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Post by jisp on Mar 6, 2010 16:26:52 GMT -5
What about Ekhard in Florida. Also you might want to look into Warren Wilson in one of the Carolina's.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 6, 2010 18:03:02 GMT -5
Thanks jisp, I will check them out.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 6, 2010 22:53:22 GMT -5
We're in Florida now, looking at New College of Florida.
My daughter does not want schools in which fraternities and sororities dominate the social scene. But, how do you know which are the heavy party schools? We are reading College Prowler and Princeton Review. There seems to be a correlation between frat dominance and heavy partying, but I'm sure this is not universal.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 6, 2010 23:54:05 GMT -5
I can unequivocally tell you that at the university my son is at, although there is a large Greek presence, it was rated as one of the 10 LEAST party schools in last years list, right behind the military academies, and Brigham Young university, which I believe, for their religious values, is an entirely "dry" campus. Of course, my son's university is primarily focused on science and technology majors, and from what I've seen/ experienced, the "party schools" tend to be bigger colleges, include more liberal arts students (who frankly don't seem to have as much homework) and they also tend to have more mediocre students. (Average ACT/SAT scores of incoming students may give you a clue about whether the kids have been taking their academics seriously.)
See what the administration says about underage drinking policies. (Some schools will tell you they have "dry dorms" where even students over age 21 don't drink, etc. Other schools will admit they discourage drinking/partying, but won't call the police or expel students, because "they know it goes on all over." I'd avoid the latter school, in your case.)
I will be blunt: I think there are some students who party at every college, but whether it's the "dominant" form of entertainment should be evident just by talking to some of the random students you run into on the campus visits. I think it's perfectly acceptable to go up to kids and say, "I'm a prospective student. What are weekends like on campus? What do most kids do for entertainment/fun?" You'll be able to get a pretty good sense, after talking to a few students, about the prevalence of partying.
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Post by jisp on Mar 7, 2010 7:07:08 GMT -5
I agree with healthy, that the presence of Greek life tells you little about the social life of the school. For one thing greek life varies a lot. My daughter joined a sorority this year, something I never imagined her doing. But her school has very strict anti-hazing rules (they can not even tell the girl's to wear their pins) and the sororities are largely social service/networking organizations. My daughter joined because many women in her major are part of this sorority including some leaders in student organizations for her major. For our daughter, the sorority has given her an alternative to partying on some nights.
If my son learned one thing in attending SEA it was that there was no correlation between the exclusivity of a school and the amount of partying that a student from that school did. The only kid who totally abstained from any partying was a girl who was attending BYU. So if you want no partying then Mormonism might be the way to go.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 7, 2010 7:35:19 GMT -5
I am confident that my daughter does not want a school with no partying. She doesn't like the idea (stereotyped from teen movies) of fraternities and sororities. She likes easy and continuing interaction with boys -- not waiting up for parties to meet them. I suspect that in some cases frat/sorority-dominated schools have stilted interactions but that in other cases that is not true.
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Post by caniacfan on Mar 7, 2010 8:39:17 GMT -5
Mayleng, I'm so glad you started this thread! I've been reading it as my daughter (the one I wrote about for her test scores a couple of weeks ago) is a high school junior and we are starting the whole college process too. I thought I'd let you know that we are interested in some of the same southern colleges you may look at! We are in NC, by the way, and my daughter recently looked at George Mason (very large school, she liked it but it doesn't have the old fashioned college charm that she loves, it's a relatively newer school), and College of Charleston (haven't visited yet but will this summer). She desperately wants to go to University of Richmond. It's a fanastic school but in light of her new-found disabilities, I'm not sure what her chances are of getting in. Also, Randolph-Macon College (not the same thing as Randolph) in Ashland is a nice school. She says she doesn't want to go to school in NC, but she may look at Elon University and possibly Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington (has gotten a very good reputation and she loves the beach!). I'm feeling quite overwhelmed with the whole process!
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 7, 2010 8:50:25 GMT -5
caniacfan, I am glad you find this thread helpful. I have to admit I was very very stressed about the process at the beginning, but with the help and advice from our members here, I am feeling less so.
