police look on Facebook to find parties there. My oldest wasn't a partier either but sure changed when he got to Temple. Younger one going to ESU...we will see how that all works out.

[ugadog99]

Someone asked me to post about our recent visit to Coastal Carolina. We love, love, love the school!! The faculty seem so genuine and truly concerned about their students. There was a terrific sense of community among the current students and faculty. I got the sense that is a very nurturing environment. The campus is lovely, and Myrtle Beach is just 15 minutes down the road. The area seems very safe, and there is plenty to do outside of school. If we knew we could get the kind of financial aid we need, our search would be over. The theatre department is one of those up and coming schools that won't remain a secret very long! If your child is going into theatre, Ken Martin is the Department Chair, and he is FABULOUS!!

[PrincessKsMom]

Thank you!

[ugadog99]

Let me also say that if anyone's child or anyone they know is looking toward a degree in theatre, it is a vastly different process than regular college admissions. I thought I knew how to apply to colleges after my older D went through it. However, these theatre kids have a very different road. It is longer, more involved, and a lot more expensive! If anyone has specific questions, I'd be glad to answer. I'm not an "expert," but I do know a lot since we're going through this now.

[Sanchez]

Originally Posted by PrincessKsMom

Thanks! Our starting point/top picks at the moment are: TCNJ (reach), Rowan, Monmouth, Richard Stockton and for out of state: Coastal Carolina, West Chester and Towson. I do not mean this in any derogatory sense, but from what I've read on the internet () it seems these three are thought of in the same tone, i.e, party schools, not the hardest curriculum, sort of slacker schools. HOWEVER, this is coming from places like College Confidential where all anyone is concerned with is Ivy league. As long as my daughter is happy and learns, I'm okay with it. Not every school is for every person and as long as it's safe and helps her to grow as a person and educates her, that's all I want. And considering I've had to push her because she's not a self-motivator, maybe a less stressful environment is where she belongs. Please don't anyone be offended by my comments. I'm simply repeating what I've seen elsewhere and I'm still looking forward to checking into those schools. One of the other things I read on RateMyProfessor.com is that NJ students are not looked highly upon my Coastal Carolina students. But again, that would not stop me from having DD look into it. She is her own person and will do fine where ever she is.

Full disclaimer in that I did not attend Coastal and my thoughts are mostly based on anecdotal evidence.

The attached link may be helpful regarding statistics. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/coll...university.htm

I think you have a good handle on what Coastal is - a non-competitive state university comparable to many other schools. One concern I would have is the graduation rate: 25% in four years and only 46% in six years. It has a party reputation but that is difficult to quantify.

Of course, none of this means that Coastal is not the right school for many. What used to be a smaller state school made up mostly of in-state students (think Richard Stockton in New Jersey) now attracts a significant number of students from the northeast. I would imagine this is due to the Myrtle Beach location.

In the end, you can get the same or more from a university in your state. For me, it would be difficult to justify non-resident tuition.

[princesspumpkin]

Originally Posted by Sanchez

Full disclaimer in that I did not attend Coastal and my thoughts are mostly based on anecdotal evidence.

The attached link may be helpful regarding statistics. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/coll...university.htm

I think you have a good handle on what Coastal is - a non-competitive state university comparable to many other schools. One concern I would have is the graduation rate: 25% in four years and only 46% in six years. It has a party reputation but that is difficult to quantify.

Of course, none of this means that Coastal is not the right school for many. What used to be a smaller state school made up mostly of in-state students (think Richard Stockton in New Jersey) now attracts a significant number of students from the northeast. I would imagine this is due to the Myrtle Beach location.

In the end, you can get the same or more from a university in your state. For me, it would be difficult to justify non-resident tuition.

I always look at the school's graduation stats (as well as all of the others like GPA average and male/female breakdown). Low graduation rates do concern me, but I also try to find out the stats for my DD's major (theatre). I think that different grad rates can affect different majors (like did most of the students come in undecided? We're the students that took six years to graduate in majors that are notoriously difficult, like the sciences (that have those freshmen weed out classes like organic chemistry and the like). I put much more emphasis on that information.

