Brag about your "lesser known" school!

Parents Forum
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<p>Sonoma State University-Rohnert Park, CA [Sonoma</a> State University](<a href=“http://www.sonoma.edu%5DSonoma”>http://www.sonoma.edu)</p>

<p>I found Sonoma on CSUMentor when I was looking through the list. I clicked on the link to their web site and almost instantaneously fell in love, for several reasons:</p>

<p>I’ve lived in Los Angeles county all my life, and when it came time to apply, I decided I wanted to get away from the summer all the time weather. I visited Sonoma in late December/early January, and found orange/yellow/red leaves (first time I’d ever seen that), COLD weather, and a light rain. Sign me up.</p>

<p>I go to a very large high school of approx. 4,000 students. Although I am very happy with my Small Learning Community, it’s hard to really have a sense of belonging in a campus that large. Sonoma is a school of ~8,000 students, one of the smallest CSUs. Again, sign me up.</p>

<p>One thing you become familiar with in public school is teachers who don’t care/are just there for the paycheck. Sonoma is a non-researching university, meaning that the teachers are there to do just that-teach. The teacher-student ratio is about 1:20…smaller than my high school’s! Do I need to say it?</p>

<p>The price. I get in-state tuition, and I’m hoping I’ll get a scholarship <em>fingers crossed</em>. It’s not exactly cheap, but it made the list of one of the best value campuses.</p>

<p>THE DORMS. Okay, this was quite possibly my favorite part. My second choice school was San Francisco State (yes, I know, quite a difference). Upon visiting, I noted that the dorms looked quite a bit like institutional psych ward buildings. Instant turn-off…I want to spend four years living somewhere homey (I know chances are good I’ll eventually move off-campus, but stick with me here). Upon visiting Sonoma, I found that the dorms are like cute little two-story apartment buildings (there were a couple three or four-story ones, but I believe those were for grad students). VERY homey feel. AND, no communal bathroom! (That wouldn’t have bothered me, but it’s a nice plus.)</p>

<p>The community. Rohnert Park kind of reminded me of the town of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. Everyone knew each other and was VERY friendly. I could see myself living there.</p>

<p>Moral of the story? As we’re getting ready to leave and drive home, my mom turns to me with tears in her eyes and says, “You’re going to come up here for college and be so happy you’ll never come back home after graduation.”</p>

<p>And I agree with her. :slight_smile: GO SONOMA!</p>

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<p>Forgot to add:</p>

<p>They’re very friendly over e-mail and decently quick to get back to you. ^_^</p>

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<p>4 years ago , I was looking for a college for my D who tested well but did not have the greatest gpa in high school. Hiram ended up being the catalyst college for her and really did change her life ! The best part were the teachers …so much attention per students . Now she is on her way to Washington U. @ St. Louis with great scholarships . I really do not not think she could have done it without Hiram ! A lot of her Hiram peers in the past two years got into great grad school situations as well.</p>

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<p>probably been said, but evergreen is a really neat place. nestled in a forest up in olympia with a really unique, innovative curriculum. I played some rugby up there back in high school. Their team is called the Mother Ruckers. Gotta love it.</p>

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<p>Hi,
Just wondering if there’s anyone out there who would like to brag about Simmons College? My D is interested and that thread is pretty quiet. I thought this might be the thread to discuss this small school. Thanks!</p>

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<p>Oxford Baby!!!</p>

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<p>wittenberg on nearly a full tuition scholarship!..but just imagine how i feel with a triplet brother going to princeton…haha…right</p>

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<p>Anyone know about Eastern Oregon University
My daughter went online to a virtual college fair and they started to talk to her
Is it a good school
They charge in state tuition even for out of state residents</p>

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<p>My S was accepted to Washington College in MD and it’s small, supposedly has a gorgeous campus and offered a generous scholarship. We are going to visit this weekend and will report more!</p>