My son's friend is thinking of going to U. of Richmond (his dad's alma mater) but he keeps changing his mind too because before that it was Wake Forest.
My son's input changes from day to day, basically he has no clue where he wants to go. So unless he is firm about his wants, he will probably end up closer to home. I am waiting to see how he does on the SATs he will be taking on March 13, to see if the schools I have chosen are still a fit. He might surprise me and do really well on his SATs, right now I am using his PSAT scores which are OK but I don't think he took it seriously when he took that test. So schools that I did not consider might be appropriate. We have not even started visiting schools yet. We will soon, if I can tie my son and his dad down to discuss the what, where and when.
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Post by caniacfan on Mar 7, 2010 9:05:01 GMT -5
Mayleng, sending good vibes to your son for the SAT. My daughter takes them next Saturday too (and the ACT in April)! Those scores will probably narrow her search down a bit, but she still is mainly undecided about where to apply, although she has a couple of schools that are definites. My father, my grandfather and my great-uncle all went to Univ. of Richmond (that's where I'm from) and my daugher has visited the campus often just to walk around, eat in the dining hall, and did a soccer camp there one year. She loves it but even with the legacy, I'm not sure she'll get in, it's so competitive.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 7, 2010 9:14:47 GMT -5
Goodluck to your dd too. At least she has some idea of where she wants to go to and what she wants. In that you are way ahead of me.
You'll never know, she might get into U. of Richmond.
Talking about legacy, does that work for Public Universities? Don't laugh at me if this is a stupid question.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 7, 2010 9:48:51 GMT -5
Mayleng, the question of does being a legacy work for public universities is probably "it depends." Within the past year, where I'm at, they revealed a "scandal" at a highly regarded public university, where better qualified students were being passed over, in favor of "financially connected" applicants. (As I understand it, a certain number of spots are set aside for students with "special circumstances," and maybe that was supposed to be legacy kids, and/or those with LDs, I'm not sure. What was happening is that influential politicians were found to be recommending less-qualified sons and daughters of their biggest campaign donors.) Of course, those same politicians are the ones who vote on state public university matters, etc. Now, in an effort to give an appearance of reform, at least in our state, they're "claiming" that they will look strictly at a student's qualifications, and not show favoritism to any special interests. I think the application form, however, still asks if you've had other family members attend the school, so perhaps it doesn't matter as much, but it can't hurt. Your state might be different.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 7, 2010 9:53:13 GMT -5
Thanks Healthy.
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Post by aterry on Mar 8, 2010 12:27:30 GMT -5
Mayleng, I think writing/English is a great major. Most schools have a well established English dept which is not true of every discipline. I would worry less about whether the school's dept is ranked nationally and more about whether the professors will allow your son to regain his joy in writing. Maybe look on Rate My Professor for each school you're considering and see what the students say about the English teachers. Also, look to see if the schools have special programs that might provide financial aid. At Adelphi, where I work, there is a program called Global Scholars and the students who enroll in that get more aid (I don't think you need to be an "A" student.) What form of writing is he interested in? Fiction? Is he interested in Journalism? Those depts are separate at many schools.
His disinterest may change as some of his friends start to focus. Dd has become more interested in Adelphi (which was always my first choice because we get remission) since one of her best friends was accepted.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 8, 2010 13:22:22 GMT -5
Thanks aterry, I will checkout the rate my professor. That is a good idea. I was only concered about the school's dept rank nationally, because I was concerned that it would make it more difficult for my son to get accepted since this might be his first choice - finance and location ie. close to home, his dad's alma mater. While checking thru' the various colleges, I did find quite a few that actually have a Major in Creative writing, not necessarily just general English and have really good support for writing. He is into fiction, not journalism.
I was chatting with a friend of mine who teaches geology at a local college lamenting on the fact that my son's English grade seems to be sliding and my son's excuse was his teacher was a really tough grader. For his recent assignment, he got a 80, and according to him his teacher says that was one of the higher grades. The teacher prides himself of being a tough grader because he was from Harvard according to my son. Anyway, I was concerned with the disparity of grading ie. If other schools give easy grades, and his school doesn't, wouldn't that penalize the kids who come from the tougher schools. I imagine there would be a huge disparity between schools nationally on how the kids are graded since it seems arbitrary and really depends on your teacher. How would the colleges account for that the disparity in GPAs? He may be a B student in his school, but in another district that does has lower academic "reputation" he would probably be an A student. My friend says that the colleges generally know the reputation of a school and would take things like that into consideration.
