Ohio trip planning... - Page 4

pohaku · 08-19-2011, 02:04 AM

Lisabees, pm'd you.

storytime · 08-19-2011, 09:08 AM

We considered doing this Ohio 6 tour last summer. Couldn't fit it in but focused on Wooster. It was the last college (out of around 20) that we visited and it was the one! She's moooo-ving in next week. We singled out Wooster for the great financial aid packages. They really met our need with merit and grant. It is also a writing intensive college with the senior year thesis, second only to Princeton. I've heard that Kenyon and Denison aren't as generous with financial aid. If you're sleeping on a budget, like me, the Days Inn is north of the college and very clean.

storytime · 08-19-2011, 09:13 AM

And I forgot to mention our visit to Dickinson. DD liked it well enough, beautiful Library, study abroad opportunity, limestone buildings, compact campus. It's only an hour away from us, which put it a little too close. DD had a HS teacher that graduated from Dickinson, and she commented it was a little snobbish. Turned off, and didn't go back.

lammb66 · 08-19-2011, 10:51 AM

I have lived my whole life in Ohio so know about a lot of the colleges. That said my d1's boyfriend will be a sophomore at Wittenberg and loves it there. From what I can see the professors are all very involved and care about the students and want them to get the best out of their college experience. My D1's friend was to go to Denison but did not get the financial aid she expected. I am a University of Dayton grad and absolutely loved this school. It is a little bigger than those you are looking at but it was terrific. We have visited Wooster and felt the students were awesome, they all seem so proud of their school and have enjoyed being there. My D1 is heading off to Slippery Rock University, which is just on the other side of Ohio in Pennsylvania. Talk about a beautiful campus and even better students. Just so welcoming, positive and friendly. She is very happy with her choice. It might be on your way to or from Ohio. PM me is you need any more info.

annasdad · 08-19-2011, 11:05 AM

Quote:

my d1's boyfriend will be a sophomore at Wittenberg and loves it there. From what I can see the professors are all very involved and care about the students and want them to get the best out of their college experience.

We visited Witt last month. Every morning, the admissions office sends out an email to the entire staff about who is coming to see the campus and including any information the potential applicant had shared about interests. DD2 had indicated that she was interested in continuing her study of Russian. The Russian professor (there's only one) sent a return email and invited us to stop by her office for a chat. DD, DW, and I spent about 45 minutes with her talking about the Russian program, a discussion that morphed into talk about other aspects of the college.

None of this surprised me; D1 was Witt Class of 1995 and had a fantastic time there.

The experience played a large part in helping in D2's still-evolving shift from "I want to go to a big state U because there's lots to do there" to "Maybe Dad has a point about LACs really caring about the individual student."

storytime · 08-19-2011, 11:18 AM

Hey lammb66, my DS is a junior at U Dayton, and my husband graduated Slippery Rock before it was a university! The world gets smaller...

lammb66 · 08-19-2011, 11:27 AM

Just loved going to UD, my husband and I are both grads. We still have season tickets for the basketball program so we are there often. Unfortunately they do not have my dgt's major so she didn't even look at UD. Oh well, not another Flyer grad in our family at this time.

shennie · 08-19-2011, 07:04 PM

lisabees - Son was not interested in Vassar, so no visit, and didn't really click with Wesleyan. He applied to 4 schools in the end - Oberlin, Middlebury, Swarthmore, and Rochester. Swat was his top choice but he was waitlisted. Out the remaining schools, he chose Oberlin after a second visit. To be honest, I think Oberlin was a better fit for him than Swat. I think that Oberlin is a great school for kids who are different because that is the way they are, not because they are trying to be different. My son is a bit quirky, but no purple hair or different dress, just kind of marches to his own drummer.

And glad to hear Allegheny is on the list. Hubby and I are both alums and still remain very emotionally connected to the school.

lisabees · 08-22-2011, 07:50 PM

Hi all. We saw Denison today. We thought the campus was beautiful and the town of Granville was idyllic. In fact, we haven't met one person who wasn't super friendly! We are shocked (coming from a Philly suburb) and wondering if it's too good to be true.

In general, S liked Denison a lot. The staff and tour guide were just like the residents of Granville - charming. They have an entrepreneurial program which supports students with workshops, classes and internships. They have club volleyball. The have a music scene for him. Because it is summer, though, S did not get the chance to get a feel for the students. What is their intellectual life like? Can he find a place in this "party school"? We also didn't get a feel for the "soul" of the school (there was no information session). S needs to know this.

We are staying in a charming B and B and will head off to Kenyon tomorrow morning. Can my son deal with an isolated school that has intellectual environment he desires? Only time will tell!

vandygrad87 · 08-23-2011, 09:46 AM

I am really enjoying these reports. We are interested in all these schools so please keep them coming. I have to say, though, that I did not realize Denison was a party school.

Haystack · 08-23-2011, 10:07 AM

I took 2 road trips with friends to visit other friends at Denison back in the 80's. Both trips ended with interactions and interrogations with the local police force for some in my party. I think Denison is still fighting its wealthy partier image from years past.

419marye · 08-23-2011, 10:09 AM

I know students that attend and do not believe Denison is any more of a party school than any other college mentioned in this thread. There is a preppy vibe compared to others also. The student population might have a few moreof those Republicans. As you will find in the real world.

pohaku · 08-23-2011, 02:51 PM

The Kenyon campus is really beautiful. Looks like Hogwarts. Gambier is tiny though. It is essentially surrounded by the campus. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Ultimately was my D's second choice when she made her decision.

lisabees · 08-27-2011, 10:57 AM

Update: We're back! Six schools in five days. I never mentioned to you that my 8 year old D came with us; she was fabulous the entire trip. She was welcomed by every school and has many wonderful memories. I already posted about Denison and wonderful Granville. Next on our list was...

Kenyon: Gorgeous, quintessential, intellectual, insular. We stayed at the lovely Kenyon Inn. The tour was given by a wonderful international student; info session was given by Admissions staff and a different international student. Things at Kenyon seem very traditional and formal - from the buildings to the academics to Middle Path. When I walked into the Admissions buildings, I wasn't sure if I loved the feeling or wanted to run! We stayed for 24 hours and, although students had arrived, it was quiet and S didn't have much of a chance to interact with anyone. Later that night, he played his guitar on the Middle Path and found a bass player with whom to play. Apparently, this student hadn't yet found a talented musician on campus - until he met my son. He joked and told S that it came down to playing with a prospie! They later went to an performance, given by upperclassmen, for the incoming freshman.

S was very quiet during our Kenyon stay. Very thoughtful. I didn't ask; I let him soak it in. He loved the intellectual nature of the place; he loved that each student seemed special and interesting. He would love to be surrounded by such great ideas/passions and encouraged for having his own. But something made him pause.

On the way home, S said it seemed like a prep school (he attends an average public school). The school seemed, from the outside, to be filled with white, rich kids stuck in the middle of nowhere. He wants to spend more time there - sitting in on classes and staying overnight.

Erin's Dad · 08-27-2011, 08:01 PM

lisabees, your son's insight is pretty much correct about Kenyon. Great school, almost a prep school part 2. DD2 applied there (I would have gone there in a shot) while DD1 hated it (too straight laced?). She loved, applied and graduated from Denison. Life is as intellectual as you make it. Not too much partying (DD1 certainly wasn't involved - she doesn't drink). I'm not sure what you mean by the soul of the school.