Thanks @Momof3kidz. I will probably have lots of questions after we visit. My son was not raised catholic - although attended a church regularly, so I’m with @MAmom111 on concerns about that. The location is wonderful - and we loved the idea of a complete campus - as well as proximity to a city - so those were more of the appeal. My husband had heart surgery last summer at a hospital near there - so I drove past the catholic campus every day, on my trek from out of state. It looked pretty
@eb23282 I have so much admiration for your daughter’s courage! In many ways it’s like having the guts to call off the wedding when you know it’s wrong, rather than saving face, going along with it, and divorcing after a short while. Like @NicoleGreen, I went to college too soon at the wrong place - and ended up leaving for a couple of years. I was a late bloomer, and took a while to find out the right path for me. I have considered whether a gap year would be good for the twins too. After all of the results are in, we’ll all have a good heart to heart and figure it out. Your daughter is wise and mature! You should be very proud. (If perhaps a little wistful…)
@eb23282 and others that have considered gap years - What were your expectations for your child during that gap year?
S doesn’t particularly like school, isn’t thrilled about going to college and has spoken to us about doing a gap year. His idea of doing a gap year be to take a year off and play basketball, work out at the gym, make videos and sleep. When we told him we expected him to also get a full time job if he wasn’t going to school, that ended all his talk of a gap year. He was thinking of it as more of a year long vacation where he got to play around and think about what he wanted to do with is life. While sending him to college will be more expensive than letting him lie around on the couch, I have some hope that college will mature him and give him some direction. I don’t think anything good will come of him staying home and doing nothing for a year. We struggle with this.
I grew up in UK, where gap years were fairly common. I always think of the time during a gap year as time spent doing SOMETHING (anything) that would encourage growth of some description. Whether this is volunteering , learning a language, traveling, writing a book, bringing up test scores - whatever. The object is growth and maturity, but the byproduct would essentially make for a more impressive college application after the fact, than before. That way - if they are ready to consider college - they have enhanced their opportunities rather than just deferred more of the same.
@eb23282 Congrats to your daughter. We live in one of those over the top ultra-competitive towns. My S19 has chosen a school that has less “prestige” but frankly is a much better fit than his other two top choices. His other choice is super rigorous/competitive like his high school and he was (surprisingly) mature enough to call that out and say no. Your daughter’s self awareness is commendable. I wish her and you the best.
@eb23282 - Good for her! We also live in an over-the-top-highly-competitive-bordering ridiculous school district. I no longer talk to people about schools, teachers, college, etc. because frankly, I find it exhausting. Kudos to your daughter for not getting caught up in the rat race and doing what is best for her right now. Good luck to her!
@Momof3kidz I’d also like to hear anything about Catholic. We’re visiting April break. So far my son hasn’t really loved any city schools, but he still wants to visit. I think he’d like a campus that’s well defined within a city. He’s interested in civil engineering. We are Catholic and he attends a Catholic hs but really just for academic reasons. He’s not specifically looking for a Catholic college
@MAmom111 @Britmom5 @taverngirl
We are not Catholic but both of my daughters attended a private prep school which was Catholic. My D feels very welcome at CUA and also said that there is less religious curriculum than what she had in high school. There are theology and philosophy requirements but not actual classes on Catholicism. She has found classes that she enjoys to fulfill the requirements.
I was worried that not being Catholic would be an issue but that has not been the case at all. I can imagine that a student looking for a liberal environment would not likely choose CUA but you don’t need to be religious nor extremely conservative to find your place.
The campus is beautiful and they take safety seriously. My D loved that although it’s in a city, the campus is well defined. They just finished renovating the business school. The new cafeteria should be completed in 2021 I believe and not sure about the other new buildings. The new athletic facilities opened this week which my daughter said are impressive.
I’ve been very impressed with my D’s education. Her advisor has been amazing. I’ve heard so many stories about other schools from friends that I truly value that her advisor meets with her regularly and is always available to her. I’ll admit that CUA was not my first choice but mostly because she was a high stats kid and this was her safety school. She was wise beyond her years and knew it was the right place for her. She is a city girl who absolutely loves being in DC. The students fully experience the city and all that it offers.
