According to the USFSA, LACs with figure skating teams/programs/clubs include Colgate, Connecticut College, Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Gustavus Adolphus College, Vassar, Kalamazoo, and Colorado College. Also Brandeis (not an LAC but similar like I said before). Of those, Vassar, Colorado College and Brandeis are the closest to cities.
@lalalemma what about williams?
It’s not on their list. However, apparently there is a Williams College Figure Skating Club page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Williams-College-Figure-Skating-Club/198622476818696
Pomona is on a metrolink station and the metrolink goes to Ontario although I don’t know how close to the ice rink. Transportation in general is bad in Los Angeles county but Pomona and the other Claremonts - Scripts, Pitzer, McKenna, and Mudd are all on a metrolink stop that leads to the metro.
You might look at the other colleges in the Consortium as well. Pomona accepted about 9% this year and 40% approx were 1st or 2nd in their class - approx 30% valedictorian and 10% salutatorian. They specifically stated in their info session that for them grades and SATs are more important that ECs, LoRs, and Essays. They are not as holistic as others. They do share a campus with the other schools, however.
@LKnomad is right. I toured some of the Claremonts in April, and the guy leading the info session for Pomona was talking about how they separate all the Common App info onto five screens, and the first two they look at are grades and test scores. I didn’t tour CMC, but there’s a good chance they have a similar attitude since they are also highly selective. You might have a better shot at Scripps or Pitzer, which I thought were both fantastic and seem a lot more holistic.
@lalalemma I heard the same spiel! “Notice which screens are first” the guy said. We did both Pomona and CMC and my son crossed CMC off his list because they were all about leadership while Pomona is more about intellectualism. Quite different institutions. ECs will count more at CMC, specifically leadership ECs.
i think i will be most interested in middlebury and williams out of everything. mostly bc there arent many colleges with figure skating clubs, and the same prestige. thanks everyone for the help!
@cofb2020 you said that pomona was like stanford, and williams was like dartmouth. What about middlebury?
I’d realize advise you to not dismiss the schools with figure skating clubs just because they don’t have the same prestige.
First of all, I’d say Vassar is just as prestigious, if not more, than Middlebury. Colgate, Hamilton and Brandeis are very prestigious as well. While not as well known on the east coast, Colorado College is very prestigious and selective.
But more importantly, schools like Williams and Middlebury are extremely competitive and are reaches for almost anyone, even more so with a 3.6 GPA. In the end, you are going to need a balanced list.
What exactly draws you to Williams and Middlebury? They are both very rural and isolated, and you said you were looking for schools near major cities. Is it just the prestige? There are definitely other LACs with the same amount of prestige that are much more centrally located.
@lalalemma vassar unfortunately only has one skater and no ice rink ): and their athletics are not very good in general either, and i like a college with spirit! also, both middlebury and williams are very well rounded (athletics, housing, academics, social scene, food, etc), and practically every college besides barnard (visited there, didn’t like it) is in a small college town, so I guess all the things that happen in the college makes up for the college itself not being in the city.
“But more importantly, schools like Williams and Middlebury are extremely competitive and are reaches for almost anyone, even more so with a 3.6 GPA. In the end, you are going to need a balanced list.”
I actually am already applying to 8 universities, I just figured that LACs were more holistic and would be a good low-reach for me. I am applying to ND, UMich, BC, USC, and I haven’t found my safety school yet. Also applied to even more prestigious schools like chicago, cornell, and Berkeley.
There are definitely other LACs close in/close to big cities besides Barnard (before I mentioned Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Macalester, etc.) But if you feel that the things going on at Williams or Middlebury would satisfy your needs, more power to you.
Don’t mistake Williams and Middlebury for being lower reaches just because they’re LACs. I doubt they will be that much more holistic and forgiving of a lower GPA than the other schools on your list. When people were talking about LACs being more holistic, they were more referring to the slightly less prestigious ones.
Right now your list is almost entirely reaches. Besides finding a safety or two, you might want to focus on finding some more matches!
@lalalemma i liked swarthmore, haverford, and vassar a lot but like I said they weren’t well rounded! (social scene, athletics, etc). And wellesley is an all girls college): but thanks for all the suggestions uve been very helpful! I left out Wake forest, and I think that will be a good match for me. also I was considering VT a lot as my safety, but theres literally no figure skating anywhere, not even half an hour away.
I think UVM, which cofb2020 mentioned before, might be a good safety for you. They have strong figure skating and are in a nice city.
@lalalemma I looked into it and I am a VA resident so tuition would be over 60 grand for me, and their business school is below average. I was thinking of ohio state or penn state (penn state a little more, bc its much closet to home) as a safety, since they both have excellent b schools and figure skating, except the tuition is still a lot.
@cowycam7 In addition to the train already mentioned, I know there are zip cars right on campus.
Can you please explain what you mean by “not well rounded?” I think all 3 of these have plenty to offer most students.
Unless you are an athletic recruit, I think that these would be reaches for you with a “hopeful” 3.6 gpa, regardless of your test scores. I do think you would have a chance, but I wouldn’t count on getting into a top LAC. Many kids make this mistake every year, and while these schools may seem to be easier admits, I know kids with great grades and test scores who have been shut out of them all.
@mamabear16 when i mean well rounded i mean social scene, acedemics, college spirit, vampus, dorms, and most importantly a figure skating club. Both williams and middlebury have all of those
Not to mention that their social scene and cqmpus and dorms are all top notch compared to the other lacs
Got it. It’s not well-rounded to you without a skating club. I guess you should just add Williams and Middlebury to your list then, and leave the rest off if skating is a deal-breaker. I’ve been to Claremont a few times, and I will say that it’s not really “close” to LA (in that it takes a long time to get to the city, especially with all the traffic we saw there), so none of these have great city access. But then again, IMHO, no place is perfect.
I wouldn’t write off the Claremonts yet. While Pomona academically is probably out of reach, you might still want to look at Scripps and Pitzer. Yes Los Angeles is a distance but Ontario is not and it has a pretty active rink. I know I always see Ontario’s rink as a team winner in various ISI national events. I also know some of the USFSA sectional competitions are there at times as well as in Pasadena which is not to far as well. The Claremont Colleges share campuses and as a result share clubs and you may find other skaters at other schools especially Scripps since it is a women’s college. You may want to contact the Ontario rink skating director and see if they get students from the Claremonts skating there.
While Claremont is in Los Angeles County it is right on the edge or LA and San Bernardino County so you don’t want to look for LA rinks. LA proper is quite a distance. San Bernardino County is right next door and it looks like a 10 minute drive from the Claremonts to the Ontario rink. I just mapped it.
Unfortunately, my figure skater (S20) is too young to be thinking of these things yet, or I would know more. We are actually somewhat local so I know the area and he skates out of a rink in Los Angeles County.
@cowycam7, the schools you are listing will be reaches even if you do achieve a 3.6 GPA. You really need to look at less selective schools to balance your reaches.
Bryn Mawr is part of the same consortium as Swarthmore and Haverford and as a Bryn Mawr student you can participate in the Haverford Ice Skating Club.
Miami College of Ohio has an ice skating club.
The College of Wooster has an ice skating club, although they don’t have their own rink. http://www.wooster.edu/students/organizations/sports/skating/
Also, look at Providence College and Connecticut College.