<p>Thanks rockvillemom and emmybet-- and yabeyabe, I know what you mean exactly! A dear friend of D’s is determined on Goucher and D still hasn’t budged. She’s not keen on Drew or Muhlenberg either, will look at Skidmore (with a cold, fishy eye, I imagine)…and at Juniata thanks to Holliesue. I have high hopes for URI-- they are very welcoming and she will sit in on two classes next week so we should get a good chance to feel it out. Whatever happens, it was great to feel that click at Brandeis, just so we know what it feels like! </p>
<p>And I will be very interested to hear about Elon-- they’re said to have a strong acting BFA but it’s a bit far afield for us. We’re having fun looking-- won’t have such a great time waiting to hear, I’m sure.</p>
Maybe you saw my DD1 - that sounds like her! Although if you were on the Brandeis campus before noon on a weekend, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have run into her ;)</p>
<p>I’m so glad your D liked Brandeis, Gwen, even if it is a reach. Several of the other schools that have been mentioned, including Goucher, Muhlenberg, and Tulane were on D’s list, but fell by the wayside when she got into Brandeis. If your D’s aversion to Goucher and Muhlenberg is based primarily on website and print material, can you invoke the “mom gets to pick one” rule and persuade her to visit one or the other? She may get a completely different feel on campus.</p>
<p>Gwen, given your daughter’s passion for theater, I am surprised she is not pushing harder to discover NYC area schools, sinply because a student in the NYC area can see farv more quality shows (on student discounts) than at any other city in the world except perhaps London.</p>
<p>My niece graduated from Goucher a few years ago. She really blossomed academically there and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She loved the small classes and supportive professors. The campus is very pretty. The area is suburban with a nice mall and restaurants nearby, but I think most kids would want to have a car. Downtown Baltimore is about 25 minutes away. The school is about 2/3 female. It seems popular with bright, artsy kids.</p>
<p>Yabeyabe and others: Thanks for the correct feedback. When reviewing all the info. fliers after visiting Towson, I noticed a brochure which was packed with fun welccome activities for the month of September (including Hillel and other events). The Business school also has a lot of very good clubs. Therefore, you are all right it is better to start at a 4 year school. </p>
<p>I guess the things I am concerned about is no quiet dorms at Towson. Also, I did not see outdoor basketball nets and easy to find pool tables which create easy social activities. We did not see any fitness or swimming pool facilities on the tour. I am sure these resources exist at Towson, but they do not appear to be on the center of campus.</p>
<p>At UT Dallas, you saw outdoor basketball nets, pool tables adjacent to the main dining area, beautiful indoor pool, etc. It looks like an easier place to socialize. However, UT Dallas is harder to get into, and is far from home.</p>
<p>I heard that 5 year graduation rates are more common at the state schools and 4 year graduation rates are the norm at the private universities. Something to keep in mind if it makes a difference.</p>
<p>mdcissp - there is a rec center at Towson in the center of campus - near the library - called Burdick Hall. Here’s a link for activities. It looks like there is plenty to do - at least based upon the website.</p>
<p>Momjr, congratulations to your daughter. And to you, for taking the chance of investing in the cost of a small, supportive private school and seeing it help her blossom.</p>
<p>MD, Dallas weather is much more conducive to outdoor basketball than Towson weather. RM has pointed you in the right direction. Take a look in particular at [Campus</a> Recreation Services](<a href=“http://www.towson.edu/campusrec/main-intramural.html]Campus”>http://www.towson.edu/campusrec/main-intramural.html) Note that your son can sign up for intramurals as an individual and be placed on a team–tell him not to worry, they must post that because plenty of kids do not have prearranged teams. Note the $40 per sport fee–this may be unusual (expect it to become more common as a means of keeping tuition down), but make sure he knows he should spend it. And you do not have to be a good athlete to play intramurals.</p>
<p>Re Dallas v. Towson, if your son is mor likely to spend Summers nad seek a job near your home than in Dallas, that is a strong argument for Towson as he will make friends and find internships in MD.</p>
<p>Re 4 year vs. 5 year graduation, many schools and websites now cite a 6 year graduation %, without noting it is 6 years. It is important to check. You are right that the 4 year rate is more the norm at privates; this appears to be the result of a combination of publics having more kids transferring from community colleges and not getting full credits; more kids going part-time or skipping a smester for financial reasons; and more difficulty getting into required upper level classes, as they tend to have larger numbers of kids trying to get into the same class. Obviously, this varies from school to school.</p>