I compare it to the NJ School report card data. The stats for DD's school don't look great on the surface, but when you break them down, you see that for the general population of students (where you take out those students with apparent learning disabilities), the stats are a lot different.

I totally agree with you on the out of state tuition thing. The main reason why DD is considering out of state schools is that there less than a handful of BFA theatre degree offered in NJ, and for theatre schools that require auditions, DD must cast an extremely large net. But she definitely has some instate BA in theatre degree schools as safeties.

[PrincessKsMom]

Sanchez, while DD is undecided as to what she would like to pursue in college, an option that interests her is marine science. And Coastal Carolina seems to have a great program. We're also going to look at Monmouth U in NJ for the same reason. And without going into too much detail, I'm interested in CC for another reason as well. DD seems to have had issues of, for lack of a better term, separation anxiety/panic attacks in the past, and I'd like to see her overcome that. It could turn out to be the best/hardest thing I ever do for her, or it could backfire. I'm excited at the fact that she seems excited about possibly going that far away for college.

[Sanchez]

Originally Posted by PrincessKsMom

Sanchez, while DD is undecided as to what she would like to pursue in college, an option that interests her is marine science. And Coastal Carolina seems to have a great program. We're also going to look at Monmouth U in NJ for the same reason. And without going into too much detail, I'm interested in CC for another reason as well. DD seems to have had issues of, for lack of a better term, separation anxiety/panic attacks in the past, and I'd like to see her overcome that. It could turn out to be the best/hardest thing I ever do for her, or it could backfire. I'm excited at the fact that she seems excited about possibly going that far away for college.

The marine science program would be an excellent reason to attend Coastal. My position has always been that in-state colleges and universities are best unless you want something specific (like the marine science program) or will attend a top tier school.

I am with you on the distance from home. There is something to be said for the inability to come home for the weekend. My son has narrowed his choices and that is certainly an item for consideration.

On that note, about once or twice a year we take the Spirit Airlines flight from MB to Atlantic City. That is a nice low cost option for her to get home. The plane is usually loaded with Coastal students. Any thoughts as to why NJ has such a large presence at Coastal and many other southern schools?

[PrincessKsMom]

Originally Posted by Sanchez

The marine science program would be an excellent reason to attend Coastal. My position has always been that in-state colleges and universities are best unless you want something specific (like the marine science program) or will attend a top tier school.

I am with you on the distance from home. There is something to be said for the inability to come home for the weekend. My son has narrowed his choices and that is certainly an item for consideration.

On that note, about once or twice a year we take the Spirit Airlines flight from MB to Atlantic City. That is a nice low cost option for her to get home. The plane is usually loaded with Coastal students. Any thoughts as to why NJ has such a large presence at Coastal and many other southern schools?

No idea. I'd never heard of it before. Someone on College Confidential actually mentioned that I might want to check into it given DD's grade/SAT scores and her interested in Marine Science. Only after I started researching did I find out DH's cousin went there and I'm waiting to hear back from him. I believe, he too, was in the marine science department. Thanks for the tip about Spirit Airlines.

[piglet too]

PrincessKsMom ~ I noticed that your daughter is considering majoring in Marine Sciences. This is what my son was going to do, so I wanted to suggest a few schools that we looked at.

University of Rhode Island ~ They have a great program, and it is a nice large school, that feels small. This was his #2 choice,

University of Tampa and Eckard College ~ both in the Tampa area, and appear to have great programs. We did not visit because his #1 came through,

Carroll University in Wisconsin ~ This is where my son is at. He choose to not do Marine Biology, and instead is doing Animal Behaviors. The Marine Biology program here is a great one. The students attend their first two years at Carroll, and the transfer to Hawaii Pacific for the last two years. We LOVE Carroll. It is a small school about 30 minutes away from Milwaukee. There is some partying, but just as many students don't get into the party scene as those who do. (My son is NOT into it at all)

I see that you are from NJ, so Carroll may prove to be too far for your daughter. If you have any questions about the school, let me know. My son will be happy to help out too, if she has specific student questions.

