Visited LVC with S19 this past weekend. It is now at the top of his LAC list. The school checks all the boxes. Small. An hour from home. He wants to study English/writing and the program sounds good. And there is a marching band. In fact, 10% of the students play in the marching band. S19 plays in concert and pep band too, but he is all about marching band.
Other schools on his LAC list are Susquehanna U and Goucher. He really likes both of them as well. And there are music options without having to be a music major, but no marching band. So the marching band is the added plus at LVC. We are visiting Juniata and Washington College after the winter break.
There isn’t a lot here on CC about LVC. So I figured I’d start a thread with the hopes of getting some feedback. When it comes to English and writing programs, it is my observation that Susquehanna, Goucher, and Washington College are known to be strong. Not as sure about LVC.
Just want to make sure he focuses on English programs first, music options second. Or perhaps I am not believing that this one school could possibly check all the boxes.
My D loved LVC when we visited. She has been admitted and was invited to apply for their competitive scholarship.
I have never met such nice faculty who go out of their way to engage with visiting students. The profs we met were very interested to know about D and her interests, and gave her their cards and invited her to contact them. The kids we met seemed kind and very down to earth.
D applied because they have a neuroscience major and they have nice music opportunities. It’s small and not too far from home. There seem to be a lot of research opportunities in the sciences.
LVC is well known for actuarial science programs and the PT program seems competitive. I don’t know about English/writing.
D applied and was accepted to Susquehanna but we haven’t visited yet.
I had the same observations about LVC. Mr. InfiniteWaves and I were impressed. The students were friendly. As we roamed around on tour, several smiled and said made a point to say hello. S19 is planning to attend a Day at the Valley. This will give him some exposure to the profs. Your feedback regarding their accessibility says a lot.
Before this weekend, Susquehanna was the favorite. I took S19 there for Creative Writing Day. He absolutely loved the experience, the students, and the profs. There is also a pep band that plays at games. But no marching band program. The only hesitation he has is the remote location. The campus is gorgeous but there really isn’t anything around. And I say that as a resident of central PA.
In contrast, LVC is so close to Hershey. We go through Hburg and Hershey to get there. He didn’t feel like he was in a remote location while on campus. Annville is small. But the surrounding area is not.
When we visited we drove north from the turnpike and LVC felt remote. But during the presentation the speaker made a point to tell us that it’s not as remote as it seems.
There were a few things I liked about LVC that I just remembered. The first is that the community/townspeople can use the athletic center. It was nice to see older people on campus. I think the PT students participate in a free or low cost clinic for people in the community to get services they might not otherwise be able to afford.
Out tour guide told us there is a medical facility nearby that students will be taken to if they need a doctor. The students will be charged a very reasonable price if their insurance plan isn’t accepted.
It just seems there is a very good relationship between the college students and the Annville Community.
Yes, the school definitely strives to be a part of the community. The PT clinic is actually right on Main Street near the college. We passed it on our way in. The tour guide made of point of sharing how the athletic center is open to the community. I took note of that as well.
You can’t tell coming from the turnpike, but LVC is only about eight miles from Hersheypark heading west on Main St./422 from Annville. And even closer to downtown Hershey. Which is probably why it does not feel remote to us. We go to concerts and hockey games at the Giant Center. And we go to shows at the Hershey Theater. Heck, I’ve been known to visit the Spa at the Hotel Hershey. Compared to Susquehanna, LVC feels more suburban than remote to us.
I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on the two schools once you visit Susquehanna.
I lovedcLVC but it was too small for my S17. A good friend is playing football there. As mentioned,they are known for actuarial sciences - at least 1/2 of the actuary department at my last employer went there! An English teacher co-worker of my husband’s also went to LVC. Beautiful campus!! I’ve also never heard a bad thing about Susquehanna though I’ve never visited. The kids I know there also say there is no shortage of things to do. Both great choices, I think.
Well, it now feels as if LVC knew I started this thread. S19 received a nice marketing piece in the mail titled “Study English at Lebanon Valley College.” As a career copywriter, I can appreciate some thoughtful target marketing. It’s good to know that the school takes note of the forms filled out by prospective students. Nice attention to detail.
@MACmiracle - Etown falls into a different category for us as we are within the school’s defined commuting radius. Like LVC, Etown is in a small town. But it is near everything that the Lancaster area has to offer. Not sure we will end up visiting. S19 has already identified York College and Millersville as his commuter options as they are closer to us than Etown.
@NJWrestlingmom Thanks for the feedback, it’s really helpful. The small school thing must be relative. My kids’ entire high school population is equal to the freshman class at LVC. It would be quite a bump up for S19. And I agree that both LVC and Susquehanna are great choices.I’m incredibly impressed by both schools. My kid will apply to both for sure.
@InfiniteWaves that’s funny - my son’s top 2 choices for a long time were York and Millersville! Millersville BY FAR has the nicest dorms (not an issue for you I guess!). We even brought the checkbook to accepted student day at York but he came away not liking the “vibe”. He ended up in state at Rowan (my alma mater, but now pushing 20k kids). It’s actually been a great choice for him, but Millersville was a favorite.
I just got wanted to share that we got D’s financial aid package from LVC. It was more generous than I expected with some little extras. In addition to the merit scholarship, she got a departmental scholarship, a trustee award (not sure what that is), their FAFSA incentive for completing the FAFSA early, and, of course, the typical loan.
So happy to see this update @MACmiracle ! Congrats to your D!
S19 received an email from LVC announcing that the college will compete as member of the National Association of College Esports. I had no idea that video gaming had reached this pinnacle. LOL! Yet another reason for my nerdy, D&D playing, band kid to like LVC.
My S19 was invited to a LVC lacrosse open house in December and we were very impressed. The coaches and players were all very welcoming, and the campus is beautiful. S19 plays guitar and is interested in the music business major. Albright has a similar course of study, and we’ll be visiting that campus on Monday.
My son will be doing an overnight in October for lacrosse, and will be attending the music conference at LVC in November. Anyone else have any updates?
OP here. LVC was the top choice. Until S19 decided he wanted to have ROTC as an option. So several small LACs, including LVC, were taken off the list. I had a mourning period. LOL!
Fortunately, Susquehanna has ROTC and is holding down the small PA LAC spot on his list.