<p>Yabeyabe2: Thanks, but it was my neice that graduated from Goucher, not my daughter. Both of my daughters thought that Goucher was too small, much to the disapointment of their grandmother, a long ago “Goucher Girl.”</p>
<p>I agree with your points about 4 year vs. 5 year graduation rates. Most of the kids I know who attended Towson needed an extra semester, summer courses, or January courses to graduate. However, they all did graduate. I think the school is doing something right in that regard.</p>
<p>I think that kids attending more selective schools usually have the benefit of AP credits coming in, which makes it easier to graduate on time even if you change majors.</p>
<p>re graduation rates – the common data set asks for 6 year graduation rate, with info also about how many graduate in 4 or 5 years. this is a standardized form that colleges complete. so i don’t think it odd that many schools cite these figures. to make sure you are comparing apples to apples, it is always a good idea to search for the school’s common data set at their website – some have them readily available, often for several years worth of data, others simply don’t. if a school has several years of CDS posted, it can be helpful to see how numbers change over time.</p>
<p>but realize also, that when graduation rates are cited, they are talking about a class that entered several years ago – six year graduation rate figures being quoted now are for classes that probably entered the school 7-8 years ago (depending on how current the data quoted is). public colleges may have seen a change in the type and quality of students enrolling in very recent years due to the economy which could result in a change in the graduation rates over time. on the other hand, budget cuts could also make it harder to get into classes, also affecting a change in graduation rate. </p>
<p>also realize that at public colleges – you not only have many students with families for whom public tuition was more affordable than private, you have students with families who struggle even with the public school tuition. i would assume that this affects graduation rates, especially the way the economy has been the past couple of years.</p>
<p>so bottomline – i think grad rates only tell you so much, and you really need to ask questions that would be specific to your child to determine if a school is the right fit.</p>
<p>Thanks so much to Rockville Mom and Yabeyabe for the link to the athletic facilities at Towson. It looks really good. I wish Towson had shown us the inside of these facilities on the tour, but we can go back and check it out if accepted. Towson is still on the list. I think RM will like it for a safety school.</p>
<p>Mdcissp: I know that you are concerned about trying to find a quiet dorm for your son. Have you checked to see if he can get a single room at Towson? I think that would make things a lot easier for him. At Towson, he will also be able to come home for weekends if he needs a break from the dorms. I hope you hear good news from them soon. My daughter needs to finish her essay so she can submit the application.</p>
<p>Yes-single rooms are available at Towson. However, even with a single room, I don’t think he would be comfortable in a dorm with blasting loud music, parties, beer, etc. I am not saying the party atmosphere is in the Towson dorms–I really don’t know, just feel safer if a school offers a quiet dorm or major area of a dorm with quiet floors. UMBC offers significant quiet hours in specific designated dorm area. Things will never be 100% perfect, and Towson has enough great things about it that my son’s application is in and we hope he is accepted.</p>
<p>Hi, all. Just back from Parents Weekend at Delaware. We did a couple of on campus activities (Steven Wright/Seth Myers Friday night - hysterical) and a lot of restaurants/shopping! A couple of things to add to this thread -(1) quiet dorms (2) long winter break (3) First Year Experience.</p>
<p>RE: Dorm. My D has a single in a huge freshman residence complex. She appears to be disciplined about studying in her room (and resisting outside temptations) and, if it’s too loud, she goes to the library. I must admit I wasn’t sure how she was going to handle this but she is taking her grades very seriously and is doing the right thing. In fact, there’s a note on her message board from one of her friends that says: When are you coming out to civilization? H asked her about it; she said that’s because she’s been in her room studying. I guess I’m wondering, are you, the parents, wanting quiet dorms, or are your D or S wanting quiet dorms? There’s always a quiet place to study on campus if your dorm is too loud.</p>
<p>RE: Long winter break. My D is looking forward to the opportunity for study abroad (although finances will be a consideration). They encourage freshman to study abroad the first winter break and there are scholarships specifically for freshmen. D looked into it, but she needed a prerequisite for the trip she wanted to take and hadn’t taken it yet. She’s planning classes for next semester now and has that one on her list. She is also going to contact her old job and see if she can put in hours while she is home. She knows now how fast the spending money goes! Plus, hoping for a trip to visit some friends who go back to school before she does. As for summer jobs, she has a returning staff app in for next summer at the camp she worked last year. I went to a college that ended even later (trimesters/quarter system) and I had friends who arranged their summer jobs while they were home for spring break (I did the camp thing like my D, so not an issue for me).</p>