Is that true aterry?
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Post by aterry on Mar 8, 2010 16:34:53 GMT -5
I think that's true to some extent. I know of a student who was applying to Adelphi from Brooklyn Tech. Her grades were not super high but admissions seemed to realize that Brooklyn Tech was a tougher school than some other NYC schools and she was admitted (I know this because I know the family, I have no access to admission records.) Is the tough grading unique to his English class? or does the school have a tough policy in general? If you're in the Buffalo area the admissions office at Univ of Buffalo might know the High School's reputation. I don't know how deep the HS knowledge base is, in general. Would a university on Long Island know the reputation of a HS in Buffalo? I don't know, maybe.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 8, 2010 18:30:04 GMT -5
Thanks aterry, I figured the local colleges would know about the local HS, but don't know if the other Colleges out of state would know of the reputations of all the HS. Our SD has a good reputation in the area for academics always ranked within the top 3 or 4.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 8, 2010 18:42:55 GMT -5
What about Ekhard in Florida. Also you might want to look into Warren Wilson in one of the Carolina's. jisp, I checkout Eckerd college on the princeton review site, and they are ranked: Eckerd's College Rankings Rank List #17 Lots of Beer #10 Reefer Madness LOL! I don't know if I should send my son there.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 8, 2010 19:00:28 GMT -5
Mayleng, as I've said before, my son's college is ranked among the top 10 LEAST party schools, but reality tells me that if the kids want it, they'll find it (And/or take a "road trip" to get it!)
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Post by teacherabc on Mar 8, 2010 19:06:47 GMT -5
I am hoping my DD keeps the good head she has on her shoulders because I suspect that Healthy 11 is right...God knows, HP's school has enough of it...he just doesn't participate. I do have a theory that the partying might be even worse in places in the middle of nowhere because what else do the students have to do at night. I am hoping that since my DD is now thinking that she wants to be in a city, there will be more things to do that have less to do with partying. The problem with Auburn (where HP is) is that there is nothing else to do but drink beer and smoke weed. They could study but...
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 8, 2010 20:47:47 GMT -5
HP must be at a different "Auburn" than where my neices will be going....theirs is in Alabama, but he's in NY, right?
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Post by jisp on Mar 8, 2010 20:59:48 GMT -5
I wouldn't put too much value in what the Princeton Review says on this topic. It's not like they have a scientific way of gathering data on this subject. I would visit.
I agree with Healthy. Partying is everywhere. You wouldn't think of Harvard as a party school. But it is and drugs are alive and well in Timothy Leary's old home.
BTW, my son was phobic about partying for complex reasons. When he went away to SEA this fall he was shocked by all the partying on weekends. And it was hard for us to be too critical because a good portion of the students were 21+ and legally allowed to drink. But what really frustrated our son was that there were kids who could party a lot and still manage to get their work in on time and get good grades. And he just couldn't understand how they managed to do it.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 8, 2010 22:16:02 GMT -5
jisp, my son would be the type that can't party alot and get his work done. Anyway, ds is not much into partying, smoking and drinking (for now). But I think he would drink when the time came. He does enjoy a glass of wine every once in a while with me at home. He is totally against drugs and weed, so I am not concerned.
The more I research, the better Emerson looks like it is a good fit for him. It will boil down to how much financial aid they offer and if he is accepted.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 9, 2010 9:34:48 GMT -5
OK, what do you think about a city campus (like Emerson, literally in the city blocks with no real "campus" feel) versus a suburban scenic campus?
I know it depends on the child. My son has been in the burbs all his life. But that does not mean he won't survive in the city since he has not been given the chance.
I am really liking Emerson, but it is right smack in the city of Boston, the theartre district, the dorms are in city buildings, the different departments are in different rehabed buildings etc. But I am liking the diversity and the changes for him. I am sure there is lots more to do in the city. I don't know how he feels about it yet. Jisp is it in a safe area?
Pros and Cons?
