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

[Robinrs]

Went to a great open house yesterday at the newest state college in Georgia, GGC. Loved it. The president was a hoot and gave us a great presentation. I ran into an old high school classmate from Brooklyn, I was shocked!! Her son is my son's age and we're going thru the same college crapola! At least now I have a partner to whine to, all of my co workers are childless and my sisters "kids" are in their 30s and 40s...

My son wasn't impressed until he saw the dorms and the food court. The food made him want to sign up that day.... uh, NOT the reason to choose a college!! Anyway, it was a FUN day!

 

[golfgal]

Went to a great open house yesterday at the newest state college in Georgia, GGC. Loved it. The president was a hoot and gave us a great presentation. I ran into an old high school classmate from Brooklyn, I was shocked!! Her son is my son's age and we're going thru the same college crapola! At least now I have a partner to whine to, all of my co workers are childless and my sisters "kids" are in their 30s and 40s...

My son wasn't impressed until he saw the dorms and the food court. The food made him want to sign up that day.... uh, NOT the reason to choose a college!! Anyway, it was a FUN day!

He's a boy, food's important

DD went to a basketball camp a few years ago at my alma matter, they just opened the new cafeteria--WOW!!!! They built it with the idea of hosting wedding receptions, etc. there. It is just amazing--WAY better then what we had in the basement of a 100+ year old building .

 

[golfgal]

Ok, starting to get a rough idea of a summer college tour route. We want to go to Notre Dame and Creighton in Omaha, NE for sure. Not sure if we will do them in one trip or two. If we do them in one trip we will stop in St. Louis to visit my parents (unless they have moved back to MN by then). Any other suggestions for schools in WI, IL, IN, MO, IA that we should hit.

DD16 (Happy Birthday today to her) is interested in the sciences, possibly medicine

DS16 (Happy Birthday today to him too) is interested in math, possibly actuarial sciences and history.

Both would do better at a smaller college but not ruling out larger ones either. Notre Dame is DS's dream school so if he gets in there, that decision is made . DD doesn't really have a "dream" school but would like to play golf at some level.

 

[SydSim]

My son wasn't impressed until he saw the dorms and the food court. The food made him want to sign up that day.... uh, NOT the reason to choose a college!! Anyway, it was a FUN day!

It's a hoot what makes or breaks a college for kids (and parents too).

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com...ou-child-crossed-off-list-after-visiting.html

 

[punkin]

golfgal, please make sure to post about Notre Dame when you get back. I know nothing about it outside of sports, and despite the opinion of a very young DD, it is a poor overall reason to pick a school.

 

[j's m]

Ok, starting to get a rough idea of a summer college tour route. We want to go to Notre Dame and Creighton in Omaha, NE for sure. Not sure if we will do them in one trip or two. If we do them in one trip we will stop in St. Louis to visit my parents (unless they have moved back to MN by then). Any other suggestions for schools in WI, IL, IN, MO, IA that we should hit.

DD16 (Happy Birthday today to her) is interested in the sciences, possibly medicine

DS16 (Happy Birthday today to him too) is interested in math, possibly actuarial sciences and history.

Both would do better at a smaller college but not ruling out larger ones either. Notre Dame is DS's dream school so if he gets in there, that decision is made . DD doesn't really have a "dream" school but would like to play golf at some level.

to DS and DD

My DS is tossing around actuarial science, too. His pre-calc teacher is the one who suggested it. He's also interested in accounting. So we're kind of looking for a school that has both, but that's rare.

We had a visit at Rider U on Saturday. Ds wasn't feeling well, but we went anyway. What a mistake, he hated everything about it. I liked the 16-20,000 scholarship for good GPA and SAT.

The biggest problem was the dorm, the hallways were barely wide enough for 2 people to walk through, basketball players couldn't live in that one because it had about 7 foot ceilings and then they had a retrofit sprinkler system on the ceiling. I'm only 5-2 and it felt too low for me.

They look us through the dining hall at lunchtime, it smelled good, looked good but they didn't offer us food. Not nice to do to an already hungry cranky teenager.

 

[golfgal]

golfgal, please make sure to post about Notre Dame when you get back. I know nothing about it outside of sports, and despite the opinion of a very young DD, it is a poor overall reason to pick a school.

Will do. We have several friends that are Notre Dame alum and they just loved it there. Yes, sports are a big part of the culture there but I think that actually is a good thing. I think it builds comrade among the students and creates a great alumni network afterwards. DS16 is a huge sports fan so that is an important part of his college choice too.

to DS and DD

My DS is tossing around actuarial science, too. His pre-calc teacher is the one who suggested it. He's also interested in accounting. So we're kind of looking for a school that has both, but that's rare.

We had a visit at Rider U on Saturday. Ds wasn't feeling well, but we went anyway. What a mistake, he hated everything about it. I liked the 16-20,000 scholarship for good GPA and SAT.

The biggest problem was the dorm, the hallways were barely wide enough for 2 people to walk through, basketball players couldn't live in that one because it had about 7 foot ceilings and then they had a retrofit sprinkler system on the ceiling. I'm only 5-2 and it felt too low for me.

