@AustenNut , what makes Colleges That Change Lives different? Why do they deserve separate consideration?
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Yes, since she will be residential, she wants the majority of students to also live in dorms. Thatās one of the reasons Ramapo is out of picture - many students are commuters.
The association called Colleges That Change Lives was formed after a former education editor wrote a book by that title. Even at the time of writing, the author was aware of high school students and their families who were concerned about getting into a āgoodā college but concerns about low admit rates. Thus, he wrote a book where the acceptance rates were more reasonable (usually at least half of applicants were accepted, at the time) but where undergraduate students were getting a quality education and/or that something special was happening on campus. The list wasnāt intended to be exhaustive of all smaller, quality schools, but more illustrative of the possibilities.
After the success of the book (at least amongst high school counselors and families), the colleges formed an association for marketing purposes using the bookās name (with the authorās permission), and there are now CTCL college fairs and more familiarity for high school families.
One thing that I like about CTCLās profile pages is that there is a larger narrative section which allows the colleges to talk about what makes the school unique, what drives the mission at these schools, etc. Itās a much better picture of a school environment than is normally found on the internet, though one still needs to recognize that itās marketing. But itās kind of like a Fisk guide in terms of providing a better sense of the feel of a school.
Of course, times change and schoolsā ethos could have changed from 2000 when the book was first written. So inclusion on this list is an indication that itās a school that had been a quality school worth greater consideration (and the organization recently added two schools, Oberlin and DePauw) which one might consider a more recent favorability inclusion (i.e. that those schools are meeting the quality standards envisioned nearly 25 years ago).
So, I donāt think that CTCL schools need separate consideration. But since many people might not realize how informative the profiles can be, I try and link to them when available. Your question though makes me realize that I should probably make it clearer why I include those links!
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Why not Millersville ? Especially if you like Ramapo ā¦
Thank you for your detailed explanation. Makes more sense now.
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We visited Ramapo with her sibling a while ago because it checked off a few boxes and we thought it is worth a visit. Her sibling ended up not applying to that school. There was nothing wrong with it, just decided it is not worth it in our case.
Iām asking about in state Millersville.
Yes, I got it.
You said āespecially if you like Ramapoā¦ā and thatās why I wrote my comment :-).
I donāt know that Millersville is the same commuter wise etc. first and 2nd year not commuting are required on campus. 2k live on campus.
Itās a similar academic level and size to Ramapo but you need in state publics and I personally think itās a winner for your needs. Itās not in a large metro area like Ramapo so will likely be less commuterish although 70% of first year Ramapo live on campus but Millersville requires two years.
If it were me, Iād look. But Iām not you of course.
Get your point now. Thank you for advice. Will ask her if she wants to visit.
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@Creekland might have comments about this situation (4.0/premed - best PASSHE? Advisable or not?) or recommendations?
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They give merit, they donāt give enough to get it in price range
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Creekland has not been on the board for over a year . . .I miss her comments!
West Chester (which has already been recommended) is one of the best PASSHE schools. Millersville and Shippensburg are also up there. The OP seemed to be turned off that they were originally teachers colleges. WCU does have a big health career focus and they are certainly more affordable (although PA is not great with state funding). Privates may be even cheaper if enough merit is available.
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Me too! I still remember some of the very thoughtful comments.
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Yes, we are well aware that private college may be cheaper than public!
Yes, tuition at WCU is actually low. We visited this college with our other kid a few years ago. I donāt think it would be a good fit for either of my kids. But we did like their safe and beautiful campus and nice town around it.
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Iāve seen you mentioned Elizabethtown as a school to check out. My D and I toured it and while it didnāt fit her needs it was a really nice small school. The people were so friendly, the student giving the tour I could easily see being a friendly face on campus. We met with the Dean of the music department and he was very friendly and excited about some of its growth. For my D itās not enough yet musically for her but if she was still interested in the OT or elementary education program sheād apply. Recently she got an email from them saying she has an $18,000 scholarship waiting for her if she applies. Sheās not going to but that brings COA to $33,000ish.
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Thank you for your post. Sounds good to me. Yes, Iāve heard that Etownās OT and PA programs are among the most popular. They can also be generous with merit. Definitely worth at least a visit and will go from thereā¦
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Any information on Fairleigh Dickinson Florham Campus?
Any first-hand experience with Lebanon Valley College?
DD met admission counselor who came to her school, and they connected really well. She is now thinking about including this college into her initial list.
Thoughts?