Summer College Visits Part 3 of 5

My second college visit trip took me to upstate New York (with a small pit stop in PA). We started the day with a visit to University of Scranton, a Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. To say that Scranton (both the city and the college) exceeded my expectations is an understatement. This small college (only about 4,100 students) prides itself on capping all classes at no more than 35 students. If you think you'd excel in a place where you get individual attention, this school will fit the bill. (Note the individual welcome the 'Allison Cohen Group' got at reception in the picture above). As a Jesuit school, there are two theology and philosphy courses that are required as part of the curriculum, but don't let that scare you - students can choose what exact courses they are interested in. Though the vast majority of students are, indeed, Catholic I was very surprised to learn that one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in Pennsylvania is located two blocks away and there is a Mosque on campus. Unique aspects include a 7 year Physical Therapy program and an equestrian club. Standardized tests are not required if students meet certain minimum requirements and there are merit scholarships that the majority of ElRo students would qualify for. Housing is guarantee all four years. If your only frame of reference for Scranton is The Office, I definitely encourage you to come out and see the city and campus for yourself. Dunder Mifflin may have put Scranton the map in the collective consciousness of pop culture, but don't let their comic interpretation of the city be the end of the story. Oh, and one final thing, they have an AMAZING magical milk shake machine in one of their dining facilities.

Next we made our way up to Binghamton University- arguable the most selective (or second most selective, depending who you ask and what data you look at . . . ) SUNY campus in the entire 64 campus system. We had a really nice tour of 'The Brain' (as the students refer to the main campus buildings) and had a chance to learn more about the campus structure. I don't have to spend much space here describing why Binghamton appealing. With affordable in-state tuition, a strong reputation beyond just the state of New York, a location that is drive-able from NYC, and opportunities for research Binghamton is a frequent choice for our students. It was particularly nice to see the sense of identity formed by the housing structure - with students assigned to various housing communities each with their own personality and flair. It was also hard to ignore the significant upgrades being made to the physical plant of the school - SUNY is starting to break away from the square brick building stereotype they may have been known for in the past. We got to tour a brand new dorm facility with expansive views of the surrounding wooded hills. Sometimes students and families criticize Binghamton for not having much of a town nearby. I can't say they are wrong. But, what I would counter argue is that schools like Binghamton - with 12,000 students - do a great job of having enough on campus programing to make the immediate surroundings borderline irrelevant. Word to the wise, Binghamton has an Early Action application that is due November 15 - if you want to maximize your chance for admission, I strongly encourage you to file by this date. The biggest mistake students make with Binghamton is assuming they will get in - Binghamton has had to become more and more selective each year so if this is the only SUNY on your list, think again.

Summer College Visits Part 2 of 5

The second day of the Pennsylvania tour brought us to Lehigh University and Lafayette College.

The joke on Lehigh University's campus is that you won't gain the freshman 15 -- the hill won't let you. They aren't wrong. A small university on a hill overlooking Bethlehem, PA - Lehigh may not be too far back in your memory after their win over Duke this past spring. For a school of less than 5,000 undergraduates, Lehigh is known for being a highly selective school with an emphasis on flexibility. There are no major requirements and students frequently combine courses of study to pursue their specific interests. They are looking for students that do more than just study - they want students that are active in their community and who want to look at the world with a global perspective. More than half of the students hail from only three states (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) but given how easy it was to get to Bethlehem from New York City I can see why. They are one of a growing number of schools that have pledged to remove loans from financial aid packages for students with a household income of less than $50,000. And even for families with higher income ranges they have a track record of minimizing the gap between what families can afford and what they are asked to pay. In line with my blog entry from earlier this summer, Early Decision applicants do make up a huge percentage of their freshman class, so if you fall in love think about applying that round. Unlike ElRo, almost 60% of the student body is male - possibly due to the fact that Lehigh is very strong in the Engineering and STEM fields - areas that still enroll more men than women.