They look us through the dining hall at lunchtime, it smelled good, looked good but they didn't offer us food. Not nice to do to an already hungry cranky teenager.

Most actuaries don't necessarily have a degree in actuarial science, many just have a math degree so don't discount schools that don't have an actuarial program. We have a few friends that are actuaries and they have math degrees.

 

[golfgal]

Just wanted to share DD's birthday cake her friend made--off topic, but Disney

She did the picture free hand. She loves making cakes.

 

[j's m]

Will do. We have several friends that are Notre Dame alum and they just loved it there. Yes, sports are a big part of the culture there but I think that actually is a good thing. I think it builds comrade among the students and creates a great alumni network afterwards. DS16 is a huge sports fan so that is an important part of his college choice too.



Most actuaries don't necessarily have a degree in actuarial science, many just have a math degree so don't discount schools that don't have an actuarial program. We have a few friends that are actuaries and they have math degrees.

The difference is in the classes, he detests geometry (he got a 92 one marking period and that was his only B ever, 93 is an A) and math majors have to take geometry. We looked up some of the actuarial requirements and no geometry.

Cute cake.

 

[piglet too]

Golfgal and anyone else who is looking at Carroll University ~

I took DS to visit yesterday and he absolutely loved it. As we were walking back to the car he told me "if I get accepted, this is where I am going!" I was not to impressed with the campus, but I think that is becasue I am used to seeing schools that are somewhat isolated from the town. DS loved the idea of it being small and the professors being the only one to teach the course. I did like how much financial assitance is available. I believe I have mentioned the merrit scholarships before and DS should qualify for $12,500 a year. http://www.carrollu.edu/prospective/scholarships.asp Even though these are mostly based on ACT/SAT and class rank, the Dean of Admissions told us that they look at GPA too because at a more competitive high school, you can have an awesome GPA but still fall in the 30% for class rank. (this is DS case) They also have a Carroll Grant program that is funded by donors and is given on a financial need basis and has no limit. Another great thing is that they allow you to stack your outside scholarships and do not take that away from what they would award you. Basically, from the sound of it, they will do everything they can to find the money so you can go there is you want.

 

[golfgal]

Golfgal and anyone else who is looking at Carroll University ~

I took DS to visit yesterday and he absolutely loved it. As we were walking back to the car he told me "if I get accepted, this is where I am going!" I was not to impressed with the campus, but I think that is becasue I am used to seeing schools that are somewhat isolated from the town. DS loved the idea of it being small and the professors being the only one to teach the course. I did like how much financial assitance is available. I believe I have mentioned the merrit scholarships before and DS should qualify for $12,500 a year. http://www.carrollu.edu/prospective/scholarships.asp Even though these are mostly based on ACT/SAT and class rank, the Dean of Admissions told us that they look at GPA too because at a more competitive high school, you can have an awesome GPA but still fall in the 30% for class rank. (this is DS case) They also have a Carroll Grant program that is funded by donors and is given on a financial need basis and has no limit. Another great thing is that they allow you to stack your outside scholarships and do not take that away from what they would award you. Basically, from the sound of it, they will do everything they can to find the money so you can go there is you want.

We will have to swing through there. It looks like their average student isn't all that competitive so a lot of schools like that will go out of their way to attract top students by giving them lots of money. We can swing through there on the way to Notre Dame. It looks like they have a 4 year radiology technologist program too-that is something that DD16 is interested in exploring. I have been encouraging her to look further for this and become a radiologist though (and then she can support us in our old age ).

 

[Robinrs]

Just wanted to share DD's birthday cake her friend made--off topic, but Disney

She did the picture free hand. She loves making cakes.

wow, GORGEOUS cake! Happy belated Bday to the twins!!

 

[Buckalew11]

Agree 100% in the Spanish requirement. It's amazing how it can open doors!

Yes, journalism, especially print journalism, has taken a beating in this economy and with the popularity of the internet. There are other avenues that are still quite lucrative but it always depends on the market you're in. We deal with 82 markets in the United States, some are BOOMING, others are just barely surviving. Getting a position in one of the top ten markets could make the difference but the competition is much stronger. Getting your foot in requires working in smaller markets first, then networking your way through the larger markets.

Spanish opening doors...we made friends with a guy from Miami at our local college a few years back. Instead of going back to FL, he stayed here. He was a history major and played ball. He got a job coaching ball at a local HS and is a translator/interpreter for the school system--they have a huge Spanish speaking community and since he is Cuban and fluent in Spanish, *bingo*--he got the job!


One of my best friends is a sports writer for a local paper here. He's 50 and been doing this all his life (after the Navy) and right now, his job is up in the air as they are cutting right and left in the newspaper industry. He's not married, no kids or payments (house or car--he bikes everywhere) so that is helpful. But I know he is scared about losing this job.

I've shared that my nephew is a freshman at Furman and loves it. However, he called this week and although I am not sure of all the details, he is thinking of transferring to a different (larger, state school) because of opportunities in this chosen field (computer science). His school goes in one direction while he is looking at another direction. As he makes up his mind, I will try to update more details because this is an issue that he really just found out about once there.

