D25 is working on her list of potential schools. Her college counselor recommended both Rhodes and Hobart and William Smith College. We know very little about either. Daughter wants to study psychology/neuroscience. It would appear from our online research that both schools meet her academic interests. She already lives in a cold climate so that is not really an issue. She thinks she would be fine in both suburban and somewhat rural locations so city of Memphis vs. Geneva not a tipping point. Would love to hear from a current/recent parents/students about the school culture and surrounding area. She is a social kid but not a partier. A school environment that is kind and accepting is very important to her. She is academic but does not want a cut throat environment. She is also seeking professors who care about students and are easily accessible. And an active community - nothing crazy but students who like to be out doing stuff whether it be outdoorsy stuff or farmers markets or playing sports for fun. She is not interested in Greek Life at this time. I think it could be of interest if it does not revolve around constant drinking and pot smoking. Thank you for any feedback.
@momsearcheng student is at Rhodes.
Any financial consideration ?
While you say the student can handle any environment, they truly are very different.
Why did they recommend these two specifically over a myriad of schools that for psych would work ?
Do you know what criteria were used or what your child’s wants were when these were suggested?
Rhodes has a stricter core curriculum and may be a bit more conservative. It’s well-known for its pre health courses and majors.
H&WS is preppier, more outdoorsy,and is more or less open curriculum – only the 1st year seminar is required, then students are given latitude to meet 8 educational “goals”
Ie., Curriculum: Eight Goals
Btw you may want to look into Wheaton MA, St Lawrence, Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Juniata, Susquehanna, Goucher, Loyola MD, Washington MD, SUNY Geneseo.
Criteria used:
SLAC 2,000-5,000 students - open to state schools just not that many out there that are small
North of FL, East of Mississippi, South of Boston
Test optional
Strongly prefer a neuroscience major with psych minor but expanded criteria to include schools that only offer a neuroscience minor and a select few with no neuroscience (Loyola MD is on list because we know a lot of people who have been happy there and she could do psych major and bio/premed)
As of now GPA is 3.6 UW - her school is rigorous and only offers Honors and AP. She transferred schools between freshman and sophomore year. Got slammed last year in a very hard math course which hit GPA hard. She has strong EC. The reality is her stats are not earth shattering. We have plenty of competitive schools on the list trying to find a few that have 40-60% acceptance.
She has visit and liked Furman, Lafayette, Trinity College (CT) and F&M. She did not like Gettysburg or Dickinson -really just a vibe she did not like. Both seem to be great schools and I don’t really understand what she did not like but moving on…
Supports (tutoring, writing centers, etc) are important. She is an excellent self-advocate. She has dyslexia. No longer uses IEP or 504 but access to support will be important. The SLACs we have toured so far all seem to offer decent supports.
Of course, financial consideration will come into play but we are very fortunate to not have it as first priority. We can pay full freight but merit sure would be nice.
Prefers schools with students on campus (or just off campus) all 4 years
We do not know anyone at Rhodes or H&WS so really have no idea what the vibe is. Neither are a convenient visit so trying to prioritize.
We already plan to visit Scranton, Muhlenberg, Elon, Loyola MD (although no neuroscience), Scared Heart, Fairfield, Salve Regina (another school I know nothing about), Susquehanna and Moravian.
Thanks so much.
Sounds like you have a great list going.
One class shouldn’t kill a GPA - but if it’s an aberration, hopefully it won’t crush you. Some schools are quant heavy but also statistics is the big thing for social sciences. So maybe a stats class senior year would be good.
I would worry less about acceptance rate though; I don’t think it’s what defines a good or not so good school. In other words, a 40% school is not necessarily a better school or fit than a 70% admit school.
What’s your home state? Are there cost issues? For example, Lafayette meets need.
Sounds like you have a lot on your list - some of which are religious. Have you looked at Denison, Union, Depauw (a tad small vs. the 2K target but bigger than Hobart), Wooster, or Susquehana?
For publics, hopefully you have an instate option but here are some great ones that can work: UNC Asheville, Christopher Newport, St. Mary’s of Maryland (Public Honors College) is a tad small but similar to Hobart, SUNY Geneseo is another. Ithaca for a mainstream school…a la Elon.
One thing - neuro is a newer/major du jour - and can come from many different angles…so no matter where you go, study the curriculums to ensure it fits what you seek. Check the schedule to ensure courses listed are actually offered. Certainly visit where you can or have your student speak with student ambassadors.