Our last stop in Pennsylvania took us to Lafayette College in Easton, PA. About half of the size of Lehigh, Lafayette is the smallest Division I school in the nation. The admissions officer that we met with took an enormous amount of time out of his afternoon to speak with us and show us the campus - a personal touch that really mirrors the individualized support that Lafayette prides itself on. Strong career services and robust alumni connections a community that goes beyond the bounds of campus. As a school that only serves undergraduates, Lafayette doesn't need to spread its resources across anything other than the undergrad experience. The faculty mentorship is top notch -- our admission officer touted a professor that let him do his laundry at his house and who he still stays in contact with now that he's working at the college. On the tour, I loved the integration of the newer structures among the more traditional buildings. The motto of Lafayette is Cur Non, from Marquis de Lafayette's family motto "why not." (He's the bust pictured above). So if you are looking for a strong liberal arts or engineering experience less than two hours from New York City, get yourself to Lafayette to check it out. Cur non?

(Added Lafayette bonus -- Easton is also the home of Crayola Crayons - scene of my favorite Sesame Street clip ever! I want to major in crayon making!)

Summer College Visits Part 1 of 5

Over the past two weeks I've been to ten college campuses. This post will be part one of five to describe where my travels have taken me. Every summer I look forward to seeing more campuses in person and this year was no different. A few colleagues and I got together for two different trips - one to Pennsylvania and one to upstate New York.

The first campus we visited was Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This is a school that I am really surprised doesn't have more ElRo applicants and deposits. I can't help but wonder if part of that could be that on paper it may seem like a small religious school. But that would be a mistake. It is by no means large, but I think a student looking for a small liberal arts environment would be very happy with a place about five times as large as our high school. And though the school is Lutheran, there is one Jewish student for every Lutheran student (each make up about 30% of the student body) making it one of the highest percentage of Jewish students in the nation. Moral of the story being not to judge a school only by its cover. I was impressed with the athletic facilities for a Division III school and love the feel of the campus. There is also a strong arts community on campus, so many different types of students can find their niche. This is the kind of Admissions office that remembers the names of their applicants-- I casually mentioned that I knew two Muhlenberg grads and the Admissions officers knew both of them. The red doors come from the Lutheran roots and are meant to be welcoming. They are.

Next, we visited Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. One of the biggest assets for Moravian is the town of Bethlehem - it really had a vibrant and bustling vibe and seemed like the type of place that I would want to spend the afternoon exploring. Moravian's campus is historic in nature with a few rooms on one of their main campus buildings visited by our founding fathers. I was also interested to see that even in this economic downturn, Moravian had a ton of construction going on - always a good sign to see that a school has funds to invest in infrastructure, campus expansion and improvement. Moravian has two separate campuses that are connected via shuttle. I thought one of the best highlights of the tour was the fact that studio art students are given individual studio space - a nice bonus for art majors.

Both campuses visited on this day are EXTREMELY easy to get to from New York City -- our drive only took about 90 minutes but it felt like we were a world away. Next up -- Lehigh and Lafayette!

What's All the Fuss About? Early Action and Early Decision Decoded

At College Night this past year we had a question from the audience about Early Decision - mainly why it exists and what the point of it is. The panel was already off to a late start and we had only a few minutes before we started our workshop sessions. I tried to address the question quickly, but promised that I would explore it more deeply on the blog. So, here we go!

First, we need to understand the definition of Early programs. Early Decision is a binding admission program where students submit their application by an earlier deadline in the fall and get their outcome earlier than the general pool (usually by the last week in December). Because the program is binding, students can only apply Early Decision to one college. Some schools have even more restrictions, but for now, just remember ED is binding and you find out if you get in or not in December instead of April (when most Regular Decision letters go out).

An offshoot of the idea of ED is Early Action - a non-binding admission program where students submit their application by an earlier deadline and get their outcome earlier than the general pool but are NOT required to enroll. One more time - all together now -- Early Decision is BINDING, Early Action is NOT BINDING. I'm going to focus this post on ED, since it seems to cause more confusion.

(This is a long one - click below for the full post)