Looking for thoughts on Xavier in Ohio

[dbwes]

Forgot to add that the "religious" aspect of the school is probably not a huge part of the students' day to day experience. Some (non-sectarian) theology and philosophy requirements; Mass available for those who want it; lots of emphasis on community service.

[murmur]

I have a senior, we are not looking at XU because it is not a good fit for him. But my husband graduated from there. As a branch manager for the Cincinnati Public Library I was in the position to hire many students from XU as employees and each one was excellent. Their programs are excellent and well-regarded. My sister's nephew is going there completely and also going to Greece this summer on a classics/math scholarship. It is a very impressive school that continues to improve and has great plans for the future.

[abasket]

Well, to address some of these comments - thank you all for the replies by the way...!

First of all, we are Catholic and my son attended Catholic school through 8th grade, then we chose a public school for several reasons, one of which to save $$$ to save our $$ spending for college. He though continues to be active in serving his church - he of his own choice, continues to be a "server" (altar boy) and a lector during masses. He goes back each year and talks to 8th graders making confirmation about the "journey" to high school etc. - his faith is important and I think he would do well in an environment that promotes faith and community service.

As far as not being stimulated, being bored? I may be in the minority, but I believe the goal for college is to get educated in the field of your choice - to learn and strive to learn all you can to be a great player in your chosen field. He is bright, but he is more importantly a very, very good person - I would not at all worry about the education there not being challenging enough - does this make sense? We're not really looking for a "challenge" as a main factor, but opportunity to "bloom where he is planted". The whole idea of needing a big name, out of the ordinary scholarly opportunities, etc. is kind of beyond me. A good name yes, a major major college player? Not so necessary.

I appreciate all the input - please share any other thoughts if you have them to share about Xavier!

[Cincinnati]

You may also want to look at Mount Saint Joseph, Thomas More College, and the University of Dayton. All are local Catholic universities. Academically, all attract the same level of student.

[mommusic]

I wouldn't put Mt. St. Joseph on a level with Xavier. U of Dayton and Thomas More in KY both have good reputations.

All I know about Mt. St. Joe is they accept kids to major in "music" or "piano" who can barely play. Unethical, IMO. They're probably better in academic areas. I sincerely hope so.

[mommusic]

I know this thread is about Xavier, but while we are on the subject of Catholic schools, what about John Carroll in Cleveland? (Don't know where you are in Ohio or how far from home your S is trying to go.)

It was recently pointed out as being the alma mater of John Russert.

[MidwestMom2Kids_]

John Carroll is nice. A very pretty campus in a very safe residential neighborhood with quick, easy RTA train access to downtown Cleveland (the Browns, the Cavs, the Indians). I know a few people who have gone there or are going there and like it. One is a chemistry major who is getting a lot of personal attention and research opportunities, probably an advantage of a smallish chemistry department.

My understanding is that they are a particularly good school for business majors.

[abasket]

I will take a look at John Carroll.....

[MidwestMom2Kids_]

Xavier and John Carroll are the two Jesuit colleges in Ohio. Jesuit colleges are great.

[cuapplecider9]

Xavier is a very good school. Its small and though I did not apply to it, If I had been forced to go to a school in my hometown of Cincinnati, I probably would have gone there. I've heard lots of good things about it.

[MamaDrama]

I used to live in Middletown and had OT fieldwork students from Xavier. At the time OT was switching to entry level masters programs as the standard, Xavier was one of the first schools in Ohio to offer MOT. Students were well qualified and prepared.

I got the feeling people either chose Xavier for the Jesuit tradition or because of a match with their intended major vs. the campus life/environment. Kind of same reasons my cousin chose Case Western in Cleveland, "they had my major and gave me alot of merit aid".

If you wanted somewhere with the traditional college feel, Miami University in Oxford would be the better choice. My rising junior is looking at Miami to major in Zoology.

I have heard the business school at Xavier is strong, too. I knew a guy that did undergrad there and law school at University of Minn. He was a brilliant person (rumored to have had perfect LSATS) so I figure he did his homework in that regard.

Students who choose Xavier also seem to be comfortable at a fit school like University of Dayton with strong Catholic traditions.

The layout of Xavier's campus seems a little off, particularly when compared to the layout of UC, however, the areas around campus seem similar (urban and a little run down in immediate area around campus). There are nice neighborhoods in the area but not immediately accessible from campus. Hopefully, the building/construction plans will help with that.

I went to Ohio State and it is huge but you can find your niche particularly if they have the program you want. The contact with D1 sports you get is incomparable in fields like sports management and athletic training. I think the program at OSU is more geared towards masters and PHD for sports management.

Ohio U has an excellent reputation for a variety of unique fields. I think their sports management program is also a masters program.

For people who like stats, my brother went to the HTC (Honors Tutorial College) at OU in Telecommunications with a 2.9 HS GPA (must have had a high ACT score, I never asked), worked in politics and the private sector for awhile, and ended up graduating from Cornell Johnson School of Business with an MBA.

He now works in Silicon Valley making gajillions of dollars and traveling all over the world despite his dubious HS stats. He loved his time in Athens and might have picked Ithaca for the similar campus feel.

Good luck in your search.