<p>Vassar is the biggest LAC I know of. (The only one my son said might be big enough!) It has 2900 students. My son considered 20,000 huge and all schools that size fell off his list.</p>
<p>St. Olaf has almost 3,200 – it’s the largest LAC currently on my ‘possible schools spreadsheet’.</p>
<p>PlanB,</p>
<p>I would suggest working hard at marketing your daughter to Delaware. Have her reach out to her area admission rep. Go to the school again and have an interview. Follow up with admissions and let them know how much you want it. Demonstrated interest matters to them. Though we are from Ca, and NJ is tougher, my d got in to Udel(and loves it) with very similar stats. She connected with her rep, and stayed in touch.<br>
JMU was great. had a similar feel to Delaware. Check it out. A little easier to get in to…A bit remote, but not bad from Jersey.<br>
Miami of Ohio has a beautiful campus that reminded me of Udel. Even nicer. Worth a look…
Good Luck</p>
<p>^^^ Yep, Golffather I’ve been to all four places I mentioned in my post. In terms of enrollment sure, Chris Newport and UMW have about double the numbers of typical LAC enrollment, but they seem to fit the LAC profile for campus size/activities, in fact UMW calls itself a liberal arts university. FWIW U of Richmond with half the enrollment of UMW seems downright spacious as a campus.
And I stand by my comments of JMU and Towson as mid-size.</p>
<p>The SUNY schools have relatively low OOS tuition, so definitely worth considering. The NJ public schools shouldn’t be counted out - especially Ramapo and Rowan. (Pay close attention to the 4-yr and 6-yr graduation rates at the instate schools. Some of the campuses have truly dreadful graduation rates, such as Kean and William Patterson.) West Chester U in PA is popular in my area of NJ for students with stats like your D’s.</p>
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<p>Actually exactly 2,370. ;)</p>
<p>[B</a>. Enrollment and Persistence - Institutional Research - Vassar College](<a href=“Institutional Research – Vassar College”>Institutional Research – Vassar College)</p>
<p>Finally responding, thank you all for the suggestions, keep them coming. </p>
<p>A few questions about these schools:</p>
<p>Does a student like my daughter, from NJ, not an athlete, really has a chance of getting into schools like UDel, JMU, GMU, Ohio Miami? In addition to demonstrated interest (thank you SoCalDad), are there any other “hooks” that would help? </p>
<p>College of Charleston, besides the very high girl/boy ratio, seems to have very high average stats, avg GPA is 3.9 and SAT scores are also quite high. Is it within a reach of a B student at all? </p>
<p>Those of you who know SUNY (sacchi, uskoolfish and anyone else)… SUNY New Paltz, Cortland and Oneonta are all smaller schools but not that small, 6-7K students, that may work. How do they compare among each other? Are there some academic areas of strength? Jewish life? Does anyone from NJ know how any of them compare to Ramapo and Rowan? </p>
<p>Rockvillemom, what type of school is Towson? Some posts on CC suggest that it is a huge party school and not focused on academics. It sounds like you looked into it, what was your impression? </p>
<p>As far as the ACT goes, the speed is the problem. She doesn’t have an LD but she does work and read at a slower pace than most. Her comprehension issues are mostly timing related too; When given enough time, she is fine. She is getting better at it but for now, high-speed testing is not her best forte. She did try practicing for the ACT but decided to focus on the SAT.</p>
<p>Dudedad, expatCanuck, thank you for your suggestions, these are smaller schools but definitely bigger than an LAC, will look into them.</p>
<p>expatCanuck, you mentioned St. Olaf. Do you know if jewish students feel comfortable? Before my daughter decided that she didn’t want to go to a small school, I was looking at LACs and really liked St. Olaf for many aspects but especially for music opportunities for all students, not just music majors. My D signs and would love to join a singing group. But now that we are not looking at LACs, I kind of forgot about it. Still, would be good to know in case she decides to change her mind about the school size.</p>
<p>socaldad, thank you, I will tell her this, congrats to your daughter. But to tell you the truth, it seems that most NJ public school students apply to Udel. So the competition is completely different for NJ. But regardless, she should follow your advice, can’t hurt.</p>
<p>ECmotherx2, Stradmom, GolfFather, thank you for your suggestions as well. I have an impression that these schools, Pace, U of Hartford etc., are more appropriate for a C-student, is it not correct anymore? </p>
<p>pkdof13, I know some people who went to Hofstra but not recently. They said it was Ok but only if you are on Long Island and looking for a local school to commute from home. Not true? Has it recently improved? </p>
<p>I think I need to explain my dilemma a bit more. </p>
<p>My D seems to be a kid that is very affected by the learning environment she is in. It seems logical but I know many kids (including my other D) who are internally motivated enough to work hard to get an “A” regardless of what goes on around them. She however, is the kind that is not motivated by the grade as such but by the experience. If the teacher is engaging, students are serious, actively participate etc., she does much better too. The opposite is also true. </p>
<p>So we (DH and I) are hoping to avoid schools which are known as “easy”, “not very academic”, “accept everyone” etc. We just think this type of environment would be a disaster for her. Consequently, even though she wants to go OOS, it doesn’t mean she will be able to. Our position is she will need to apply to Rutgers (obviously much larger than a medium size she wants but the best we have in NJ besides TCNJ), Ramapo and Rowan. Before we consider paying for an OOS or a private school, we’ll need to compare it to her in-state options and then decide. For example, if the choice is between Ramapo and JMU, it would make sense. But if it is Rowan vs U. of Hartford, it probably wouldn’t unless she chose a music major and I don’t think it is the case.</p>
<p>Thank you again, it is very helpful. Rockvillemom, good luck to your son for his 2nd year</p>
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<p>Good luck to your DS, RVM! I got my DS to start packing today as he leaves a week from Monday for Miami! It is soooo much easier with him than it was for DD (who packed TWO cars for the ride to Delaware!).</p>
