Ten Visited by One Family!

My family (wife, son, and myself) have completed our college visitations. I’ll share my memories thereof below, though some are over a year old.

We visited ten colleges in all. We were looking for a small college, to continue the GW-like experience. Within the broad category of “small” we noted three sub-categories: “very small” (under 1000 undergrads), “reasonably small” (1000-2000), and “not all that small” (over 2000). The “very small” colleges in some cases were recently-converted community colleges, and they still had some of the community-college “feel” – limited number of majors, and a “vocational” slant (such as, for example, a degree program in radiological technology) — but they definitely had a “homey” atmosphere, not the feel of transience for which community colleges can be known.

I think all of the colleges were good. There was a definite difference in the quality of the “presentation.” All the admissions personnel showed a genuine interest in students, and emphasized student success. Some tour guides and some tours were better than others, but it’s probably best to try to look past that, and figure out what the real story is. Not easy to do, and it would be different for every prospective student. Having said that, I’ll give my own impressions. I’ll review them in chronological order:

1. McDaniel College

January 2007: Westminster MD, an hour west of Baltimore (in the “reasonably small” category). A compact, attractive campus at the edge of a small town. The college owns quite a bit of attractive land, including a golf course and a football field adjacent, but the buildings are pretty closely gathered. McDaniel gives a very good impression, and we had a good tour guide. She noted (among other things) that Greek life was not isolated from the rest of the college, and that it was a positive aspect of the school. She also emphasized the inclusiveness of extracurricular activities – that anyone willing to put in the time could participate in (say) theatre productions. Lots of emphasis on international awareness, and doing a semester abroad.

2. Immaculata University

January 2007: Immaculata PA, west of Philadelphia (in the “very small” category). On a very cold day in January, this had something of the feel of a South Pole outpost – a few buildings in the middle of a vast field – hundreds of acres – of snow. Nice, but cold. Must look really nice in the spring. The overall impression is “just OK.” Nothing especially outstanding. This is a Catholic college, staffed largely by sisters, who ran the gamut from all-smiles, upbeat, Sister Maria from The Sound of Music, to the diametrical opposite. A high percentage of the faculty graduated from Immaculata. Most GW students will probably not have experience with Catholic education, so this could be a problem. But if you’re comfortable with that and you’re looking for something very small and low-key, this is worth a look.

3. Keystone College

January 2007: La Plume PA, near Scranton (I would put this in the “very small” category, even though it has over 1000 undergrads, because there is a large percentage of commuters, making the residential experience “very small”.) Keystone is a recently-converted junior college, with fairly small facilities, but not too limited a curriculum. It sits in a very isolated woodland area – basically a wide spot in the road, bordered by a picturesque stream and woodland trails. Staff was very kind and interested, and our tour guide (a sophomore) was very intelligent and professional. On the tour with us was a family with one child already attending who liked it a lot, with the second child touring with us as a prospect. Quite notable is the Keystone Guarantee: You get a job in your field within six months of graduation, or you can stay at Keystone to get additional education, for free, until you get a job.

4. Davis & Elkins College

January 2007: Elkins WV, deep in the heart of West Virginia (“very small” category). An attractive campus on a wooded hillside. Unfortunately, they didn’t present themselves too well. The admissions officer was new on the job, and the tour guide not very engaging. They take a lot of pride in their student tavern, which did seem to have a lot of atmosphere, but it made me wonder if they were selling themselves as a party school. A shame, because I’ve heard good things about the school, but I came away thinking “just OK.”

5. Bethany College

January 2007: Bethany WV, in the pointy northern tip of West Virginia – almost Pennsylvania, almost Ohio. (“very small” category, but bordering on “reasonably small,” with a pretty full curriculum) Grand spacious campus on the edge of a small town. Very impressive tour, including a long sit-down meeting with the president – a very charming older gentleman. They try to get every student a job on campus, as part of the “campus community” spirit. Unique among the colleges we visited, because of its equestrian program. I really liked Bethany a lot. I think GW students would tend to do well there.

6. Hood College

June 2007: Frederick MD, half-hour west of Rockville (“reasonably small” category, but with an even smaller feel, because of the many commuters) This is a handsome campus. It’s in the middle of a built-up suburban area, so it seems pretty restricted in its geography. We had a good tour, with a guide who was very active in campus life, and was very devoted to the school. Perhaps because of his devotion, he painted the school as a highly-competitive environment for world-beating over-achievers, which was not what we were looking for. Hood used to be a women’s college, and there are still “old-fashioned” restrictions on males visiting women’s dorms.

7. Emory & Henry College

August 2007: Emory VA, way out on the pointy southwestern neck of Virginia. Almost Tennessee. (“reasonably small” category) An attractive spacious campus in the middle of approximately nowhere. We toured here on the first day of classes for fall semester, so they weren’t really ready to give complete tours. But still we had a good tour guide, and we got a pretty good feel for the campus, and encountered quite a few students, who were unusually friendly. My son especially liked the isolated feel of this campus – “like an island, but without the water.” But it’s not as isolated as it seems. The college strongly stresses its involvement with the surrounding Appalachian community.

8. Christopher Newport University

August 2007: Newport News VA. This (with over 4,000 students) was our only foray into the “not all that small” category, and it was too big for my taste. But if you’re into it, it’s an impressively beautiful campus – almost all brand new. Student housing (at least what we saw) much more commodious than anywhere else. Tuition very reasonable for in-state students.

9. Mitchell College

February 2008: New London, CT, on Long Island Sound, near Rhode Island (“very small” category). This is a former junior college, with a pretty limited curriculum, but a strong vocational bent. Small but neat campus in a residential part of the city on the bank of the broad Thames, with its own beach and pier — great if you’re into boating. We went to an afternoon basketball game (men’s), and were impressed with the school spirit – a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd.

10. Southern Vermont College

February 2008: Bennington VT, southwestern corner of Vermont, near New York state and Massachusetts. (smallest of the “very small” on our list, with a fairly limited curriculum) Wide-open campus on a mountainside just outside town, with a spectacular view. Southern Vermont is on the opposite side of town from the more-famous Bennington College. Southern Vermont offers just as good a view, for half the tuition! We had a good tour, with a good guide, including a visit with the president, a very enthusiastic and personable lady, who showed us the plans for the expansion of the campus next year. Academics are largely accommodated in a single building – a huge old mansion from the robber-baron era. Student housing (in modern buildings) is in suites, with about eight students sharing a living room.

Bottom line: My favorites: McDaniel and Bethany, because everyone there we met seemed to have the “spark” of enthusiasm and purpose. Honorable mention to Keystone, for its job-placement guarantee.

My son’s favorites: McDaniel, Emory & Henry, and Christopher Newport.

My wife’s favorites: McDaniel, Emory & Henry, and Bethany