Best of luck as you continue your search.
Beyond those suggested by @tsbna44 , I would add Connecticut College.
I do not know much about Hobart and William Smith except DD applied ans was accepted with a scholarship. We never visited.
It looks like Rhodes can work. Dd is neuroscience major with psychology interest and is premed.
She is not a party girl, does not participate in Greek life and is extremely social. She loves Rhodes, has many friends and is generally happy. Most professors are caring and classes are small. There are many sport and outdoor opportunities. Dd did kayaking, played intramural volleyball, sent pictures of beautiful sunsets on the river and fields of sunflowers, got to some festivals and sport games. You can contact me directly.
My understanding is that Hobart has great supports for those needing it. However, Ive also heard the social scene is dominated by frats (same with Union - although they get bonus points for strong science programs). How committed are you to being south of Boston? I believe the upstate ny schools are north of it!
Seconding wheaton and conn college.
Based on the vibe she liked (and didn’t), my hunch is she would like HWS (snd St Lawrence.) Probably Union too.
Did Allegheny cross your radar? Might be another to consider if it works on paper.
Since you’re planning on visiting Muhlenberg and Moravian, you might want to swing by Cedar Crest College, which is down the street from Muhlenberg. It’s smaller than your daughter wants, but they offer a neuroscience major and have a strong psychology major. They also offer good academic support.
I spoke to a parent about Rhodes as her child is there. She said it’s a wonderful college and overall her child is having a positive experience, but a couple of things she didn’t think would be concerns but are. The crime is very bad outside of the campus gates. And there is a remarkable lack of diversity that does sometimes make students who are not your typical southern white student feel like they don’t belong. If they had considered those things more carefully perhaps her child may have gone elsewhere, but maybe not. She just wanted to make me aware.
Just reading about the need for support - it’s a tinge large (a little over 5K undergrads) and I can’t speak to the rest of the match and it has neuro elements in its psych program - but Marist has been recommended by many on here for learning support programs…so another Elon size wise (already on the list) or Ithaca type which I listed prior.
Initially you noted you want professors who care (hopefully all schools) and are accessible…that’s hit or miss but most are accessible if you make the effort for them to be.
There will likely be partiers most everywhere - but hopefully also non partiers too.
Just another name to throw out and perhaps someone has experience with, given the possibility of learning supports (Marist). I know it’s set for ADHD so I don’t know if they’ll have alternatives for dyslexia.
I technically agree with both and it depends of views and attitudes. My DD is not a typical population kid for Rhodes. She is more an exception. But she literally built from scratch her friends group, her new college family, by engaging on Instagram during summer prior to freshman year. So she arrived with friends to campus (texting and checking who is running late prior to arrival.) She also found herself support from outside by reaching to local religious community that matches her interests and attending events there.
Now crime. DD came from big place (metro DC) and is aware of crime. She never leaves campus alone for “exploring”. When I ask her about crime, she is saying that campus is very safe and she always has 6 feet “security” from her “new family”. 80% of the time she goes out of campus with big group of friends in 2 cars. She is out of campus 2 or 3 times a week.
So if kid is social and active she/he will find her or his crowd without any problem. As I mentioned before DD has friends from Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Austin, Korea etc. So this is far from only south…
I would echo this about Hobart & William Smith’s frat/party culture. We have several friends whose children go there and we are very familiar with the school. It’s a good school and a pretty campus, but heavy party culture. I’m sure there are many students there who don’t party non-stop, but we have heard multiple times (and personally seen many first hand examples) that there is a big party culture.
St Lawrence would have a similarly pretty campus, but is more academic.
Thank you so much for all the feedback. I have added the schools that were not on our list to the research list. And taking the other comments into consideration. It is hard to know without visiting. And only so many schools you can visit that are 7+ hours away.
Do not worry about visiting all schools.
Research them. Do NPC (we didn’t bother due to special family situation). Visit couple schools to get the idea what student wants.
You will be surprised. (DD initially wanted big school but in the process realized that smaller ones are great too.) Then apply to 10 that fit your child/family criteria. Once all offers will come some schools will naturally be eliminated. Then visit top 3 best fits and most merit.
I would add Juniata College to your list. Has a neuroscience major (aka “program of emphasis”), friendly/welcoming campus, no Greek life but very active student body with lots of on campus activities, strong reputation for strength in sciences, pre-med. Rural setting, more similar to HWS.
Interested in academic/learning supports Hobart has- any more information
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