<p>socaldad: So happy to hear that your DD loved UD! Did she decide on a major yet (I can’t remember). My DD will be a senior this year. No idea where the time has gone!</p>
<p>I’m still checking in on this thread but admittedly not as often. I still feel like this is my CC home, though. I will read through the last few pages and see if I have any knowledge to share… welcome to everyone who is new here!</p>
<p>NeedPlanB: Just read you long post about your DD a few pages back. A few comments:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>UD has all types. There are parties if you want them. My DD is NOT a party type and has found her people. I do agree, though, that it could be really tough for your DD coming from NJ.</p></li>
<li><p>If my DD had your DD’s stats, I would have seriously considered Hartford. We visited and DD would have applied, but she was able to shoot higher. Nice small school. large Jewish population. The student who gave us a tour (through Hillel, we went on a day there were no university tours) told us that it was less expensive for her to attend Hartford than UMass (her in-state public). Her ACT was low 20’s, if I remember correctly. I work with someone now (she’s a social worker) who went to Hartford so I have a good opinion of the school. (This is separate from my neighbor who graduated a few years ago and is now a music teacher in our middle school.) </p></li>
<li><p>As for George Mason, one of my DD’s very best friends goes there (not Jewish). She was a top student in HS and got great aid there. I know she’s had her car there since freshman year and has been active in Greek life. Plus she studied at Oxford last year. I see her mom in town and she says the DD is very happy at GMU. Not one peep about a commuter school. Just one story, FWIW.</p></li>
<li><p>We visited Towson too. I have mixed reviews from students in our town who go/went there.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Not sure if any of this is helpful for you, but it adds to your data points.</p>
<p>Hi NeedPlanB. From the Pace admissions page, they say that the average of the incoming class is 87%. I have a friend whose daughter will attend in the fall. She is an A student, top stats and chose Pace for music, (opera), she received scholarships. Another friend’s daughter, also very bright, attended for dance. She was happy there and went on to grad school. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Just ‘stopped by’ this thread and noticed the reference to the largest LAC as Vasaar…actually the largest LAC is Bucknell with enrollment just under 3600.</p>
<p>D3 is a rising senior and I will be stopping by more often!</p>
<p>NeedPlanB: I don’t have specific advice about a particular school, but I wonder, with your D’s learning style, type of learning environment she likes, cost considerations and the time effect on her scores ( could to better without time restraints) if she is being too restrictive by not wanting a smaller size college?
A small college can be socially different from high school. The students are more mature. In a smaller college, with smaller classes taught by professors, the learning experience might be what your daughter is looking for. Of course you would want her to feel that a college fits, but she can still apply and then visit, spend an overnight, and see it for herself before she decides.
Your description of her brings to mind the “Colleges that Change Lives” group and test-optional schools. Not all of them will have active Hillels, but some do.</p>
<p>Hi fellow parents…just a week and a half til I drop DS at college. Anyone else nervous, excited, stressed, happy and sad all at the same time?</p>
<p>On Towson, I think like most schools, it can be a party school if that’s what you are looking for. But it does not have to be. I think it fits your stated needs in terms of chances of acceptance, Jewish life and affordability. From an anecdotal standpoint, we have a family friend who graduated two years ago with a business major. He is employed and did recommend Towson to S2. S2 also has Jewish friends at Towson who are happy there. I don’t think it would compare well with a pricier private, but I do think it is an option you may want to use as a safety school. Worth a visit, IMO.</p>
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<p>We just visited Oneonta. Although it’s hard to tell a lot in the summer, my daughter and I both liked it a lot. Lots of kids from Long Island so I am sure there are plenty of Jewish students.</p>
<p>I have a friend who teaches at Cortland. I can ask her if you want. (She is not Jewish but her husband, who teaches at Syracuse, is!) My guess is that New Paltz has plenty of Jewish students. It is more diverse than the other two.</p>
<p>The upstate SUNY colleges all seem the same at first look. my daughter wants to study biology and we looked at the (small) bio departments to see what kind of courses they offer, especially at the upper levels. You could also post to the SUNY forum here on CC.</p>
<p>On college of Charleston admissions page, for OOS students they are looking for CR+M of 1140-1280 (25-29 ACT) and A/B level work.</p>
<p>I have not visited Oneonta and Cortland, but would say that of those two, Oneonta has a much bigger Jewish presence. Seems that the school attracts students across many academic areas.</p>
<p>SUNY New Paltz has an artsy/ hippie vibe and is know to have strong art and creative writing program. It is walking distance to New Paltz which is a charming town with a similar vibe. The school does not has as much of an upstate NY vibe as schools further north. Lots of NYC, Westchester and Long Island kids. While certainly a decent size Jewish population, the kids are more quirky/ laid back. Oneonta has more Jewish kids and seems to attract kids who are more similar to those attending a school like Binghamton (but whose grades are lower.) The girls tend to get dressed up for their weekend partying. It all comes down to fit.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom, many colleges overlook a student’s having received B’s if their extracurriculars provide a frame of reference. Do not worry yourself over this.</p>
<p>Does anyone here know Much about Indiana University or Ohio State, especially their business programs? My son wants to attend UMD/Smith School, but these look like strong alternatives, and he may even get merit scholarships. His gpa uw/w is 3.3/3.98 and his SAT is 1390 m/CR. Thanks</p>