These are my D’s top 3 choices. She is also waiting on a decision from Drexel. She is interested in becoming a mental health counselor (but of course she may change her mind. I always thought she would do well in Communications). She wants a school that has a good social life and internship opportunities. As an Asian American, she is also looking for an open minded campus.
Bryant - Applied Psych major
Scranton - Counseling major
Marist - Social Work major
Drexel - Counseling major
Please help us with your thoughts or pro/cons. Assume the cost of each school is the same. Thank you!
I’d consider them pretty much academic peers so it should be about personal preference assuming they are all equally affordable.
A few random comments:
–I’d strongly suggest you visit or re-visit her top choices (perhaps on accepted students day) as that really helped my S make his final choice.
–FWIW I looked at Marist and UScranton with my S and although he ended up elsewhere we did like both schools.
–Particularly at UScranton she should look at the core curriculum (which at most Jesuit schools is extensive) and be sure she would be OK with it. It should be online.
–Drexel is a co-op based school so if she wants a co-op experience it is a great choice, if she isn’t excited about co-ops them she may be better off elsewhere.
–I would also have your D spend some time going through the coursework she would take for the different majors (likely can be found on each school’s website) and see if one path seems more appealing to her than another. Additionally, if you think she may want to flip into a communications major, you may want to check that that major is available at any school she decides to attend.
If you look in the bottom, you’ll see a business minor is built into the curriculum. Personally, I think that’s cool because more people should graduate humanities/arts with a sense of finances (very useful if one becomes a partner or opens up their own practice). However, if your D absolutely dreads the thought of that - it might not be for her!
@philbegas We are definitely interested in Drexel’s co-op program. Drexel was her top choice until recently. She is not thrilled with the quarter system and prefers smaller class size. I also think that the co-op program is more valuable for engineering/business majors rather than counseling. And Drexel’s tuition will most likely be significantly higher. Its surprising that Drexel is no longer her favorite. Maybe that will change if she gets an acceptance.
In regards to Bryant, the seminar style classes and collaborative environment is very appealing. Bryants business aspect is both a positive and negative. I am not sure how she would do with the economics, math requirements.
I have read about your college transfer journey. I am interested in your decision. Best of luck to you!
@happy1 Thank you for your comments. They are very helpful. Unfortunately, we will miss Marist and Bryants Accepted Student Days. We plan to revisit the campuses and hopefully attend a class/meet with a current student. I need to make sure my D understands the coursework at each school. We could also speak with the dept at each school. I would want to find out about employment/graduate school outcomes.
So exciting. I will be relieved when she makes a final decision!
If she wants to be a therapist she will need to get a master’s in social work, a phD or psy.d. If she wants to get the MSW she might want to pick the school that offers the undergrad SW degree, because if you have that then an MSW is only 1 yr full time rather than 2. If she is interested in a Phd or Psy. D then she might be better off majoring in psychology, but that isn’t necessary as long as she takes certain prereqs.
@philbegas Bryants liberal arts core curriculum includes macroeconomics, microeconomics, stats and math analysis. Maybe the courses won’t be very rigorous and I also think the info is valuable for any major.
@citymama9 Yes, lots to think about. I see her pursuing a MSW. She is not interested in research based psych.