Please, I need help from parents. - Page 2

jollymon · 04-16-2008, 06:51 AM

Hi!!! We have chatted a couple times because you and my son applied to a number of the same schools. Now that you have the list of where you got in, make the most of it. I will give you some different advice: go where you want to go the most. You live once so go to the school you most want to go to. Then, don't look back. I was very impressed with Wells and it was in my son's top three colleges. Hampshire, well, you aren't in love with it. Bard, seems like a good fit. I really hope you end up at a college you love. You seem like a great kid! There was a time when I thought you and my son would be at Wells. Let me know where you choose. Good luck!

bethievt · 04-16-2008, 07:44 AM

I cannot agree with jollymon that you even consider Bard with that load of debt. It would be a crushing burden. Visit Hampshire and the surrounding schools again with an eye to the opportunities. I think you'll see a lot to love.

A friend's daughter is a first-year there. She LOVES her single--no roommate worries--and has made close friends and taken great classes. She's found a friend to compose music with, something she'd never done before. She told her Dad that Hampshire is everything she hoped it would be. Go take another look at this school that loves you.

JHS · 04-16-2008, 08:31 AM

Piling on here:

1. This thread is a great example of why visiting colleges is overrated. The OP is reacting to Hampshire's non-classic look, to 5-10 random students he may have met, and to his ideas about what singles may mean. A month into college, none of that will matter. He'll be used to how the buildings look -- he may never love them, but they will be familiar -- he'll have found other kids like him, he will be having the social life he wants to have.

2. With its curriculum and the 5-college consortium, Hampshire is uniquely open-ended. A student can really make of it what he or she wants. That doesn't mean that it should be everyone's first choice, but it's hard to justify it being anyone's LAST choice. No matter who you are, it's far from a bad place to be. Especially without debt.

3. Wells may have a program with Cornell and Ithaca, but it is a LOT farther from them than Hamp is from the other 5 colleges in its consortium. I doubt the programs are equivalent on a practical, day-to-day basis. Students really USE the 5-college consortium (as someone noted, especially Hamp students, since it has the fewest "domestic" offerings, and was essentially designed to use the other four colleges resources).

4. I know other people have had different reactions, but my subjective impression has been that Bard and Hampshire students give out almost identical vibes. Lots of people on CC adore Bard, and they have forced me to revise my views somewhat. But I'm still skeptical that the OP views the two schools as so different in terms of personality.

sammielue21 · 04-16-2008, 10:25 AM

I can not thank you all enough for the help you're offering -- I knew the parent's forum was the right place to post this. Just a couple of things: I would have loved to visit Hampshire before applying, but it wasn't possible. I made a good number of my decisions as to where to apply based on how things looked on paper because my family wasn't able to visit many schools at the time. It would be ideal for an applicant to visit each school he or she (and for future refrence, I'm a girl) is applying to, but sometimes it just isn't possible. Hence my situation.

And I think that a lot of you are right -- "fit" is really what you make it. That's why I intend to give Hampshire the best chance I can... Bard is completely off the table. And JHS, you're right that Bard and Hampshire have the same type of students. But as vibe tends to work, I got diffent impressions of the general feel of both schools and it would be impossible for me to explain to you what originated them. Perhaps it was the non-classic look of the campus or the one girl who was rude, but the feeling was there.

Kristin -- your post was amazing, really. Thank you.

Jollymon -- will your son be attending Wells? I hope he is happy with his final decision as well.

Again, thank you all. If anyone has anything else to add or has any questions or anything, I would love them.

jollymon · 04-16-2008, 12:37 PM

I wish you the best of luck also. Go to Hampshire. Make the most of it and have a ball! I think it will be a great fit for you. My son has decided agaist Wells. In fact, I just mailed the letter saying he wasn't going. It is down to Skidmore (starting in London) and Ithaca College. The whole family is rooting for Skidmore even though my wife and I are both Ithaca Alums. Good luck to you. I bet you just love Hampshire and have the time of your life!

Hanna · 04-16-2008, 01:22 PM

"4. I know other people have had different reactions, but my subjective impression has been that Bard and Hampshire students give out almost identical vibes. But I'm still skeptical that the OP views the two schools as so different in terms of personality."

I strongly agree with this. OP, if you were madly in love with Syracuse and had to go to Hampshire for financial reasons, I'd be pretty worried. But you really liked Bard, so I'm not worried. I just can't imagine the student who'd be happy at Bard but miserable at Hampshire. The kids at those schools have so much in common with one another. I hope you have a fantastic time.