1 Like
Hi all - it’s come down to a Skidmore/St. Olaf matchup in our house. Both have her major/minor prefences, both are cold (her stated weather preference), both claim 60+%+ students study abroad, both have equestrian (Skidmore clearly wins this one with a championship team and horseback riding available as PE), both have choirs/acapella (St. Olaf clearly wins this one), St. Olaf seems to have more school spirit (hometown rival in Carlton), Skidmore has first semester in London program option, both have accessible small towns (Saratoga Springs wins on this one, but Northfield is a sweet town), St. Olaf is easier to get to from SFO and only 45 minutes from MSP. Skidmore requires 2 flights, but is only 45 minutes from ALB. Biggest difference seems to be that St. Olaf student population is 70% midwest/central while Skidmore student population is 70% New England/Mid-Atlantic. St. Olaf may have less pot and alcohol use - that’s an assumption based on Fiske, Insider’s Guide, Niche, etc … as opposed to actual knowledge. Also, while both are cold, Skidmore seems to be closer to a variety of outdoor winter sports - a reference to the flat, flat, flat-ness of the Midwest. We are re-visiting both and we have searched and read the available CC posts on the subject, but curious for your perspectives, if you have any and care to indulge me. Thanks in advance and congrats to all as we get to the end of this part of the process.
@Momof3kidz …thank you so much for the insight. I think this would be a match/safety school for my D as well. She’s definitely not conservative but likes the idea of a defined campus in an urban setting. Can you give any insight as to class sizes as well as whether they are more lecture style or discussions? Also, how long do kids generally live on campus for? And do you find that she needs a lot of out of pocket $$ because it is so close to the city? Thanks so much.
Congratulations on agreeing on the best path for your child and supporting her. So very important to really listen to our kids. There is no one right path. Best of luck to her!!!
@Turquoise52 – My D19 is considering St. Olaf, Macalester, and is waiting to hear from Carlton and Reed, and many of the things you’re looking at – though not the equestrian – are things my daughter is considering as someone who’d be traveling from out-of-state.
I have not visited Skidmore, but have visited St. Olaf, and, for what it’s worth, my perspectives on St. Olaf line up with yours. Another differences I can think of is that St. Olaf has a 4-1-4 calendar. (Skidmore appears to have a regular semester calendar.) I also don’t know how the housing/dining options compare.
Good luck to your daughter (and you) as she chooses!
@Turquoise52 I gave some St Olaf impressions on the St Olaf 2023 thread
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22092652/#Comment_22092652
St Olaf 4-1-4 schedule means you have shorter winter break but is great for doing study abroad. There are a number of St Olaf run courses that are run abroad. D did number theory in Hungary with St Olaf math majors (interim program just for St Olaf students).
One thing I didn’t know about St Olaf was the honors/theme houses. There are 19 of them. That’s a great option for juniors and seniors. My D will be in one next year. She’s enjoyed the dorms but is now looking forward to living in a house.
Last decision in! Thank goodness. Clark U yes with merit! Now…decision time.
D primarily interested in 2 very different schools in 2 very different places: Clark (MA) and Univ of Puget Sound (WA). With respective merit scholarships, both cost about the same. Clark program very strong in psychology but D loves the PAC NW. Thoughts?? Anyone?? Help please!!
So the child has decided: She’ll be attending Mississippi State.
She loathes the dry cold of Alaska, so here’s hoping the polar (ha! I pun!) opposite is her thing…
@rfm512 Congrats on having great choices! We looked at both schools and liked them for different reasons. Clark seems to really strive to engage the students with professors. H and I loved this aspect, but D (a sophomore when we visited) was a little intimidated. If your D is self-assured and ready for that stimulation, it seems like a wonderful place.
UPS struck me as a place that would nurture a little more, yet provide plenty of support as it encouraged you to grow. D did not like the very heavy emphasis on Socratic methods (said “every class would be like APUSH!”). But the campus is the loveliest I’ve seen and would be a special place to spend 4 years.
Good luck!
@dfbdfb Congrats to your D on her decision! Best wishes to her! Such an exciting time!
@Acersaccharum It seems you are spot on to what my daughter feels in general about the two schools. I think Clark may be a slightly better fit in terms of academics but she LOVES the UPS campus and the Pac NW in general. UPS is also a much easier place for us to get to (direct flight and much closer). After having a son in boarding school on the east coast, I know the long flights and travel times wore on him over time. We had arranged a Clark visit before we knew when decisions would be out so D will be sitting in a class tomorrow and doing a tour and “interview” so she can ask her questions. We are visiting UPS again in April. We feel very lucky she has choices! Thank you so much for your thoughts!
I’ll be back to post thoughts on UPS. Huge fan and will share thoughts as a local, and in general. Just hard to do that from the phone!
@eandesmom Looking forward to it! Thank you!