The College Thread: Skiing, Academics, Experiences.

[JTG]

We had College and Skiing on the old site, time we started up a College thread here. We have enough people with enough experiences that we can help one another!

 

[Ripitz]

I dropped out of college to ski bum, so I might be out.

College Hill in Poughkeepsie used to have a ski tow. There’s usually a big kicker built there when there’s snow.

 

[JTG]

I have a HS senior in the midst of making a college decision. He’s primarily interested in Environmental Sciences or Environmental Engineering. While I think he really wants to go to Binghamton (ranked 88 nationally in recent US News 2021 rankings),
everyone is still waiting to hear from them on regular decision.

He also has some other really good (probably better) options for Environmental studies.

First off, paging Sno! I’ll reach out via pm, but need to pick your brain a little on Clarkson (ranked 124 nationally). A little shocked it runs $70k a year all in, but they offered my son academic scholarships to bring it down to $33k. Higher than SUNY, but possible. As this is a ski blog....what was your skiing experience like? Whiteface only or were you able to get elsewhere? Trips through the school or did you get yourself there? Did you do anything with the Outing Club? Any thoughts on campus life in general? My sons tend to be quiet and need more encouragement than I’d like to get involved In extracurriculars.

Perhaps my son’s best Environmental option is SUNY ESF (ranked 118 nationally). Being a niche school for Environmental could be good or bad. Great education in the field, but limited options if he wants to go a different direction with his studies. The Syracuse connection is attractive. So is the price at $17k a year with the scholarship money offered.

UVM (tied at 118 nationally) brought the $57k annual bill down to $39k with scholarship money. While my wife likes the idea of UVM, it’s hard to justify the cost given his other options.

Anywho, if anyone has experiences with any of those schools feel free to share! Thanks.

 

[MarzNC]

The general advice from the College Counselors at my daughter's prep school to seniors . . . and their parents . . . was to make sure that they were applying to schools that felt like a good fit. Meaning did the student think that living at the school would be comfortable for intangible reasons.

We did the admissions tour of UVM since we were driving to Lake Placid and it wasn't that much of a detour. It had been suggested by her College Counselor. She liked it more than she expected. The tour guide made a point to note how many good ski mountains were close by. Ultimately though she chose not to apply. Instead she only applied to in-state schools in North Carolina. As it turned out, the feature she thought was an absolute requirement hasn't turned out to be that important. The friends she made freshman year were far more important. I like the fact that there are very few grad students so all her classes have been taught by professors.

 

[Campgottagopee]

I'll tell ya, the kids who like the trades are lucky. A buddy's kid just graduated from lineman school. He'll pull down close to 80K his first year with zero school debt.

 

[riverc0il]

I'll tell ya, the kids who like the trades are lucky. A buddy's kid just graduated from lineman school. He'll pull down close to 80K his first year with zero school debt.

Goodness knows I can't get an electrician in my area to give me the time of day for a small job. Tradesmen in my area are in high demand and short supply.

MarzNC is spot on with finding the right fit being the most important (well, maybe second after money... 17k for Syracuse sounds pretty good compared to the other options!). Don't worry about the rankings or how good one program is against another program (as long as the program is good enough). Worry about extra curricular activities, student organizations that match up with hobbies, strong student life that gets people involved (particularly if your sons are introverted and may need some encouragement). Also, spot on with the difference between faculty focused on teaching vs. doing research and letting TAs run the lectures.

Another thing to consider is whether an institution will survive the next four years or not. It would stink to have to change institutions because of an institution or program closure. A squeeze is happening with fewer students to enroll due to demographic changes. And the pandemic has caused many students to take a "gap" year which will become permanent in some cases. Remote/online learning may have fried some students and caused them to drop out. The result is some programs will be eliminated, some institutions will fail, and almost all institutions are going to face hardships that could impact students. Getting to know those issues may help guide some decisions. Though, I think JTG's shortlist institutions are probably not going to be impacted compared to others, especially lesser known four year privates or low enrollment, smaller state run campuses.

 

[Face4Me]

The general advice from the College Counselors at my daughter's prep school to seniors . . . and their parents . . . was to make sure that they were applying to schools that felt like a good fit. Meaning did the student think that living at the school would be comfortable for intangible reasons.