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<p>I just discovered this thread. What a gust of fresh air! I’m so sick of hearing about the big name schools, and at the same time I’m fight my own, similar attraction to “hot” schools.</p>

<p>I ran into D’s friend, a HS junior, the other day, and we started talking about her college plans. Brother is a high achiever, going to Carlton. I asked if she’d be following in his footsteps. She said “no, I want to go to a small school that really wants ME.”</p>

<p>So much wisdom in a 16-year-old!</p>

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<p>ChiSquare, my son said almost the identical thing last weekend! He’d received some mail from St. Edwards and I said they’d love to have him. He said he wanted to go somewhere that really wanted to have him.</p>

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<p>missypie, I’d say your lucky to have a son respond like that. I think that’s great! I hope my D will feel the same. We definitely feel the difference in the schools we’ve visited. At NoName College, the visits are much more tailored to the interests of the individuals students, and my D felt special on her visit day.</p>

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<p>Chisquare - EXACTLY why I started this thread! To bring to the attention of those who are still searching, some lesser known jewels!</p>

<p>So many choices, so many good options - it’s great to hear from others who have already scoped out good schools…!</p>

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<p>Here are a few more schools that members of our family have attended over the years and that have led to successful and happy lives.</p>

<p>University of Redlands (BA) and University of South Dakota (MA)</p>

<p>UCONN (BA), NC State and U of Oklahoma (Masters), and UNT (for PhD program)</p>

<p>Occidental (BA), U of Georgia (MA), Fuller Institute (PhD)</p>

<p>Occidental (BA), American University (PhD)</p>

<p>NC State (BBA)</p>

<p>University of North Carolina, at Asheville (BBA)</p>

<p>And, for the youngest in the family,</p>

<p>Furman University (BA) and, just decided this week, Duke University (PhD program)</p>

<p>So, you can achieve all your dreams and do well in life with reasonable academic choices.</p>

<p>Good luck to all in the decision process.</p>

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<p>Cheezwiz,
If you are still reading this thread–do you think Rose-Hulman would be good for a non-engineering major? My son wants to major in computer science (he’s taken summer engineering courses at a college, so he knows about that field & definitely doesn’t want to go there). Or, would Rose be too narrow for someone who isn’t an engineering major & wouldn’t ever likely change majors to engineering?
Thanks!!!</p>

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<p>UNC, UCON and NC State?? Heck, any University that has over 20,000 shouldn’t be considered a lesser known school - it’s just lesser known compared to the schools that have 40,000 students :)</p>

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<p>Good news was that when I attend UCONN (back when dinosaurs roamed…), there were less than 15,000 students on the main campus:) And the UNC branch was at Asheville, with only 2300 students at the time. Even NC State was much smaller back in the Jurassic era making it a different expereience than when the next generation attended.</p>

<p>Students often have great experences at the smaller “branch” schools, such as UNC-Asheville. The course numbers are the same, the texts are usually the same, and the classes are smaller, making these “branch” campuses great, affordable alternatives.</p>

<p>Occidental, Redlands, and Furman were also smaller sized schools which catered to similar type students. So, I guess members of our family have found their “niche” for type of school.</p>

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<p>I think your point about the branch campuses is a good one. The U of M (where M = Minnesota) has Morris, and the U of M (where M = Maryland) has St. Mary’s. Good, affordable alternatives for students seeking an LAC environment.</p>

