Southern LACs

4kids4colleges
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 20:24:31 +0000

@rayrick, these factors are indeed important, but so are many others - For example, Southwestern was much more generous with merit aid, in our experience. It is also smaller, and has a real “liberal arts” college feel, for those interested in that kind of nurturing, residential environment.

Trinity feels more urban. In terms of campus beauty, SU wins hands down, in my opinion.

The (slightly) higher median earnings at Trinity likely reflect its many Engineering and Accounting graduates - as a traditional liberal arts college, SU does not have an engineering program.

Trinity is much more STEM- focused, which can be good or bad, depending on what fields are of interest to the student. For my D, it was something of a turn-off. At the open house we attended, the traditional liberal arts disciplines were definitely played down as secondary to Engineering, Business, Accounting, and science majors. It felt less like a liberal arts college to us. On the other hand, the English class we sat in on seemed excellent, and I’m sure all of its programs are great.

SU is also more diverse, socioeconomically, though I am sure Trinity is relatively diverse as well. This has been a plus for my D, as she appreciates learning from people with different life experiences.

The President at Southwestern is involved with everything, is very accessible, smart, and a dynamic, excellent leader in my opinion. I met him the first time we visited, and spoke to him multiple times when we dropped our D off this summer. The guy is literally everywhere - in the dorms, the dining hall, the classroooms, out talking to maintenance workers and students and everyone in between. This is not at all unusual at SU, but not the norm elsewhere. I view the quality of this President as a huge positive.

Ok so I’m biased, but It really does come down to fit. @texastexas20, you will likely know once you visit.

@dadof1, so great your D2 was able to visit both schools. Southwestern really is a gem, quirky kids and all. Its turned out to be the perfect choice for my D. All that hard work and research paid off, as it did for many of you!