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Originally Posted by fall08CP

Eh, I tend to disagree. I went to a small, loosely religious (options were there but not required) liberal arts college and there was no pressure to drink. Maybe 10% of students drank, but it was all off-campus. I was in a sorority and I didn't drink until I graduated, and there were several of us who made that choice. I graduated in 2010.

Now I work at a big 10 school and the pressure to drink is EVERYWHERE. I was planning to go to grad school here but I don't like the drinking culture that envelops the school.

I agree with you on this. There are many small, religious-type schools where partying isn't a big thing. We're not religious, but my DD has looked at several Catholic schools, mostly because she wants to be a teacher, and they seem to offer good programs for ed. majors. Loyola in Baltimore and La Salle in Philly are two that didn't have a party atmosphere, but are smaller (5-7k students). Similarly, my BFF's son found a small, religious school where he's been thriving. At Loyola and La Salle, there are religious services available and stuff, but they both mentioned that there's no pressure to participate in mass. It's possible that there are required classes, though--not a problem for my DD, who finds religion interesting.

P.S. Sarasota is in Florida. Skidmore is in Saratoga. I used to live in that area, if you have any questions about it. Also, Siena is usually in the NCAA championship for basketball, so you can look for them during March Madness.

[PrincessKsMom]

Originally Posted by piglet too

PrincessKsMom ~ I noticed that your daughter is considering majoring in Marine Sciences. This is what my son was going to do, so I wanted to suggest a few schools that we looked at.

University of Rhode Island ~ They have a great program, and it is a nice large school, that feels small. This was his #2 choice,

University of Tampa and Eckard College ~ both in the Tampa area, and appear to have great programs. We did not visit because his #1 came through,

Carroll University in Wisconsin ~ This is where my son is at. He choose to not do Marine Biology, and instead is doing Animal Behaviors. The Marine Biology program here is a great one. The students attend their first two years at Carroll, and the transfer to Hawaii Pacific for the last two years. We LOVE Carroll. It is a small school about 30 minutes away from Milwaukee. There is some partying, but just as many students don't get into the party scene as those who do. (My son is NOT into it at all)

I see that you are from NJ, so Carroll may prove to be too far for your daughter. If you have any questions about the school, let me know. My son will be happy to help out too, if she has specific student questions.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your offer of further information. I will definitely look into the schools you've mentioned and if I have any further questions or if my daughter is interested, I'll send you a PM. Thank you again!

[pixie dust 112]

Originally Posted by krcit

Thanks!! We haven't visited yet Lot going on around here and we got sidetracked. She has until May 1st to decide so we are getting ready to start visiting. Next weekend going to Binghamton and Lemoyne. Then in a few weeks off to Siena and Albany.

I know several people who go to Siena now and several graduates as well. Everyone seems to love it!

[punkin]

Originally Posted by BuzznBelle'smom

I agree with you on this. There are many small, religious-type schools where partying isn't a big thing. We're not religious, but my DD has looked at several Catholic schools, mostly because she wants to be a teacher, and they seem to offer good programs for ed. majors. Loyola in Baltimore and La Salle in Philly are two that didn't have a party atmosphere, but are smaller (5-7k students). Similarly, my BFF's son found a small, religious school where he's been thriving. At Loyola and La Salle, there are religious services available and stuff, but they both mentioned that there's no pressure to participate in mass. It's possible that there are required classes, though--not a problem for my DD, who finds religion interesting.

P.S. Sarasota is in Florida. Skidmore is in Saratoga. I used to live in that area, if you have any questions about it. Also, Siena is usually in the NCAA championship for basketball, so you can look for them during March Madness.

Typo
...and of course, lack of proofreading...still it is near Albany.