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<p>Latest List:
Alberston College (Caldwell, ID)
Albion College (Albion, MI)
Albright College (Reading, PA)
Alfred University, (Alfred, N.Y.)
Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)
Alma College (Alma, MI)
Alverno College (Milwaukee, WI)
Augustana College (Rock Island, IL)
Austin College (Sherman, TX) CTCL 1
Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)
Beaver College (Beaver, PA)
Belmont Abbey College (Charlotte, NC)
Beloit (Beloit, WI) CTCL 1
Bennington College (Bennington, VT)
Bentley College (Waltham, MA)
Berea College (Berea, KY)
Bethel Univ (St. Paul, MN)
Bradley University (Peoria, IL)
Brandeis University (Waltham, MA)
Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah)
Bryant (Rhode Island)
BU (Boston, MA)
Butler University (Indianapolis, IN)
Cal State Monterey Bay (Monterey, CA)
Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI)
Canisius College (Buffalo, NY)
Carrol College (Waukesha, WI)
Carroll College (Helena, MT)
Carthage College (Kenosha, WI)
Centre College (Danville, KY) CTCL 1
Chapman University (Orange, CA)
Christopher Newport University (Newport News, VA)
Clark (Worcester, MA) CTCL 1
Coe College (Cedar Rapids, IA)
College of Santa Fe (NM)
College of St. Rose (Albany, NY)
College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME)
Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO)
Colorado State University (Ft. Collins, CO)
Connecticut College (New London, CT)
Cornell College (Mount Vernon, IA) CTCL 1
Curry College (Milton, MA)
Denison (Granville, OH) CTCL 1
Depaul (Chicago, IL)
DeSales University (Center Valley, PA)
Dickinson Colege (Carlisle, PA)
Drew Univ (Madison, NJ)
Earlham College (Richmond, IN) CTCL 1
East Carolina Univ (Greenville, NC)
Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL)
Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, FL) CTCL 1
Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, PA)
Elmurst College (Elmhurst, IL)
Elon Univ (Elon, NC)
Embry Riddle (Daytona Beach, FL)
Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) CTCL 1
Fairleigh Dickinson University (Madison, NJ)
FAU (Boca Raton, FL)
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Fontbonne Univ (St. Louis, MO)
Fordham University – Lincoln Center (NY, NY)
Fordham University – Rosehill (Bronx, NY)
Furman Univ. (Greenville, SC)
Gannon University (Erie, PA)
Geneva College (Beaver Falls, PA)
Georgetown College (Georgetown, KY)
Georgia State University
Gonzaga (Spokane, WA)
Goshen College (Goshen, IN)
Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI)
Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA)
Grove City College (Grove City, PA)
Guilford College (Greensboro, NC) CTCL 1
Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN)
Hampden Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney, VA)
Hampshire (Amherst, MA) CTCL 1
Hanover College (Hanover, `IN)
Heidelberg College (Tiffin, OH)
Hendrix College (Conway, Ark) CTCL 1
Hillsdale College (Hillsdale, MI)
Hiram College (Hiram, OH) CTCL 1
Hobart & William Smith College (Geneva, NY)
Howard Payne Univ (Brownwood, TX)
Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL)
Illinois Wesleyan (Bloomington, IL)
Iowa State University, (Ames, Iowa)
Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY)
James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA)
Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA)
Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI) CTCL 1
Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS)
Keene State College (Keene, NH)
Kenyon College (Gambier, OH)
Kettering Univ of Engineering (Flint, MI)
Knox College (Galesburg, IL) CTCL 1
Lake Forest (Lake Forest, IL)
Lawrence University (Appleton, WI) CTCL 1
Linfield College (McMinnifield, OR)
Louisian Tech University (Ruston, LA)
Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA)
Lynn Univ. (Boca Raton, FL)
Manhattan College (Riverdale, NY)
Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY)
Marlboro College (Marlboro, VT) CTCL 1
Marquette Univ (Milwaukee, WI)
McDaniel College (Westminster, MD)
Mercer College (Macon, GA.)
Miami U (Oxford, OH)
Millikin University (Decatur, IL)
Millsaps College (Jackson, MS) CTCL 1
Minot State University (Bottineau, ND)
Mitchell College (New London, CT)
Montana State University (Bozeman, Mont.)
Montreat College (Montreat, NC)
Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
NC State University
Nebraska Wesleyan University (Lincoln, NE)