Thank you.
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Post by jisp on Mar 9, 2010 10:16:56 GMT -5
Mayleng, The thing about Boston is that it is full of college students. So a student at Emerson is just blocks from students who attend Northeastern, BU, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Berklee School of Music, Emmanuel etc etc..... It is heaven for a social college student.
Emerson doesn't have a campus but it is right near Boston Common and Boston does have quite a bit of green space to enjoy. For an American City Boston has pretty good public transportation so it is easy to get around. Boston is not like NYC. It is much quieter and calmer. Things tend to shut down by midnight on most nights. Unlike NYC where things are just getting started at midnight.
As for safety. Well Boston is a city and just like any city it has it's share of problems. One has to be street smart and know what one can and can not do. I believe crime has decreased in Boston. But then you always hear the horror stories. But remember horror stories happen on isolated campuses in Maine and NH and Ohio. I am positive that Emerson will talk quite extensively about safety on their tour. I know BU did.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 9, 2010 10:35:19 GMT -5
Thanks jisp. I don't know why but I am drawn to Emerson, from what I know about my son, I would really like him to experience all it has to offer. It even have a mens volleyball team. But he may have different ideas. I think I mentioned before, hubby has always wanted to go to Boston. He was a History major, and love the historic nature of Boston. Well, who knows he might not get accepted or we might not get enough aid, so I better not get attached to the idea. LOL!
It looks like UB might be out of the picture as it does not really have the creative writing curriculum he is looking for.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 9, 2010 10:43:55 GMT -5
Mayleng, while I've only visited Boston, not actually live there, I can certainly talk about attending college in a big city of Chicago. We live in the suburbs now, and that's where my son has spent his entire life. After visiting a dozen campuses, my son seemed to prefer to attend a university in a large metropolitan area, because he liked the idea of having more stuff around than just corn fields. His campus has regular city streets intersecting it; there's an elevated train/subway stop that leads straight to the downtown area after about a 10 minute ride. He did have a friend who was robbed of his ipod and cell phone, after the kid fell asleep on the train and rode it to the "other end of the line" which is in a racially segregated section of the city and he clearly "stood out." You have to be more vigilant in the big city, but you can't do stupid things like falling asleep behind the wheel of a car if you're driving in a rural area, either, without possible consequences.
Truthfully, from what I've seen of Boston (we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast right by BU), it's a lot safer to walk around there, than it is to walk around my son's neighborhood. And when it came to seeking a "partying" environment, what did my son do? You already know - he "road tripped" to the big college in the more rural area!!!
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 9, 2010 11:41:00 GMT -5
Thanks Healthy.
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Post by jisp on Mar 9, 2010 14:28:44 GMT -5
Boston there is no need to road trip to a big area. With the highest concentration of colleges and universities in the area there is always a party going on. The average age in Boston drops something like 20 years when school is in session. It is ridiculous.
Mayleng, If your son is into English has he looked at any of the Great Book Schools?
Also he might want to consider VT as there are some real gems in VT that have wonderful humanity programs, such as Malboro College.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 9, 2010 16:02:47 GMT -5
He is into Creative Writing more so than General English per se. So whichever college he goes to, has to have a big writing component in their English Department and if there is a music dept in the college even better because he likes composing songs so hanging out with the music/performance art students might do him some good. Which is why Emerson looks so good.
I will checkout the VT schools, I did look into Champlain but I don't know if he wants to go that far north.
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Post by jisp on Mar 9, 2010 16:52:53 GMT -5
One thing to keep in mind is that Emerson is considered a top school when it comes to writing (especially for TV or screen) and in music production. Which means competition. For some kids getting connected to people who will be going on to be leaders in the field and having professors who are already leaders in the field is exciting and motivating and really inspires them. For others it is intimidating and they can feel discouraged if they are not standing out in any way. It also means that to really take advantage of a place like Emerson your son should be ready to seize opportunities and not be afraid to ask or get involved. There is are a lot of opportunities in a place like Boston and at a school like Emerson but it will be up to your son to take advantage of them.
A school like Champlain would be a lot more nurturing. BTW, Champlain is in Burlington VT which is a really awesome town and if your son snowboards or skis it is heaven.
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