 

[disneylovin24]

to DS and DD

My DS is tossing around actuarial science, too. His pre-calc teacher is the one who suggested it. He's also interested in accounting. So we're kind of looking for a school that has both, but that's rare.

We had a visit at Rider U on Saturday. Ds wasn't feeling well, but we went anyway. What a mistake, he hated everything about it. I liked the 16-20,000 scholarship for good GPA and SAT.

The biggest problem was the dorm, the hallways were barely wide enough for 2 people to walk through, basketball players couldn't live in that one because it had about 7 foot ceilings and then they had a retrofit sprinkler system on the ceiling. I'm only 5-2 and it felt too low for me.

They look us through the dining hall at lunchtime, it smelled good, looked good but they didn't offer us food. Not nice to do to an already hungry cranky teenager.

Besides what you already mentioned what else did you think about Rider? Like the campus overall and area around it, it's on my list of schools I still want to look it.

Manhatten, Manhattenville, Purchase, Seton Hall, Fordham, and Ursinus are also all on that list. Since I already checked out all of the more competative schools in the Northeast I was interested in and hated most now Im just looking for places where I could nail big scholarships. I feel like Seton Hall is my new number once because it's a lot like my previous top school (more competative one) but I could get good money there.

 

[golfgal]

Besides what you already mentioned what else did you think about Rider? Like the campus overall and area around it, it's on my list of schools I still want to look it.

Manhatten, Manhattenville, Purchase, Seton Hall, Fordham, and Ursinus are also all on that list. Since I already checked out all of the more competative schools in the Northeast I was interested in and hated most now Im just looking for places where I could nail big scholarships. I feel like Seton Hall is my new number once because it's a lot like my previous top school (more competative one) but I could get good money there.

DD has been getting a ton of emails from Ursinus.

 

[bballmom56]

We looked at Rider for DD (granted about 10 years ago). Seemed "decent" when we did our visit. We too were looking there because of their generous merit offers. We weren't "blown away" but it was acceptable. It was one of the first we visited in our search. Then DD had the opportunity to stay there for a week for Girls' State. That took it off her list - the dorms were small, dark and cramped, needed some serious maintenance and she didn't particularly like the campus.

Fast forward five years and it was on the list for DS to visit. We didn't even get to the visit stage because when I called admission to schedule a visit, the woman was so rude to me, I just hung up and we were done as he had plenty of other great choices on his list.

BTW, DD got excellent merit offers from other more competitive schools to which she applied. In the end, the merit offers made each college cost about the same, which is the bottom line. So yes, we were enticed by Rider with the offer of large merit awards (it was $12-15,000 which was a lot back then), but when we saw the other schools that were on her list that ended up offering her equally good amounts, Rider did not measure up to those.

 

[punkin]

DD has been getting a ton of emails from Ursinus.

DD has a good friend at Ursinus. He absolutely loves it there. I think he got significant merit aid too.

 

[j's m]

Besides what you already mentioned what else did you think about Rider? Like the campus overall and area around it, it's on my list of schools I still want to look it.

Manhatten, Manhattenville, Purchase, Seton Hall, Fordham, and Ursinus are also all on that list. Since I already checked out all of the more competative schools in the Northeast I was interested in and hated most now Im just looking for places where I could nail big scholarships. I feel like Seton Hall is my new number once because it's a lot like my previous top school (more competative one) but I could get good money there.

The best part was the ease in getting there, it was right off the highway it seemed. The campus was ok, we saw a dorm, dining hall and one classroom building. They have another classroom building opening in September. There was some kind of event going on, so there were people there. It doesn't seem so much like a suitcase college like Monmouth is.

We're starting out looking for an acceptable financial safety which either Rider or Monmouth would be since we'll have a pretty high EFC.

Ursinus was on our initial list, but it doesn't have DS's either anticipated major.

 

[MrsHerbie53]

Hello.
This was mentioned earlier with McDaniel, but here is a link to the Loren Pope book "Colleges that Change Lives" . I saw Ursinus was just mentioned in this thread and Eckerd. I teach at another one on the list. These all are great schools, but it certainly isn't one size fits all.
We have overnight visits, where the prospective student gets to stay in a dorm with other students and then attends classes the next day. They can really get a feel for it. You can't always judge the fit from statistics and printed facts.

It is also good to look at options for 2nd and 3rd choices for majors. (If your son's or daughter's first choice doesn't work out for them.) I see such relief on students' faces when they find that a different major/career path is just perfect for them than what they originally intended.

 

[allison443]

Besides what you already mentioned what else did you think about Rider? Like the campus overall and area around it, it's on my list of schools I still want to look it.

Manhatten, Manhattenville, Purchase, Seton Hall, Fordham, and Ursinus are also all on that list. Since I already checked out all of the more competative schools in the Northeast I was interested in and hated most now Im just looking for places where I could nail big scholarships. I feel like Seton Hall is my new number once because it's a lot like my previous top school (more competative one) but I could get good money there.

I live in NJ and know quite a few kids who applied to Seton Hall. I don't know of anyone who didn't get a scholarship there Apparently they give out quite a few.