New College of Florida (Sarasota, FL) CTCL 1
New England College (Henniker, New Hampshire,)
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro, NM)
Northland College (Ashland, WI.)
Northwestern College (Orange City, IA)
Oberlin (Oberlin, OH)
Occidental College (LA, CA)
Ohio Dominican (Columbus, OH)
Ohio Northern University (Ada, OH)
Otterbein College (Westerville, OH)
Pepperdine (Malibu, CA)
Prescott College (Prescott, AZ)
Principia College (Elsah, IL)
Queens University (Charlotte, NC)
Randolph College (Lynchburg, VA)
Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, VA)
Reed College (Portland, OR)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Rensselaer, N.Y.)
Rensselear Polytechnical Instit. (Troy, NY) CTCL
Rhodes College (Memphis, TN) CTCL 1
Ripon College (Ripon, WI)
Roanoke College (Salem, VA)
Roger Williams (Rhode Island)
Rollins College (Winter Park, FL)
Rose-Hulman Instit Tech (Terre Haute, IN)
Saint Mary’s College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, MD)
Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA)
Seton Hll University (South Orange, NJ)
Sewanee/The University of the South (TN)
Simmons College (Boston, MA)
SMU (Dallas, TX)
Sonoma State College (Rohnert Park, CA)
Southeastern Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, MO)
Southwestern U (Georgetown, TX) CTCL 1
Spring Arbor Univ (Spring Arbor, MI)
Springfield Technical Community College (Springfield, Mass.)
St Louis University (St. Louis, MO)
St. Ambrose (Davenport, IA)
St. Catherin (St. Paul, MN)
St. Francis College (Brooklyn Heights, NY)
St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY)
St. Mary’s (St. Mary’s City, MD)
St. Mary’s College (South Bend, IN)
St. Michael’s College (Colchester, VT)
St. Olaf (Northfield, MN) CTCL 1
St. Vincent College (Latrobe, PA)
Stetson University (Deland, FL)
Stonehill College (Easton MA)
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
SUNY Purchase
Taylor Univ (Upland, IN)
TCU (Texas Christian U)
Temple Univ. (Philadelphia, PA)
The College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ)
Trinity U (San Antonio, TX)
Truman State (Kirksville, MO)
Tufts University (Medford, MA)
University of Akron (Akron, Ohio)
University of Alabama (Huntsville, AL)
University of British Columbia (BC, Canada)
University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
University of Cincinnatti (Cincinnatti, OH)
University of Dallas (Irving, TX)
University of Dayton (Dayton, OH)
University of Delaware (Newark, DE)
University of Denver (Denver, CO)
University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)
University of Mary Washington (Fredricksburg, VA)
University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
University fo Minnesota Morris (Morris, MN)
University of New England (Biddeford, ME)
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.)
University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND)
University of Oregon Clark Honors College (OR)
University of Pittsburgh (Johnston, PA)
University of Portland (Portland, OR)
University of Redlands (Redlands, CA)
University of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
Iniversity of South Dakota (vermillion, SD)
University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN.)
University of Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)
Universiuty of Mass. (Amherst, MA)
Ursinus College (Collegeville, PA)
Walla Wlla CC (Walla Walla, WA)
Warren Wilson College (Asheville, NC)
Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, PA) CTCL 1
Wayne State College (Wayne, NE)
Wells College (Aurora, NY)
Western Washington U (Bellingham, WA)
Westminster College (New Wilmington, PA)
Westmont College (Santa Barbara, CA)
Whitworth (Spokane, WA)
Wichita State (Wichita, KS)
Willamette (Salem, OR)
Winona State University (Winona, MN)
Wittenberg University (Springfield, OH)
Wofford (Spartanburg, SC)
Wooster, College of (Wooster, OH) CTCL 1
Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH)
Yeshiva U (NY NY)
York College of Pennsylvania.(York, PA)</p>

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<p>If you haven’t considered Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, please take a look. Its the kind of school where, 20 years after I graduated, I still get e-mails and notes from professors, where my cross country coach was also an English Ph.D., where the faculty cares for you like family, where you can get a fabulous education both in and OUT of the classroom.</p>