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Luther College Visit Report by bonesrock
Visit to Luther College in February 2009 by bonesrock (Student, HS Class of 2010)
(Member since December 29 2009 with 6 posts)
4 of 4 people found this visit report helpful
Visit Activities:
Admissions Interview: Yes - Very nice admissions people. Genuinely interested and treated me like an adult.
Information Session: Yes - Interesting and informative. Learned about the Lutheran identity (not a Lutheran-producing mill) and the close relationship between faculty and students and college/town.
Campus Tour: Yes - Very friendly tour guide. Just three students so we could hear him. Gave his own impressions and experiences. Tailored the tour to our interests. Got to see a real dorm room.
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Campus Visit Notes for Luther College
Visit Description:
This visit started with the admissions officer coming out from behind the table to greet me and show me my schedule and the accompanying information. He introduced himself to me, not my mom, which I liked. He offered for us to sit for a bit, have some Scandinavian treats and coffee, and then, when we were ready, go down the hall where a tour guide will be assigned.
The tour guide gave a great tour. I particularly like the science building. The labs are beautiful, but the lounges with professors offices (all with open doors) were fantastic. The bio lounge has a whale jawbone bench ... so COOL!
The info session was very good, and we were offered the opportunity to attend chapel, being held in the gym as the faculty take turns leading it and it was the coach's turn.
The real impressive thing about the visit was that, even as a junior, you can meet with faculty in your areas of interest. I met with an Anthropology prof (me and only one other student) who taught me a ton about Anthropology and tips on what to look for when choosing undergraduate Anthro programs. She was perky and fun and my mom was probably even more impressed than me. Luther has a four-discipline program (very unusual for a LAC), which includes Cultural, Physical, Archeology, and Linguistics.
I also got to meet with a Bio prof, who was very quirky, nice, and informative. It was just me, my mom, and him ... for about an hour. He was very informative and offered advice on what to look for too, while being partial to Luther but relatively even-handed. He was a little critical of Ripon, so I suspect they are competition ... but he only made true statements ... that they haven't made as much investment in buildings, though I am not very influenced by that fact.
This was my first college visit, and a pleasant surprise. I applied, was accepted, and it is still on my short list. Unfortunately, the scholarship offer was less generous that the higher-ranked schools I applied to. I suspect they are more "by the numbers" and less holistic in admissions and merit aid, or they are struggling financially. Oh, and they give you a T shirt, while the higher-rated schools don't.