<p>RE: First Year Experience (and living with people in your same major). My D is University Studies (undecided); she only has a class with one girl on her floor and that’s her First Year Experience (FYE) class. There’s so much going on on campus – your student will meet others in the groups, clubs they join. Many of the colleges we visited groups students in dorms this way. I also want to put in a good work about UD’s FYE program for freshmen. They really get the students integrated into the UD community, teach them about surrounding area, etc.</p>
<p>Oh, and three of D’s good friends – all on her floor – she met at Freshman Fest!</p>
<p>If something could be done about the Jersey Turnpike and the Belt Parkway, I’d be even happier about everything … I’m thinking that S has to go to school in Boston (LOL!</p>
<p>I’d be glad to answer any additional questions about UD!</p>
<p>LINY: love, love, love Seth Myers…glad it was fun…</p>
<p>re: Belt Parkway…have been trying to figure that one out for 35 years…literally…I used to drive all the way up to the GWB to avoid it…then I had to deal with the Cross Bronx; net-net you can’t win…</p>
<p>Never been to U Delaware, but perhaps you might all want to consider taking Amtrak there to avoid the traffic you mention. I heard there is an Amtrak stop on or very close to campus.</p>
<p>susquehanna is wonderful university great business school nice kids nice people. lots of very successful people come out of there.not a party school but the school does a great job doing activities for the kids.</p>
<p>LINY, if your NJT issues are usually at the same place, let me know and I can suggest an alternative route. To avoid the Belt and the Cross Bronx from New England, take the Merrit to 287 South across the Tappan Zee to either the Garden State Parkway or all the way to the Turnpike</p>
<p>We are on the south shore of LI. I will NEVER go on the Cross Bronx! Would rather go over the Triboro up to the GWB if I have to go that way. Then you have to deal with the GWB.</p>
<p>The Amtrak is great - D took it home once already. But there were three of us going, so not cost-effective. Then again, perhaps you missed the part of my ridiculously long post about the restaurants and shopping that consumed the weekend!</p>
<p>So it was 3.5 hrs there (traffic bumper to bumper the entire way across Staten Island) and 4 hours back. Love my satellite radio. 70’s on 7. 80’s on 8. H and S slept most of the way. I sang (and drove).</p>
<p>Now, to figure out which way to get to Lehigh with S on Election Day (actually going to drive Mon afternoon). GWB or Verrazzano? Which is the lesser of two evils?</p>
<p>As far as the earlier Brandeis discussion, I think that might be a great school for S (I did the info session/tour with D, but way too reach-y for her). I also want to put on the list a couple of schools that are more a match that will give him merit aid - size of Brandeis or a little bigger (not much smaller), Jewish (doesn’t have to be as much as Brandeis), driving distance from NY. So maybe a school like Brandeis that would be good fit for a B/B+ student but would give merit $ for an A student. He is completely not interested in college football (as he showed this weekend) but would be into watching college hockey! BU? (although he hates the cold. going to be hard to please this one!). His academic interest is likely to be something in the sciences or engineering.</p>
<p>Linymom: I’m glad you had a nice visit. It sounds like your daughter is off to a great start. I really liked Delaware when we visited, but my daughter thought it was too rural. It’s a really easy 1 hour and 15 minute drive up 95 for us. Every time I drive to Philly to visit D1 I think about how great the location would be.</p>
<p>Rural? Compared to UPenn or Temple, BU or NYU, I guess it would seem rural. But UD is in complete suburbs. Every store you can imagine so so close --too many to list here! Easy public transportation for the students, including to the Christiana Mall which is awesome. In fact, D learned about the public transportation as part of her First Year Experience class.</p>
<p>When I think “rural,” I think of Oneonta - no Verizon service on the way there (which pretty much was the first X against the school. Stopping for deer in he road on the way was #2.)</p>
<p>Obviously, it’s all in what you are looking for. To us, it seemed just like our typical Long Island suburb - with easy access to two cities (Philly and Baltimore). Just don’t want families who are considering UD but haven’t visited to get the wrong idea. If your D/S wants a city school, this isn’t it. But it is not in the middle of nowhere. It’s not even a long way from the highway.</p>
<p>P.S. My extremely cerebral S thought Steven Wright was hysterical. Exactly the way S thinks. Was fun to watch him have such a good time.</p>