I'm a big believer in this. I know a few people who sent their kids to schools, in some cases, very expensive schools, and ultimately, it wasn't a good fit. Their kids ended up transferring to other schools, and they had spent a lot of money for nothing. It's important to recognize whether someone will do well at a large school, with 20K or more students, large lecture hall classes and that sort of thing, or whether they will be better able to adjust at a school with 5K - 10K students, in a quieter environment, smaller classes, and more personal interactions with professors.

There are so many other considerations as well. In the first two years, a lot of classes are "general education" classes, so it's not necessarily worth spending a lot of money in those years. The other thing is so many kids end up changing their plans in those years, so it's important to be mindful of that as well. They can always transfer to another school after the first two years, though in some cases, that may be difficult, especially if they've built strong relationships with friends at their current school.

As New Yorkers, we know our taxes are high, but I've always believed that access to SUNY schools is where we get the payback. Many SUNY schools are very highly ranked, and they are just so much more affordable than other schools. When my kids were looking for schools, I had told them they could go to any school they wanted, and I would pay for it, as long as the school started with S.U.N.Y. It worked out quite well for my daughter. She graduated with a Masters in Education from SUNY Plattsburgh and got a teaching job in a small school district making a very nice salary. My son is a junior at SUNY Geneseo and he loves it there. Time will tell how things work out for him, but he's bright and he works hard, so I'm not worried about his future.

I also believe that if you're hard-working and good at what you do, sooner or later, it will work out for you. I was a complete F-up in college, but I was always a very hard worker, and things have turned out very well for me. I'm just not one of those people who believe that the college you attend is going to be a significant factor in your success over the long term. It's who you are that's really important.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Just make sure they go someplace you don't mind visiting. My son is finishing his Junior year at Pitt, His #1 goal is to remain in Pittsburgh since he loves it so much.

 

[JTG]

Thanks for the thoughts all!

Absolutely agree about the fit thing being the most important. That was the focus for our first two and it makes all the difference. On our visits, such as they were with COVID, our son was drawn to Binghamton more than ESF because of fit and feel. That is really what has Binghamton as his first choice.

Our kids are not good with their hands. I wouldn’t have steered them away from the trades if they were so inclined.

While we didn’t tell any of our kids that anything was off the table, I sure was relieved when both our sons targeted SUNY schools. With private schools for this go around we figured....throw an application in and let’s see what kind of scholarship money comes back. Since he did ok in that regard we may make another visit or two before decision day. Still, even with scholarship money it’s hard to justify spending double the SUNY price when Binghamton and ESF are higher ranked (not that rankings are the shit) and he likes them.

He’s got two months now to dig into catalogs, get more familiar with program/degree specifics for his short list, and maybe visit a couple more places.

My wife and I are more enamored with ESF than our son, but ESF is a little funky. It’s a VERY small niche SUNY school with a TINY campus adjacent to Syracuse University. In industry and the Environmental world it is very highly regarded, so I don’t think it’s in danger of losing enrollment and funding. ESF and Syracuse have a collegiate partnership that allows ESF students to use Syracuse facilities, libraries, labs, dorms and dining halls, and ESF students can take classes there. Students graduate in the same ceremony in the Dome, and ESF diplomas bear the Syracuse seal along side ESF. Many of the benefits of Syracuse, at a fraction of the cost, for a highly regarded Environmental degree. Seems perfect to us, but our son isn’t feeling that one as much. Campus was too small for his liking, but we may make another visit.

My wife and I both graduated from Geneseo and would have loved for one of our progeny to attend. The first two applied and were accepted but chose elsewhere. This one didn’t even want to apply. Our first son chose Plattsburgh and loves it there. Second son was accepted there but has no desire to go to school with his brother, as much as my wife would like that.

Last one. Once we get him squared away we won’t have to go through this process again!

 

[Campgottagopee]

I also believe that if you're hard-working and good at what you do, sooner or later, it will work out for you. I was a complete F-up in college, but I was always a very hard worker, and things have turned out very well for me. I'm just not one of those people who believe that the college you attend is going to be a significant factor in your success over the long term. It's who you are that's really important.

Same thoughts here. I played hoops, skied, hunted, fished, and got really good at foosball in college.
Hard work will win every single time.