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<p>Except chemistry. Chemistry courses are usually sequential. So although you rarely have to take more than one or two at a time, you do have to take them in a certain order, and if you get behind, you may not graduate on time.</p>
<p>It’s also possible that the student in question attended the LAC but planned to major in a non-liberal arts subject. Many LACs have a few – such as a business major, perhaps. In that case, delaying one semester might cause a problem.</p>
<p>Correct–Chemistry AND Biology, both of which my DS needs and are not available. He’s already 1 semester behind his peers in those areas. And in his school, Biology requires a General Chem I pre-req.</p>
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<p>Physics and chemistry could have 7 semester deep prerequisite chains, so delaying a key course by a semester would leave no room for error the rest of the way to graduation.</p>
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<p>Exactly what I was thinking so I went back and checked on OP’s other posts. In one, she claims to be a student at a state school and in another, a chemistry student (one of the classes that wasn’t offered).</p>
<p>Correct–Chemistry AND Biology, both of which my DS needs and are not available. He’s already 1 semester behind his peers in those areas.
This * is* confusing. As a freshman in his first term, how can he be possibly behind his peers?</p>
<p>And in his school, Biology requires a General Chem I pre-req.
I looked at the Eckerd course catalog & it is true , several of the 300 level bio courses do require a chem course as a pre-req. However freshmen take 100 or 200 level courses, not 300.</p>
<p>It’s unfortunate if there weren’t courses available that met his interests, but as he just started, did the course schedule really vary that much from one last year? What does his advisor think?</p>
<p>Part of the difficulty I think may be taking the color brochures too seriously.
It is understandable to visualize a high bar when thinking of a school described as " very selective". But when a school accepts over 70% of applicants, can it truthfully meet that criteria?</p>
<p>I still say he should finish out the year and talk with his advisor about getting on track.</p>
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<p>This was my immediate thought, too. </p>
<p>I cannot imagine a decent LAC, much less a good one, eliminating the Chemistry and Biology departments and bringing in adjuncts from a CC. Our local state school, on the other hand, announced a couple of years ago that they were doing away with the Physics major, amongst others. Apparently the enrollment was too low.</p>
<p>It definitely sounds as if a transfer is in order. But I would take other courses at the LAC and apply to transfer to other colleges for the fall, or even the summer semester if it is available. I don’t see one semester at a LAC and one semester at a CC as an attractive resume for a transfer to a good school. Staying would enable your S to put together a strong application with good recommendations.</p>
<p>It never occurred to me that we’re taking about a mainstream major. </p>
<p>What liberal arts college isn’t offering chemistry? </p>
<p>You are either being ripped off, or we don’t have the full story. (Or you don’t have the full story from DS).</p>
<p>OP, what are you playing at? Are you either a parent or a college student?</p>
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There’s your answer.</p>
<p>It was my understanding that highly selective LAC’s have students beating down their doors, competing like crazy for the chance to be a full pay student…therefore not having to cut down as much as others in their offerings. Has the admissions environment changed that much in the past year?</p>
<p>Or perhaps the school has advertised itself inaccurately, and they’re not what they claimed they were. That seems like false advertising, and I think I might advise my kid to call it quits. I’m sure there are plenty of excellent colleges on the list of “colleges that change lives” but I don’t know how many would be considered as highly selective.</p>
<p>Without the OP naming the school that the student is at, or the community college or other possible schools to transfer to, no one else can give much more useful response than has already been given.</p>
<p>What a waste of everybody’s time. Not a selective LAC, course sequencing and details do not make sense, OP won’t provide basic info that could help people to provide help. And their lame excuse for why they are obviously a young student in one post then a parent in this one makes no sense at all. </p>
<p>Why do these kids bother? This kind of stuff seems increasingly frequent and why I am actually coming to CC less and less. I guess that is a good thing (ha!). But I am truly tired of kids invading the parent forum in these other guises. So many people willing to provide real advice, and bs posts just annoy me.</p>
<p>I think the student and parent(s) should meet with an administrator before ditching the school. There must be legal implications to accepting students and then not providing a way to graduate in reasonable time. The school should, at the very least, make sure that students already attending with certain well-founded assumptions, can take the classes they need when they need them.</p>
<p>I think the OP is a young woman that is having a hard time adjusting, and is just looking for excuses to transfer. What better way than to ask other parents what they think of her excuses? I think we’d still help her if she were honest.</p>
<p>Here’s an earlier post:
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<p>Toledo, I actually think that the post you quote is perfectly rational and makes a good case for transferring. If that is the truth behind all this, I don’t see why there is an attempt to make up excuses.</p>
<p>As others have said, it is frustrating when kids come to the parents’ forum and pull this nonsense. They would get good advice if they would just be HONEST.</p>
<p>If the OP is in FL, wouldn’t this story indicate that s/he is at New College? Would New College really dispense with the chem and bio departments? I find that hard to believe…</p>
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Just FYI, no “top LAC” is listed in Colleges that Change Lives. A “top LAC” is a Williams or a Pomona. The LACs in CTCL are small, obscure schools in woebegone locations, usually in upstate Vermont, rural Ohio, or backwoods Virgnia. A “top LAC” doesn’t have leaking toilets and poor internet connections, by definition.</p>
<p>You know in this case, it would be so helpful if the OP would give the name of the LAC, and state whether he/she is a parent or student. I actually mean helpful to other people 
My DS has been accepted at Lynchburg (“backwoods of Virginia”). So it would be nice to know if it really had leaking toilets and poor internet connection. </p>
<p>But in order to not highjack this thread, I think finishing up the year at a highly selective LAC while applying to the state flagship and a few other highly selective schools would be the best solution.</p>
<p>placido, while I agree that this student is likely not at a truly “top” LAC such as Pomona or Williams, I think you are being a bit harsh towards the CTCL. A number of them are well-established schools. :)</p>
<p>I believe the OP of this thread is a parent( according to a PM) but if you read through all the threads with this screen name you can tell which college her son is at.
It also appears that she shares the screen name with her kids, but this thread is started by the mother about her younger son.</p>
<p>Placido is also pretty ignorant about some of the colleges in Loren Popes book but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t academic powerhouses.</p>
<p>Many of us really enjoy conversing with students, whether to get their opinion or help them with their problems. So I suggest that we go on the assumption that the OP’s post quoted in #34 is the real story as it does sound very honest. I understand why someone might be intimidated to come onto this forum as a student, and present themselves as a parent, so why don’t we just help her solve the problem?</p>
<p>It sounds to me as if this current school is not the right place for you. You seem to have thought it out well. What could possibly be a good reason to stay at a place that you dislike, for so many years? These should be the best years of your life right now, and if you don’t feel that you fit into or like the culture, you should get out. Really, the only reason to stay would be if there was a huge financial difference in your moving elsewhere. Many kids decide they don’t like their schools and transfer. In the end, unless you’re going to one of those few schools with a magic name, it probably won’t matter to most employers anyways. If you’re going to a small private school, many employers may have not even heard of it. Certainly a big public university may be far more well known.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re trying to stay fairly local, perhaps to be nearer to your family and boyfriend? Though if you’re into backpacking, there are some nice public universities in Colorado and certainly the University of Washington, where you’d fit right in. But the OOS tuition costs are pretty steep. It sounds like you’re going the right direction now, I think you’ll be glad you made the switch.</p>